Happy tail. What is it exactly? Well, it isn’t what you think it is. It sounds like a cute thing where the dog is so happy that they just knock everything over. But, this isn’t always the case.

Happy tail is when your dog gets excited and hits hard surfaces repeatedly with their tail to the point where there is an injury whether it is a laceration or a small abrasion. Sometimes they can hit it against the wall, tables, your legs, they can even fling objects off of tables. You know your dog has happy tail if there is bleeding on the lower parts of the tail, licking and chewing of the tail to try and soothe the pain, hair loss, and sometimes lethargy.

So what do you do at this point? Bring your dog to the veterinarian and get it cleaned thoroughly. The tail will most likely be bandaged to prevent them from opening it back up when wagging their tail. If they can’t seem to stop, we may try confinement and anti-anxiety medication to keep them calm during recovery.

To learn more about happy tail, call us at 919-362-0515 or email us at animalhospitalofpeakplaza@gmail.com.