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Can puppies die if their tails are docked at 2 days old at home?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

A few years ago I was staying at my uncles and his jack Russell dog had puppies and he took a butcher knife and chopped there tails off he said working Jack Russell can't go down rabbit holes when there tails are too long I always wandered if the puppies ended up dying could that cause them to die they were only 2 days old at the time he did it

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Published on April 7th, 2017

Oh no! That would be pretty traumatic to watch. I am so sorry! Luckily, the puppies are probably ok, because when the puppies are this old they don't have much blood supply to their tails, and so they don't bleed much. We prefer to do this in the clinic where we have a sterile environment in which to operate in, and have the option of giving pain medication.
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