My dog's tail keeps getting injured from wagging. What can I do?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Great Dane | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 6 months old | 140 lbs
My Great Dane keeps hitting his tail as he wags it and busting the tip of it open on a daily basis what do you recommend I do to protect the tail?
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on March 22nd, 2018
I have seen many cases with large dogs injuring their tails over and over, it is hard to protect the tip of the tail as most bandages will not hold in this area of the body. in many cases the only solution was having the tail docked, usually about 2/3 is enough to solve the problem.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on
In the veterinary world we call this type of injury "Happy Tail." It can be a frustrating condition to deal with, but it's important to keep it well covered in order for it to heal. Below is a link to an article that gives some great tips for keeping the tail protected as it heals. https://virtuavet.wordpress.com/2010/09/26/how-to-make-a-dog-tail-cover/ I hope that helps and all is well with Tank.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on February 23rd, 2019
This is a tough one! Dogs can injury the tip of the tail from hitting it on surfaces. You can't train a dog not to wag the tail so the best thing you can do is move her away from objects she may hit her tail against and feed her a high quality food that is good for skin health. Royal Canin and Nutro are both diets with additional supplements for healthy skin and this may help make it less prone to injury. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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