Dog tail tip wound won't heal. How to stop licking and wrap?

Yes, Minnie should be wearing an Elizabethan collar at all times until the wound is completely healed. Make sure to avoid trauma to the wound such as hitting the tail against the wall. If it does not start to improve within one week or if it starts getting worse, have her examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps.

Tails can be very difficult to keep wrapped or bandaged. Consider an e-collar (cone) to prevent licking and to allow healing. That wound in the image should be addressed by your veterinarian. Ideally, the hair around it should be clipped to prevent contamination. The wound itself should be gently cleaned. Sutures may be indicated if it is a fresh wound or deep wound. Antibiotics and pain management may also be indicated.

It may be tricky as wounded tail keeps bleeding. So, if it is bleeding a lot you should apply pressure for a few minutes (5 minutes) on the tail until the bleeding stops. Then you may have to apply a bandage on the tail to prevent another bleed (it may start again if the dog starts to chew or lick the tail or even if he starts wagging the tail). Bandaging the tail can be difficult - you don't want to put too much pressure but on the other hand loose bandage will slip off. If it come to the worst you may have to take your dog to your vet to put a proper bandage on.

Tail wounds are difficult to heal. You are doing a good job but need to place her in a cone to stop the licking and chewing. The wound can’t heal with constant irritation. I also would check her for fleas to make sure that isn’t the reason she started the chewing, and also you may want to have her anal sacs checked since if they are full they can cause itching in this area. Your veterinarian can also prescribe medication to control the itch and inflammation and antibiotics if they feel the area is infected. Be patient and continue with your treatment and this will heal in time. A tail amputation is a serious surgery and she would probably chew the incision and make a sore so you wouldn’t be any better off than you are now. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Leia.

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Ouch, poor Oscar! The most important thing is to keep that area clean. Use warm soapy water (Dawn dish soap works well) with a clean towel and gently wash to keep it clean of discharge, dirt, and crusting. Don’t use harsher products such as alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, as they will be painful and can damage tissue in the wound. You’re right, that’s not a very easy area to wrap so I recommend leaving it open. You can dab a little neosporin on it as a barrier. However, I’ll warn you that bite wounds have a tendency to get infected, even if you’re doing everything right with wound care. Cat bites in particular are prone to infection. So, monitor it closely and if it’s becoming more red, swollen, painful, and has more discharge, that would indicate it’s likely infected and Oscar would need to see a vet and get antibiotics. Good luck, hope this helps!

Unfortunately, tail mutilation can be a complicated problem to resolve - it often requires a combination of oral antibiotics, steroids, and pain medication such as gabapentin to allow the wound to heal while also keeping it wrapped to prevent further trauma from occurring. Often, part of the problem is that there may be an underlying reason why the tail chewing occurred in the first place - a skin condition, neurologic disorder such as lumbosacral stenosis, or an initial injury may have caused Zoey to begin mutilating her tail, and it's often a vicious cycle from there. In some dogs, this can also be a compulsive behavior associated with stress or anxiety. Without seeing a vet, all you will be able to do at home is keep the tail clean and loosely wrapped to prevent further damage, but Zoey will probably need prescription medications for it to heal. You may be able to find a low-cost SPCA clinic in your area who could help.

It can be normal for the hair to fall out at the tip of the tail where it was injured. The hair may not grow back in that area at all. As long as the wound is healing you do not need to worry about the hair loss. If the wound is open, bleeding or oozing then I would be concerned. If you dog is not bothering the tail injury I would leave it unwrapped. If it is not oozing or bleeding there is I need to keep it wrapped up. Hope this helps!