Swimmers Tail, Cold Tail, Rudder Tail, Limber Tail

[h2ofowlr]

I am writing this article as this is the first time I had experienced this with my new pup.  I have had labs since I was a kid and my experience cost me $604 at the vet.  Hopefully I can mitigate some costs for others that get a chance to read this.

New
There's a DU article on it called "Limber Tail", also known as "Cold Tail", and or "Rudder Tail". It's painful, but goes away in a few days. Here's a few headlines from that article: Excessive exercise is the most common cause of limber tail, especially if the dog is not accustomed to that level of exertion. Vets say they get more phone calls asking about limber tail in athletic dogs at the start of the season when dogs are starting back into heavy training. Hunting dogs are notorious for pushing their bodies to the point of exhaustion, so its up to their handlers to set limits. Dog trainers and owners can help prevent limber tail by gradually working their dogs into shape, and avoiding extremely cold water, especially when dogs are not in peak physical condition.

Post from a vet on the Refuge forum:
If you don't have any Boswellia on hand, NOW is the time to get it for hunting season.  Boswellia is for those bumps, bruises, strains, and especially Limp Tail.

[frazierw]

Has happened to my dog twice, goes away in a couple days.

[Naches Sportsman]

$604

 

You got ripped off by that vet.

[h2ofowlr]

$604

 

You got ripped off by that vet.

I believe so.  They did X-rays and everything.  He probably knew what it was right off the get go, but a nice office doesn't pay for itself unfortunately.  When they asked me what my budget was after the fact, I got the lump in my throat and knew it was going to cost me at that point.  It's about a $20 fix from what I have been reading by giving your dog the Boswellia.  I am going to pick up a bottle of it and will let you know how it works.  I am typically old school and have always let the dog work it out of it's system in the past.  I have a lot of money tied up into this pup and he is a good dog.  I do have that price point, where the old yeller mindset kicks in.

[Special T]

$604

 

You got ripped off by that vet.

I believe so.  They did X-rays and everything.  He probably knew what it was right off the get go, but a nice office doesn't pay for itself unfortunately.  When they asked me what my budget was after the fact, I got the lump in my throat and knew it was going to cost me at that point.  It's about a $20 fix from what I have been reading by giving your dog the Boswellia.  I am going to pick up a bottle of it and will let you know how it works.  I am typically old school and have always let the dog work it out of it's system in the past.  I have a lot of money tied up into this pup and he is a good dog.  I do have that price point, where the old yeller mindset kicks in.

Who did you use so I can stay away?

[JBG]

HAHA if you think you got ripped off by the vet wait until you start down the rabbit hole of "supplements."  Spend $$ to fix a problem that goes away within a few days and is by and large preventable .  Glad your pup is ok and thanks for raising awareness.  I spent about what you did when my CBR female that took a diving leap off our patio, cut her knee, and starting yelping in pain.  I thought she torn an ACL/MCL, nope just a bad bone bruise and a hefty credit card bill. 

[Survival Pack]

My Chessy had it last year too.  I had never heard of such a thing either.  You could visibly see the tail was swollen and could tell it was very painful to her.  Vet prescribed some pain meds and that was it.  Took a week or so for swelling to subside.  I guess I should have eased her into shape....probably should ease myself into shape too.....maybe next year!  That's always the plan and then life gets in the way!!

[coachcw]

You got scammed . Common

[Happy Gilmore]

it is the same as sitting on the couch all year then going on a high mountain hunt with no conditioning.

[h2ofowlr]

it is the same as sitting on the couch all year then going on a high mountain hunt with no conditioning.

He had a ton of conditioning over the summer.  He was working and training hard for this season, so that is what through me off.
The three hours of letting him run around and play in the creek and running might have been the issue.  Most workouts are under an hour each day.

[Colin]

I believe any anti inflammatory can help. I have some rymadiyl left over from my old dog I can give you. I may be coming up north to hunt on Sunday if you're around.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[Birdguy]

Dang!! That is one great looking pup!!! He has some ripped shoulders. Thanks for posting a pic of him. I was thinking about asking some of the other litter mate owners to post up pics of what the pups look like now. AWESOME, thank you

[Happy Gilmore]

cold water swimming less blood circulation and playing isn't working.

[blackpowderhunter]

cold water swimming less blood circulation and playing isn't working.

after a weekend at the lake with some friends, their dog had this same thing.. luckily we just looked it up and she was fine after a few days.
their dog (a kelpie) wasn't a big time swimmer...but was trying to keep up with ours doing retreives off of a dock and i think it just wore her down.