when my 8 month old english mastiff gets excited his back bleeds?

[mperinchief113]

I am wondering if anybody has ever experienced this before. When my wife and i get home from work my english mastiff (guinness) gets so excited that blood comes through his hair on his back near his tail. It only bleeds for a couple seconds and when i wipe it down the blood is gone. I am bringing him to the vet tomorrow but was wondering if anybody can help me to see what i should expect to hear from the dr.

 

[AKBull]

Ack!
Are there any bumps or scabs in the area?

 

[angelbears]

Wild guess, but that is a very common area for flea infestation.

 

[mperinchief113]

No bumps no scabs. It looks like a bunch of scratches but i cant feel anything on his skin. He is on a flea and tick control medicine also and have not seen anything on him or my other dog.

---------- Post added at 08:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:00 PM ----------

No nothing at all. It looks like scratches. When it bleeds it does not pour out where it drips it just gets through the hair i wipe it off and it is gone

 

[mperinchief113]

No nothing at all. It looks like scratches. When it bleeds it does not pour out where it drips it just gets through the hair i wipe it off and it is gone

 

[angelbears]

Wow, clueless. Would you please update us after your vet visit? Very curious.

 

[mperinchief113]

Yes i will.

 

[angelbears]

Good luck! Doesn't sound serious but very intriguing.

 

[mperinchief113]

so just got back from the vet and he has what they call "happy tail". when he wags his tail he wags it so hard that he has dmaged the end of his tail. so when he gets excited he wags his tail which it starts to bleed then the tip of his tail hits his back and leaves blood on his back. i knew about his tail being bloody i just didnt put 2 and 2 together. so now he has a nice green wrap on his tail have to keep it on for a week, probably wont last til the end of today. i basically have to keep his tail protected til it heals then we will see what happens.

 

[AKBull]

That would be the lesser of all the evils. Glad it was nothing too serious and you figured it out!

 

[jenny adams]

just seen this thread happy its nothing to bad, the worst case of happy tail can course the tail to be amputated that is in the worst cases,

 

[TN Dogues]

I am familar with happy tail.

Our APBT, Boo-Boo, had it. He would get SO excited when ANYONE came over that he wagged his tail until it bled. Then drops of blood would go flying across the room. We had it on our big screen tv (which was close to the front door/entryway), it was on the ceiling fan and the walls. He used to whack his tail against the tv. And worst of all, Boo-Boo was totally OBLIVIOUS to it. It did not seem to pain him in the slightest. His case was so bad the vet recommended surgery. But we did not do it.

Instead we trained him out of it... by changing our behavior.

We totally ignored him for 1/2 hour when we came home. And we insisted our guests ignore him. NO touch, no eye contact and no talking to him.

It took a few months. But we did change his excitement level and his tail did heal. And best of all - we did not have to amputate it.

(But if you ever sprayed luminol in our old house - I bet it looked like we slaughtered something in there from the amount of 'splats' that would have showed up)

Hope this helps.

 

[Mojo]

Happy Tail wow who would have guessed that! Much to your credit that you have such a bond and affection between family and dog that he is THAT happy. Guess love can hurt. Good owners, good dog.

 

[Smart_Family]

Oh happy tail! Is he keeping the tail wrap on? We always had fun with that at the shelter.

 

[Bocuus Jai]

Glad it was nothing too serious. That caused by the docking of a tail or does he have a ful tail. I've have four dogs now and never seen that but they all had full tails except the first but he was two when I was born so I never heard of it with him

 

[dpenning]

I am familar with happy tail.

Our APBT, Boo-Boo, had it. He would get SO excited when ANYONE came over that he wagged his tail until it bled.

Instead we trained him out of it... by changing our behavior.

We totally ignored him for 1/2 hour when we came home. And we insisted our guests ignore him. NO touch, no eye contact and no talking to him.

It took a few months. But we did change his excitement level and his tail did heal. And best of all - we did not have to amputate it.

(But if you ever sprayed luminol in our old house - I bet it looked like we slaughtered something in there from the amount of 'splats' that would have showed up)

Hope this helps.

Interesting! I may have to apply that to my dogs. Not just for the tail but there is just too much scuffling for attention when I come into the room. So how do they act now when you get home? Are they kenneled?

Thanks for sharing

 

[jenny adams]

happy tail tends to be a problem with full tails, they wag so hard it hits on furniture coursing it to be injurer, they keep opening the injury that can keep opening it so it don't heal, the vet will bandage it some dogs remove the bandage then over clean it coursing more damage/infection which is when you will have to thing of having it removed, TD dogues so glad it did not get to that point with you baby,

 

[masteneo]

My dog wags and contorts herself like a shes trying to beat her head with her tail. I NEVER considered that this could lead to anything. man thats really good info, thanks.

 

[TN Dogues]

We went through bandages like crazy because Boo-Boo shredded them. A tail wrap did not stay on for more than 1 hour. He licked his tail raw. We had antibiotics for 2 infections. Even with the cone of shame he was still able to contort himself to reach his tail and pull off any bandage.

After being back and forth to the vet's office for six months our vet finally recommended amputation.

Then we saw Cesar Milan on Dog Whisperer. He was telling people that the real issue was excitement. And he helped cure it. His techniques work and we have been fans ever since...

 

[jenny adams]

TN dogues i am with you on the constant bandage are old girl had an injurer her tail once, one time the bandage did not last the 10 minute drive home from the vets, the vet did not charge us for the second time in the same day