Limp tail

[hoggs222]

I hunted my 1 1/2 yr old ylw lab today and he is now holding his tail downward and is reluctant to "wag" it and is also sensitive to touch. He had been swimming in colder water and had been extremely "birdie" throughout the day. Any suggestions on treatment would be appreciated.

[Cinder18]

My dog got limp tail once last year. About the only thing you can do is keep her from shaking. It will get better in a few days.

[hoggs222]

Thanks for your support...

[wormfood]

Your dog is the unlucky recipient of limber tail. He'll get over it but it could take a few days and he wont be too happy.

My lab went through the same deal a little over a year ago and it comes back if she's too active in the woods or water on a given day.

Good Luck.

[caseymcq]

My dog had the same thing this summer. My wife took him to the vet and they told her he sprained it. It went away in a couple days.

It was sad but kind of funny because he is a black lab that is way too friendly. My dad and brother came up to go fishing for the weekend and when he saw them he couldn't help himself so he ended up yelping a lot as he was running up to greet them.

[Dbl]

Mine has had limber tail twice in the last year. It takes just a couple of days and all will be normal. Mine, like caseymcg's, is a black lab that lives to wag that tail. .

[311Hemi]

My 1.5 years old has it after his first duck hunt this weekend.

[hoggs222]

Thanks for all of your response to my question. He seems to be doing fine and is back to knocking everything of the coffee table. I will now know what to look for as his real test will be in 2 weeks for his North Dakota experience.

Thanks again

[verg]

My old dog used to get that now in then in early part of season. The vet called it Pump Handles Tail. The guys are right-basically a sprain. Vet said cuz dog was not used to working that hard. Hate to admit but basically out of shape. Vet told me to give asprin to help heal and also pretreat asprin before hunted. I started really working him hard in off season and never saw it again.

[IRISHSOBNO4]

have him checked for limes disease, this happened to me last year after grouse hunting. check to see if the dog is sensitive in other areas also. (my dog had the vaccination for it so i didn't think that it was limes)

[LABS4ME]

This has been perfectly described as Limber Tail. Even without seeing the dog I am positive it's not Lymes disease, nothing stated is even an associated symptom. Limber Tail Syndrome or Limp Tail Syndrome is a very common occurance in many sporting breeds, including Labs. I've seen it many times over the 20 some years I've been associated with the breed. It is an affliction of the tail muscles brought on by strenuous activity and/or cold water. It has nothing to with the conditioning of the dog. One of my females who was heavily trained and trialed still was afflicted with it two or three times a year. Just as a pro athlete can pull or strain a muscle, so will a dog. Don't forget how much work the tail does... It helps greatly in balance, swimming and don't forget the umpteen miles it puts on spinning around in circles when chasin birds... While it looks comical all bent over, it is usually quite painful for a day or two for the dog. As far as they've been able to determine, it is a straining of the major muscles at the base of the tail. It usually will show improvement in 2-3 days as the muscles repair themselves. There are several good articles about this on the internet... Just do a search or talk to your vet. Once you've seen it, you will know what it is and save yourself some money from paying the vet to tell you it will go away in a couple of days.

Good Luck!

Ken

[IRISHSOBNO4]

my dog had the same limp tail and i thought it was limber tail syndrom untill she started to be sensitive around her ears when i brought her to the vet he said the same thing.

untill he did the lymes test.

i have had labs for 40 years and have had dogs with limber tail syndrom many times. it was always good to check for it so it is caught in time, i had to put a dog down 4 years ago

because of lymes.