My dog chewed her tail raw and it's swollen and infected. What now?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | unspayed
My dog has chewed her tail raw and its swollen and infected bad what do i do
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 12th, 2018
A swollen infected tail can easily turn into an abscessed tail and the infection can go into the spinal cord. Therefore I strongly recommend you take your dog to a veterinarian or petER to have the tail examined by a veterinarian. It will need to be shaved, cleaned and disinfected and your dog will likely need pain medicine and antibiotics. You should also start flea prevention, if you have not done so yet.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on December 2nd, 2016
Poor pup! It's good that she has a vet appointment scheduled - it sounds like she will probably need oral antibiotics and a steroid or other anti-inflammatory medication to treat the problem. Yes, it should be okay to use triple antibiotic ointment on the area. You can also get a topical hydrocortisone spray labeled for dogs at most pet stores, which you can spray on the area as needed. Bathing in aloe and oatmeal shampoo may also help. Finally, I would suggest getting an e-collar (plastic cone) for her to wear until your vet visit to prevent her from continuing to chew on the area and make it worse.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
Puppers has been chewing her tail nonstop lately. She doesn't have fleas (I'm a bit paranoid about them so I check frequently) so I assumed it was hotspots. I checked on the tail this morning and she had it all chewed open and bleeding. Her tail is a
Poor pup! It's good that she has a vet appointment scheduled - it sounds like she will probably need oral antibiotics and a steroid or other anti-inflammatory medication to treat the problem. Yes, it should be okay to use triple antibiotic ointment on the area. You can also get a topical hydrocortisone spray labeled for dogs at most pet stores, which you can spray on the area as needed. Bathing in aloe and oatmeal shampoo may also help. Finally, I would suggest getting an e-collar (plastic cone) for her to wear until your vet visit to prevent her from continuing to chew on the area and make it worse.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dogs tails is swollen and it seems like it hurts her because she doesn't let us touch it to look at it. It's swollen from the middle to the end. She keeps biting it. She also has blood on it.
It looks like Bella likely either has an infection on her tail or may have possibly injured/broken a bone. Both conditions can cause swelling and pain. First make sure you protect the tail by having Bella wear an elizabethan collar. The more she chews on it, the worse she makes it. Secondly, call her doctor and get her in asap for an exam and appropriate medication as it likely hurts. If she will allow you to apply cool compresses, that can help with the swelling and the pain. You can wet a rag and put it in the refrigerator (NOT the freezer) for 5 minutes then apply it to the area. If she does not tolerate it, allow the rag to warm up a little (too cold might be uncomfortable as well). Hope she starts feeling better!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
End of my dogs tail is chapped/swollen at the tip. Sensitive.
Sometimes dogs can get what we refer to as 'happy tail'. This is where they wag their tail so much that they hit it on walls and furniture and it causes an injury. This looks like what may be going on with your dog. Although Diesel's looks pretty painful and like it may be infected. You could try using a topical antibiotic, like neosporin, and see if that helps. If there is no change I would recommend you take Diesel to the vet because he may need an oral antibiotic and the vet may choose to wrap the tail to keep it protected.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I thought he had poo in his tail, wet and brown so I bathed him and he is screaming. I've noticed his tail is huge at the base and goes back to thin. Its red raw and crusty and bloody. He wont let me touch it, I've caked some cream on but hes in pain
Bailey needs to see a veterinarian to have his tail evaluated. If he is that painful he may need to be sedated. The Veterinarian would be able to examine his tail and determine what is going on. Thank you for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My pit bull mix, Ronny, has scans on his back & tail & his tail is swollen at the base. & his tail is swollen and pretty warm to the touch underneath. I've read some of the questions about swollen tails and they seem to be mostly flea based. As far a
Unfortunately not much you can do back home. This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has allergies and has been chewing his tail raw. I put polysporin on it and bandaged it, but it now looks pussy and gross, and has a foul smell. I know I need to change the bandage but he won't let me near it and winces/worms away whenever I t
George sounds like he has a severe infection. Bandaging and daily cleaning ifs good for wounds, but this one needs more than that. He likely needs antibiotics and pain medication to make him feel better. The shivering is concerning that he may be spiking a fever, which would be due to the infection. Given this, I would not delay taking him to the vet for an evaluation and treatment. They will be able to assess the extent of damage and provide the appropriate treatment. Usually, when they are treated with antibiotics and pain medication, they get much better within a couple of days. I hope that helps and George gets some good help soon.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Dog chewed up tail. Cant get it to heal. i have no money for a vet.Ijust graduated nursingschool so i have some woundcare supplies ive been using
Unfortunately, tail mutilation can be a complicated problem to resolve - it often requires a combination of oral antibiotics, steroids, and pain medication such as gabapentin to allow the wound to heal while also keeping it wrapped to prevent further trauma from occurring. Often, part of the problem is that there may be an underlying reason why the tail chewing occurred in the first place - a skin condition, neurologic disorder such as lumbosacral stenosis, or an initial injury may have caused Zoey to begin mutilating her tail, and it's often a vicious cycle from there. In some dogs, this can also be a compulsive behavior associated with stress or anxiety. Without seeing a vet, all you will be able to do at home is keep the tail clean and loosely wrapped to prevent further damage, but Zoey will probably need prescription medications for it to heal. You may be able to find a low-cost SPCA clinic in your area who could help.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have an Australian Shepherd who has a swollen tail bud (tail-less). We can't find an obvious wound, but the docked tail is obviously swollen and painful. She licks it constantly. We've tried to apply a store bought bacterial/fungal spray on it,
I want to thank you very much for providing us such good pictures. Judging by them, I believe your dog either has an infection, immune allergic disease, a cyst-like growth, etc Unfortunately, any topical medication such as the one you’re applying will not be effective against any of these diseases. You do need to schedule an appointment with your regular veterinarian as soon as possible to have a thorough physical examination performed. The vet may also want to do x-rays, a biopsy, skin culture, etc. to the affected area. Most likely, you will get treatment in the form of injectable or oral medications as well as topicals. You will also probably be given a coon to keep your dog from traumatizing and licking the area. Thank you very much for using our consultation service. I hope I have provided you some help today.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, my dog keeps scratching and biting her tail and her wound is increasing rapidly. I am afraid its some kind of infection or something. Please help and suggest
Hi there! I agree with you, it does look infected. This is at times seen with flea allergy dermatitis. The allergic component usually results in itchiness resulting in self-trauma and a secondary infection. I recommended having Paggy evaluated by your veterinarian so that the appropriate therapy can be initiated. This is going to be local wound treatment as well as systemic antimicrobial therapy pending the results of a culture or at least empyrical treatment based on cytology. The possible allergy can be discussed at that time depending on further history and examination. Try to keep it as clean possible until she is evaluated. Best of luck and thanks for entrusting us with her care
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hello I notice this on my Siberian Husky on his tail I'm scared I'm not sure what it is I think he might be chewing on his tail due to flees
It does look like he has rubbed his tail and caused irritation to the skin below. Fleas is a possibilty for this but I cannot rule out other allergens or tapeworms without seeing him. If he has fleas, then he may have a flea allergy- meaning he is allergic to the bite of the flea. I recommend taking him to the vet to check over his skin and get medications to combat the allergy. Also pick up a flea prevention from the vet- not all preventions are the same and flea collars don't work. You need to treat all the pets in the home and treat for a minimum of 3 months in a row. Good luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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