Published: 28 October 2020
With all potential broken bones, you should follow the same advice.
Unless you can obviously see the bone is broken the only way to tell may be to have the dog x-rayed at the vets. The primary goals of treatment are to reduce pain, lower the risk of additional accidents, and avoid infection of open wounds. In all cases, there are three primary rules:
-Do not try to re-set a possible fracture and keep it as still as possible.
-Do not use antiseptics or ointments on open fractures where the bone has come through the skin.
-Get the dog to a vet immediately.
What about if you think your dog has broken its tail?
These are extremely difficult to manage, even for a trained expert. If the tail appears to be broken but there is no blood or bone visible and the dog does not seem to be in pain, immediate emergency care is not essential -- that is, as long as the end of the tail does not become discoloured.
It's always wise to make an appointment to see the vet for advice if you have any doubts.
Want to feel prepared in an emergency? Spend three hours on our First Aid for Dogs course for peace of mind and lots of skills and knowledge to look after your canine friend if the worst happens.
We regularly run courses in Brighton & Hove and Angmering,. You can check the dates and you can book online too. However we now offer Zoom First Aid for Dogs courses so there's no need to even leave your front room! The dates for these and the booking form are here. Additionally we now offer a completely online distance learning course, so you can learn First Aid for Dogs skills from the comfort of your own home and at your own pace. Take a look at the options here.
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