My Golden Retriever, Aspen loves the water! It’s almost impossible to keep him out of it! He’s been that way ever since I got him at 9 weeks. He has swam in the ocean, bay, lakes, streams, and even puddles in the yard.
When he was 3 years old, I had him at our favorite lake swimming for a couple of hours. When we got home, he was exhausted, so he took a nap. When he woke up his tail was just hanging, he kept biting it, and he could hardly wag it. I called our trusted Vet and got him an appointment right away! After the Vet examined him, he explained that my boy had “Cold Tail”. I laughed and asked “seriously what’s wrong with him?” Our Vet went on to explain that when a dog swims he uses his tail like a boat’s rudder. When a dog’s tail is overworked the muscles at the base of the dog’s tail swell causing the tissue to tighten and cut off blood flow to the tail. This can be very painful for dogs. Luckily, rest and an anti-inflammatory can clear this up in a few days!
So how can you prevent this condition?
- Don’t let your pet swim in water that is too cold
- Don’t bathe your pet in cold weather and if you do dry them completely
- Make sure your dog is well-rested before and after swimming.
~ by guest blogger and pet sitter extraordinaire Jenn M!
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