Limp Tail

[Rick]

Anyone ever have a dog get it?

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/coldtail.html

My lab currently has it. I think she got it from a swim in the sound the other day

You can tell it hurts,but I can't help but laugh when she tries to wag her tail. Its just pitiful.

[gasman]

Yeah, my lab  two years ago.

Takes a few days top get over it but they do .

They do say, if your dogs gets it ones, they will get it again 

[SnowDog]

Mine also got it two years ago retrieving in teh sound. Went away after a couple days with no lasting problems. I've never see it since, even with retrieves on lightly iced over ponds.

Cheers!
SD

[AspenBud]

It's called "limber tail" and I've had it happen in two of my Pointers on several occasions. Usually takes a week to two weeks for them to get over it. I have also known several other people with Pointers and setters that have come down with it as well as lab owners.

In my own experience it seems to happen more often if the dogs are a little out of shape and/or working in cold conditions and transitioning quickly to a warm truck for the ride home.

To the best of my knowledge no one really knows why it happens however. It just does and it strikes some dogs and not others.

Depending on the severity your dog can still hunt with it. This Pointer did (that tail should be at 12 o'clock but the dog had limber tail)...

Lady on a Spring Woodcock

[CoryTDF]

Cold tail! Had it with my lab. Check this thread.

http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?95646-cold-tail&highlight=tail

[Stilly bay]

Limber tail or as I like to call it, Erect Tail Disfunction.

My Gordon setter got a severe case of it after training in the beginning of sept. His was incredibly painful for him, and he is still working through it. it has been a solid month now and he is about 70% recovered. His tail isn't looking right, but it doesn't seem to be nearly as painful.

it happened after a big training run, when I put him in his kennel he was fine, and when we got home he wasn't.
in his situation I think it was the case of an out of shape dog getting too much heat and too much exercise in one sitting coupled with riding in a crate that was probably a little too small.

We are guessing his slow recovery is due to having his hips and tail broken several years ago along with resulting nerve damage.
The vet gave him some pain meds and said it would work itself out.

[Happy Gilmore]

Too much time in the water and not drying them off before going to the kennel. It happens in warm water too

[Stilly bay]

From my research and experience it doesn't have anything to do with water. It can certainly happen from over exertion while swimming in cold water as is the case with most labs that don't do anything but sit on the couch all year waiting for duck season.

My setter got it from running on a warm day, no water involved and I am pretty confident that the EP's Aspenbud mentioned didn't go swimming to get limber tail.

[AspenBud]

My setter got it from running on a warm day, no water involved and I am pretty confident that the EP's Aspenbud mentioned didn't go swimming to get limber tail.

I don't think it's so much water as it is being cold and working and then getting thrown into a warm vehicle. It has almost always come on when I've run the dogs in that scenario for an extended period of time (like 2-3 hours straight). Late winter, early Spring, is when I most often see it in my dogs. I think I see it less in the Fall because I'm more active with them during the longer days in the Spring/Summer, they are in better shape then.

[JJD]

If ya really get right down to it, it’s basic physics.
Dog gets to go to water, dog is happy, dog wags tail a bunch more than normal.
Now add the resistance of water and let’s add cold to the equation as well, it all
adds up to a tired and sore tail.   Be like you waving your arm, in moderation and what you normally do is fine, but you hold it up and wave it a whole bunch more, some of those muscles that don’t get used that much do some complaining.  Try waving your arm for a while in cold water, you are gonna be in the medicine cabinet lookin for that bottle of Aleve.  While cold water is certainly not the cause and you can aggravate the muscles in its absence, it compounds the problem.
It’s simple muscle fatigue.   
Rest will cure it, NSAIDs like Rimadyl work great to speed the recovery process.  Steroids like Prednisone work too, and for short term use, there’s nothing wrong with it.  Contrary to what the holistic crowd may claim, Steroid is not a dirty word. 
 

[AspenBud]

If ya really get right down to it, it’s basic physics.
Dog gets to go to water, dog is happy, dog wags tail a bunch more than normal.
Now add the resistance of water and let’s add cold to the equation as well, it all
adds up to a tired and sore tail.   Be like you waving your arm, in moderation and what you normally do is fine, but you hold it up and wave it a whole bunch more, some of those muscles that don’t get used that much do some complaining.  Try waving your arm for a while in cold water, you are gonna be in the medicine cabinet lookin for that bottle of Aleve.  While cold water is certainly not the cause and you can aggravate the muscles in its absence, it compounds the problem.
It’s simple muscle fatigue.   
Rest will cure it, NSAIDs like Rimadyl work great to speed the recovery process.  Steroids like Prednisone work too, and for short term use, there’s nothing wrong with it.  Contrary to what the holistic crowd may claim, Steroid is not a dirty word. 
 

Interestingly, it's my field bred Pointers that get the problem. They don't go in water but when they run they are usually cracking that high tail back and forth a lot.

I have a Pointer from bench lines that I hunt as well. She usually keeps that tail level when running and I've never seen her come down with the problem.

[Stilly bay]

If ya really get right down to it, it’s basic physics.
Dog gets to go to water, dog is happy, dog wags tail a bunch more than normal.
Now add the resistance of water and let’s add cold to the equation as well, it all
adds up to a tired and sore tail.   Be like you waving your arm, in moderation and what you normally do is fine, but you hold it up and wave it a whole bunch more, some of those muscles that don’t get used that much do some complaining.  Try waving your arm for a while in cold water, you are gonna be in the medicine cabinet lookin for that bottle of Aleve.  While cold water is certainly not the cause and you can aggravate the muscles in its absence, it compounds the problem.
It’s simple muscle fatigue.   
Rest will cure it, NSAIDs like Rimadyl work great to speed the recovery process.  Steroids like Prednisone work too, and for short term use, there’s nothing wrong with it.  Contrary to what the holistic crowd may claim, Steroid is not a dirty word. 
 

Couldn't agree more.
Stepping out on a limb here but I think it is most common in labs because #1 there are so many labs. #2 there are so many out of shape labs that don't do a thing all year until duck season (an activity the usually requires swimming in cold water)  and then go to work without being in shape. So of course they are going to have some sore muscles especially in the tail area.

[JJD]

Stilly, right on the money!

[Happy Gilmore]

you guys come up with some wild reasons for stuff and advice at times..

[Stilly bay]

you were wrong, it will be ok.