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My puppy's infected docked tail is bleeding. What can I do now?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Boxer | Female | unspayed | 5 lbs

I have a 9 week old Boxer puppy. She has a docked tail that looks infected. When I got her, she was very very skinny, you could see all her bones in her body- profoundly. Her tail has a huge scab on it, tends to bleed, and has puss coming out of it. What can I do to help this or what should I do until I am able to take her to the vet Monday or Tuesday?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 12th, 2017

Oh poor pup! She definitely needs to see a vet, but here's what you can do in the meantime.

1) Rinse the tail with warm water (no soap or antiseptics) for five minutes.
2) Apply some antibacterial cream (like neosporin) to the wound and try to tape a bandage over the area.

If you are able to keep the bandage on, then repeat the above daily. If you cannot keep the bandage on, then rinse the area three times a day if possible.

Don't be surprised if a lot of that brown scab stuff comes out with the rinsing and bandage. It's actually good to remove that stuff gently. Just avoid scrubbing or picking at the scabs.

I hope that helps and Cali gets better soon.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on November 22nd, 2016
Poor dog. Unfortunately you need to get this pet evaluated by your vet and treated by your vet. It is possible the antibiotics you have is not the proper dosage for your dog. Cats are much smaller in weight and antibiotics are dosed out per body weight. Also certain antibiotics treat for certain areas of the body. The wound also sounds like it needs to be properly flushed and antiseptically cleansed (i.e. Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water or Chlorhexidine 3% solution). Docking your own pets tail is problematic because you need to properly close the incision site with sutures to prevent infections like this from happening. Without proper closure infection will seep in and require even more medical treatment which involves removing any infected or necrotic tissue and often-times stronger or multiple antibiotics are needed if the infection is severe enough.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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