Pet First Aid: How to Bandage the Tail

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

14 Aug 2008 10:43 AM

When not properly treated, tail injuries can lead to the loss of part or all of the tail! Bandaging a wound can help prevent an infection that can lead to amputation.

Many pets are sensitive about having their tails touched -- an injury to the tail can make them even more reluctant. You may want to have a friend or family member help restrain your pet while you bandage the tail.

First things first: clean and disinfect the wound. One of my brother's dogs lost part of her tail because a wound got infected. You can't just bandage a wound and forget about it -- you'll need to change the bandages every few days!

Once things are clean and dry, you're ready for the bandage. You'll need an absorbent gauze pad, roll gauze, lots of surgical tape, and an old cotton sock.

1. Apply a gauze pad to the injury.
2. Wrap gauze around the tail to secure the pad in place.
3. Slip the sock over the tail -- make sure the sock is long enough to cover the injured area and reach almost all the way to the rump. You want to cover at least two-thirds of the tail with the sock.
4. It's tape time! Wrap tape around the tail, starting from the tip. Wrap the tape in a diagonal line -- and be sure to run the tape an inch or two over the fur past the end of the sock.
5. More tape! Start from the rump this time, and wrap the tape in a diagonal line down to the end -- criss-crossing the tape that's already there.

You'll end up with a bandage that's pretty hard for your pet to get off. The really determined ones will find a way to get the tape, sock, and gauze off, don't worry.

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Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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Valorie Delp (49340) 16 Aug 2008 01:33 PM

Great blog.