Is there a vet in the house?

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Tonight, we cut our full-blood blue healer puppy's tail. He is about 6 or 7 weeks old, and he bled quite a bit, but stopped. I just wanted to know if there is anything that I should be concerned about.

[La Grange]

It matters on really how muched the pup bled. If it is more than you would think would be normal you probably should get it checked out, but docking tails does aquire alot of blood loss. Have yall docked tails before? It is a lot more complicated than one might think.

My dad is a vet, so that is why I put in my two cents .

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

He maybe bled for about 15 minutes and it seeped a little bit out. I wasn't sure though, but he was running around afterwards, and he's asleep now. I'm sure that he'll be okay, though. My dad just cut it off and threw flour on it. He screamed, but he still seemed to like us afterwards. Thanks for your two cents Tanner.

[20dawgz05]

is there an age limit on that? my puppy is about 9 weeks old and i want to get his tail cut!!!

[vet93]

I wouldn't recommend docking tails of puppies that age at home. I have to deal with too many screw ups when it is done at home. The proper time to dock a puppies tail is when they are about 1 to 2 days old. If they are older than that then you should wait until they are about 3 months old and take them to a veterinarian to be sedated before amputation. After the first week the nervous and vascular systems develop to the point that it is very painful and hard on a puppy to amputate the tail without sedation and suture material. It is amazing how many screw ups I have had to fix though the years because someone is trying to save a buck. Most of the time the screw ups cost more than the procedure would have been had it been done right the first time. Specifically...the two things that you need to watch are excessive bleeding and infection. Remember... a dog is not a bull. If a bull loses a couple of liters of blood it is no big deal...if a puppy loses that much blood...then they are DEAD. Ruminants also seem to have a much better tolerance for pain and infection. If you can't afford to do it right, then don't dock the tail or don't own a breed of dog where you may want to dock the tail. Sorry for the tough reply...I have just seen too many of these situations end badly for the puppy and the owner.

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

He's in good shape today. He was running around, but it was a little bit sore. He's going to be okay, and I understand where you are coming from. If we thought it would have hurt him, we wouldn't have done it. What are some signs of an infection, and what can be done to prevent one?

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END
He's in good shape today. He was running around, but it was a little bit sore. He's going to be okay, and I understand where you are coming from. If we thought it would have hurt him, we wouldn't have done it. What are some signs of an infection, and what can be done to prevent one?

WHAT????

If you thought it would have hurt him, you wouldn't have done it????

You cut the poor dog's tail off without anesthesia...with a pair of SCISSORS!!!! Of course it hurt him!!

Anyway BBDE, you know where I stand on this issue!

[vet93]

The signs of infection are fairly straight forward. Drainage, foul smell, inflamed tissue. The dog can also look very depressed if the infection gets into his system. You dodged a bullet....next time...please, from someone who has a little more experience in matters like this than yourself or family....consult a veterinarian before you cut off a tail. It is common sense that may save you some heartache.

Originally posted by BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END
He's in good shape today. He was running around, but it was a little bit sore. He's going to be okay, and I understand where you are coming from. If we thought it would have hurt him, we wouldn't have done it. What are some signs of an infection, and what can be done to prevent one?

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Yeah, I think that we will next time. It was like Tanner said, there is a lot more to it than some people think. Thanks for the advice Vet93, I appreciate it.