# Help please!! Vet wants to completely remove tail to 1 inch!



## Sharon Bates (May 21, 2012)

Am I wrong in changing my vet (who i am happy with in every other way) due to a decision re my V tail?
We have constant tail injury and blood every where due to whipping like mad!! The end of it is now swollen and nearly hairless. She is a beautiful V and perfect in every way and after 6months of injury (luckily no infection so far) I have sadly decided that the tail must be shortened.
My vet informs me that it shouldn't be for cosmetic reasons and they will take it off to about an inch from the base...........................arghhhhhhhh i'm horrified. I dont mind a 6 inch tail but she will look like a manx cat surely.
Looking for some advise please as dont want to upset the vet but she is my baby girl (2 1/2 years) and i dont think i agree that it should be docked so short :'(
Also does anyone have any advice re cost of hip scoring in uk
Cheers all


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## dmp (Jan 23, 2012)

Your vet works for you. If the vet won't take your wishes into account, change vets.


Good luck!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

She may be wanting to clip it that short so there is a lesser chance of her re injuring it during recovery. Did you ask why it needed to be that short?


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

1/3rd of our V's tail was docked at birth and I found it to be a good estimate. Coffee table would be wiped clean of cups and stuff with a longer tail.

The pictures attached are from a documentary on Vs. But, still may be long for my liking (although they express themselves better with longer tails)

PS I have never seen a Vizsla with a 1" long tail.


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## Katja (Mar 9, 2012)

I don't know the right answer, but I do know that you live with your dog, not your vet.

I made the mistake of not upsetting the vet once and I'll never do it again (and yes, we have a new vet).


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

If someone told me they had to cut off 90% of one of my fingers or 90% of one of my arms, I'd get a second & probably a 3rd opinion.

Do the same for your dog. But don't go in complaining about your current vet or even telling them what the current vet's suggestion is. If they ask what the other vet said, just tell them you'd rather hear what they think first. 

You might also consider taking your dog to the closest Vet College. Here in Georgia, the Univ. of GA has an EXCELLENT vet facility for dogs who need special attention. A student will learn from it and your dog will get top notch, state of the art care from students and veterinarians/teachers.

Vizsla's should have a 2/3 tail. That is the breed standard and for most, it should be enough to keep them from damaging it.


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## hobbsy1010 (Jun 4, 2011)

We have had similar problems with our boys tail over the past few years, he is now three.

I think I've posted about his tail injuries on here before, somewhere!

He to has a hairless damaged 'Tip' which bleeds sometimes once or twice a month on average. We have found it very hard at times to get it to scab over due to him constantly thrashing it about!! :-\

Recently my wife has been using 'Bio-Oil' on it in the hope of helping to heal it. We've noticed that it tends to keep the tail tip a bit more supple and not so dry and yes we haven't had a 'bleed' for sometime (fingers crossed).

Hope you can get to a satisfactory conclusion with this problem,
we know how hard this must be for you.

With regards to the vet situation, a second opinion never hurt anyone, 

Hobbsy


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/11/reasoning-for-vizsla-tail-docking.html

Hobbsy, was this it?

RBD


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## hobbsy1010 (Jun 4, 2011)

That's the one RBD.....

Hobbsy


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Remember - lawyers doctors vets and other professionals that you go to are only as good as you make them ! The finale decision rests with you and you are doing the right thing - ? research go to the forum - protect the the PUP - He has no say in the end ( tail )


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

I seem to have missed the vets point - why does he need to dock the tail to within an in of the base? I totally agree that tail docking should not be for cosmetic reasons, but... If he had a 6"s of tail he would be unable to damage it as it would be too short to hit things.

My dane has a docked tail 6" as he had a cancerous lump 1/2 way down the tail. I thought they would remove the whole tail to the base but my vet said it would heal better with a 6" stump - and it did heal very well. So please ask your vet why he needs to dock it so short???


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