Cut high up on DOg's Tail
 

Hello. Yesterday, I noticed some blood on my couch and the edge of my dog's blanket. It was a decent amount so I checked him out. He has a cut on the high end of his tail near his bottom. He unfortunately can still reach it and lick it. I cleaned it and have been trying to keep it clean.

My ultimate question, If I keep it clean and maybe even put a bandage on it, is it bad enough to take him to the vet?

I have read and seen some dogs get infections and have to have their tails docked. I would hate that for Riley as he is such a sweet heart and such a happy wagger. He is my little furry child. I am a worried mother for sure.

What should I do? Thanks for any help. I don't want to be overly concerned, but I also can not spend thousands on his vet bill.

(Sorry for the graphic photos, if you are squeamish by blood.)
Oh and these photos are right after I cleaned it with some hydrogen peroxide so it looks very wet and fresh.

Definitely bad enough to warrant a vet visit. Is it on the top or bottom side of the tail?

Do you let your dog out alone b/c it looked like some ass cut your dog tail .
And I agree your dog needs to go to the vet that is a very deep cut and it could get infected . Poor puppy . :(

Yep, I'd Vet too. Stitches can only be done within a certain amount of time of injury so it might be too late for that. But your Vet can suggest treatment, perhaps antibiotic. I can see an injury like that happening if your dog scrambled through a barbed wire fence. Dirty, rusty, barbed wire - yuck, equals infection coming up? Maybe. A bandage and E collar might be warranted at the very least.

me too - vet time.
The gash is deep and might need a stitch (if it's not too late as LB suggests) as well as antibiotics of some kind.

That's a pretty good cut. It may be stitchable.

If you're ever in a pinch, I generally carry a tube of superglue in the glovebox for little emergencies. Works very well for closing a wound and it doesn't hurt - used it on myself many times and animals as well.

[QUOTE=rhynes;1068445]That's a pretty good cut. It may be stitchable.

If you're ever in a pinch, I generally carry a tube of superglue in the glovebox for little emergencies. Works very well for closing a wound and it doesn't hurt - used it on myself many times and animals as well.[/QUOTE]

I would be very careful about using glue on a pet. They could lick it off and the glue could be toxic to your pet.


[url]http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/toxicology/qt/GorillaGlue.htm[/url]

Superglue works great to seal a small cut with good edges, Barkingdog, and the glue dries fast--in a matter of seconds to a couple minutes--so licking can be prevented. Once it's dry, it's inert. It's even used in surgery to close some incisions. :thumbs up

If this wound is on the top of the tail, though, it almost seems more like an infection in the gland there than a cut. If that's the case, it's possible to treat with antibiotics--and maybe even to have the gland removed eventually. Sure looks sore! :(

[QUOTE=hazelrunpack;1068450]Superglue works great to seal a small cut with good edges, Barkingdog, and the glue dries fast--in a matter of seconds to a couple minutes--so licking can be prevented. Once it's dry, it's inert. It's even used in surgery to close some incisions. :thumbs up

If this wound is on the top of the tail, though, it almost seems more like an infection in the gland there than a cut. If that's the case, it's possible to treat with antibiotics--and maybe even to have the gland removed eventually. Sure looks sore! :([/QUOTE]

I was concerned some people may think all glues is safe to use on their pets .
Gorilla glue is very toxic to pets and someone might try using that instead of superglue.

Should have said crazy glue I guess, anyone silly enough to put gorilla glue on their pet shouldn't have one. The stuff was developed for closing wounds.