Why is My Dog's Tail Down?
There are times when you will find dog’s tail down. It is crucial for you to attend to it as at such a moment the dog may be going through a stressful moment hence requiring you to take care of it so that it can go back to its comfortable state. Learn more about this through the information on NolongerWild.
Why is My Dog’s Tail Down?
Holding down of tail among dogs is mostly referred to as limber tail, dead tail, broken wag or limp tail and this occurs due to several reasons as observed by specialists. The tail may be down due to some muscle injury. It's therefore important to consult your vet so that you can have him check the dog for such conditions.
The question that you are likely to ask yourself is, what may have caused the muscle injury? Well there are various conditions that cause muscle injury in dogs:
1. Exposure to cold water or weather
When they become exposed to cold weather, their tail could become limp
A majority of dogs are very sensitive when it comes to temperatures. When they become exposed to cold weather or even cold water, their tail becomes limp. You should, therefore, be aware of how sensitive your dog is too cold conditions so that you can ensure that such conditions do not affect their behavior or health.
2. Muscle injury
Many people confuse muscle injury for a sprain. A sprain is usually an injury to a joint and the area surrounding it while a muscle injury is an inflammation which occurs due to irritation of the muscle and it causes the tail to limp. This, however, should not worry you much as after some few days the tail will recover and go back to its normal state.
3. Prolonged confinement
When you place your dog in a crate that is too small for it for a very long time, it is expected that the tail will tend to lay down due to the position it may be sitting for so long even when you remove it from the crate since it had been used to laying low in its original position.
4. Medical issues
Your dog can hold tail down when she is under some medical conditions (Via kmdvm.blogspot) There are some medical conditions such as anal gland inflammation, osteoarthritis or prostate trouble that causes your dog to hold her tail down. Your dog will hold her tail down to counteract the pain and discomfort caused by this conditions.
What Should You Do if Your Dog is Holding Its Tail Down?
Your dog is likely to recover from a limp tail within some few days. If this fails to happen, it is important to consult a vet who will carry out some medical examination to find out what exactly has caused the tail to be down. Your vet may decide to perform an x- ray to find out if the condition is severe which will help to identify the cause of the problem.
How can I prevent Dog Tail Down from Happening to My Dog?
It is possible to prevent your dog from having her tail down. You can do this by following the following steps:
- Overexertion has been observed to be the major reason why many dogs hold their tail down. It, therefore, extremely important to gradually introduce exercises to your dog instead of pushing him too hard after some prolonged low activity.
- The crate that you use for your dog should be of the right size so that your dog can relax comfortably without much strain or making him sit in only one position.
Also, ensure that he does not stay in the crate for too long as he may tend to sit in only one position which will have an effect of affecting the normal position of the tail.
Giving your dog breaks from the crate will ensure that he stretches his limbs and his tail is free from locking up.
- Finally, always be keen to observe the condition in which your dog’s tail is in and also his breed.
- The breed that your dog originates from will dictate how he will respond to any condition that affects him. It has been observed that some breeds are more affected by limber tail than others.
- Therefore, if you note anything concerning your dog’s tail, seek medical attention from your vet as early as possible so that he can attend your dog before the condition gets out of hand.
Conclusion
Dog tails play a significant role in their day life. Unlike human beings, dogs use their tail to communicate to human concerning what they are feeling at different moments. You should, therefore, be very observant to your dog’s tail and take care of it to timely help the dog when its tail gets injured.
