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Limp Tails are Heavier than Broken Hearts

Limp Tails are Heavier than Broken Hearts

March 15, 2011
Posted in: Dogs | Reading Time: 2 minutes

THIS is my magnificent Formosan/German Shepherd dog in all his gorgeousity.

Notice the natural position of his tail, held at full-mast 95% of his waking hours.

THIS is my sad Formosan/German Shepherd dog with a Limp Tail:

If Ever There Was a Need for that Little Blue Pill...

As much as I'd love to crack all the Viagra jokes I can about this, that plus Loki is generally an easy mark, I just can't. He's in a lot of pain. Thanks to Mango and his DOH helping me google-diagnose Limber Tail Syndrome  on Sunday evening, I could actually get some sleep until yesterday morning when I can take him to the vet.

I took him in when Juno had her water-treadmill physical therapy. Loki had to stay in another room, lest he distract Juno from her 20 minute workout. Within 30 seconds, the vet discovered he could open doors. Ooopsie, I forgot he could do that. My bad!

The vet dismissed over-use as defined by Limber Tail Syndrome and thinks Loki rough-housed a little too much, took a fall and went in one direction while the base of his tail went in another. I'm not saying I disagree with him, but I know Loki. His athletic dexterity is much too great for such a mistake. I'm pretty sure last week running him 3 times on the bike and two long-off leash forest hikes filled with cracked-out zoomies and his new sport "Juno herding" was probably too much.  Especially considering the first 6 months here he was confined to leash walking.

He's on metacam for three days and if not better by then, we'll have x-rays to see if there's a fracture. Though, I'm pretty sure this is muscle strain from over-use.

But go ahead and crack all the jokes you want. We could use a good laugh!

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19 comments on “Limp Tails are Heavier than Broken Hearts”

  1. Poor Loki. Allie had cold tail twice, both from overdoing it swimming. The most pitiful sight ever was when she tried to greet my boyfriend, and realized she could not wag. Hope he and the criminal are feeling better soon.

  2. How could I ever make fun of something so pathetic looking. Poor Loki. His crackerness is compromised. I sure hope it was from too much funballs with the wild Juno and that he is feeling ship shape soon. You know, the articles on limp tail warned that many vets do not agree with the diagnosis. Whatever. As long as he is getting well, that's what counts.

    Slobbers,
    Mango

  3. Loki
    If woo needed a crackah break- you should've called me. I'm a quick fill in. I bet that lil JRT can get your tail full mast again. I hope it's just a muscle strain...we can loose our star crackah player on our team
    nordude

  4. Loki man, looks like you need to renew your Pawboy subscription. In all seriousness dude, just take it easy for a few days and hopefully you'll be back to your full crackerness in no time!

    Wiggles,
    calhoun

    PS I don't have a tail so maybe you should just wiggle like me?

  5. Maybe his tail has been extra busy lately and just needs a rest? Abby's tail wags pretty much non-stop (seriously, it wags in her sleep), so we can understand how you might, ah, over-wag on occasion. Take your drugs, stop opening doors, and we hope your tail will be back to full mast in no time!

    *kissey face*
    -Fiona and Abby the Hippobottomus

  6. I don't know how matacam is supplied for big dogs, but for small dogs it comes in a liquid form administered via syringe orally. I joke that it’s crack for dogs, I think the flavor of the liquid tastes good. My doxie (who had had surgery for 2 slipped disks a year and a half ago) celebrates as soon as she sees the syringe. I do hope the matacam helps.

  7. All we can think is ouchie. No jokes at Loki's expense. After just watching our cousin Gypsy get her tail docked after too many incurable episodes of happy tail, we send our best wishes to Loki to heal quickly.

    Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara

  8. Poor Loki! We would sure hate to joke about his "problem"! I sure hope the meds help and he heals soon!

    Holly

  9. oh no loki.. what happened to ya?! maybe Khyra can lend woo some extra floof to keep it in the upright pawsition as it heals.

    wishing woo well!
    tula

  10. No jokes from us, either. Poor Loki! We're glad the vet didn't put your tail in a sling or anything. Hope it's just tired muscles and you're already on the mend.

    Jed & Abby

  11. Woo, sorry, we've been off the blogs for a few day while mom catches up on real actual gets-paid-for-it work on the computer. Broken waggers are no fun at all. Hope he's back up to full mast soon.

    jack & moo

  12. Oh poor Loki! Don't you love blogging? I think having people who love dogs as much as we do to bounce ideas off of and to provide reassurance is the best part of blogging. I'm glad they were able to put your mind at ease. I hope Loki is feeling better. Please keep us updated.

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