WATER TAIL

True to the motto ‘there is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing’, the cold season is also training time for retriever enthusiasts. For all active hunters, autumn and winter are also the peak season for duck and driven hunts. Finally, the retriever gets to do what it does best, and every hunter or passionate dog handler is delighted to receive an invitation to a ‘picking up’, whether it involves water or not. 

Nevertheless, the joy of a successful day's hunting is not unclouded when, in the evening, the faithful retriever suddenly no longer jumps out of the car with its tail wagging happily, but appears with its tail hanging sadly. 

Clinical picture and progression of ‘broken tail’, ‘dead tail’ or water tail

•  First signs appeared after 2 1/2 days of active searching and hunting in fields and forests, at approx. -2 degrees Celsius and in very windy weather, as well as relatively high humidity, but without any long breaks for standing or sitting. On the third day, tail activity became increasingly sluggish during the afternoon search and active searching visibly decreased. At night, the dog was in such pain that he was constantly restless, whimpering and unable to settle down. Even the painkillers prescribed by the vet provided little relief.

This painful condition, known to many Labrador and Golden Retriever owners, is also known in Anglo-American usage as ‘cold water tail’, ‘limber tail syndrome’, ‘broken tail’ or ‘dead tail’ and is a relatively common occurrence in sporting and hunting dogs of various breeds.

• Labradors, golden retrievers, setters, pointers, flat-coated retrievers, foxhounds and beagles seem to be particularly affected. However, this is less a typical breed disposition than an individual predisposition to increased tail activity during work or exuberant play. There appears to be a correlation between the length and weight of the tail of the spirited ‘tail action’ " and the type of work the dog does. 

As most dogs recover completely within 3-5 days, experienced owners in particular often do not take the condition seriously and do not take their dog to the vet. Nevertheless, it is an extremely painful condition that causes discomfort and sleepless nights for the dog.

• Unfortunately, dogs with a predisposition to the condition often suffer from repeated episodes, and it is suspected that dogs that are frequently affected find it increasingly difficult to hold their water tail as high as before the condition or carry it crookedly.

When presented to the vet, targeted diagnosis is difficult. Unfortunately, the term ‘water tail’ is often unfamiliar, as it is a trivial term from the world of dogs.  

Suspecting that I might have simply missed the relevant lecture, I posed the question of ‘water tail’ to my colleagues and interns at our practice as a quiz question and found that hardly anyone knew what it meant. Above all, I could find hardly any references to a relevant scientific term or further information in the specialist literature.

The first impression suggests an injury or even a fracture of one of the upper caudal vertebrae and should be ruled out by X-ray even if the preliminary report appears clear.

By carefully palpating the tail and, above all, the base of the tail, the pain can be localised at the transition from the last sacral vertebrae to the first caudal vertebrae, which leads to an apparent paralysis of the entire tail.

Sometimes, slight swelling of the muscles on the underside of the tail can also be observed. Of course, ‘genuine’ paralysis

caused by nerve trauma (e.g. osteoarthritis/spondylarthrosis of the spine, slipped disc) must also be considered in the differential diagnosis. However, experience shows that these do not regenerate as quickly or completely. ‘Water tail’ patients show no impairment of the rest of the musculoskeletal system and are unremarkable in terms of reflexes.

• We consider the cause to be a multifactorial event: cold, whether in the form of working in water or at low temperatures, cold wind or snow, promotes its development. Retrievers are known to have to wait a lot and should do so mainly while sitting, observing what is happening attentively. This inevitably leads to hypothermia in the sensitive (perhaps even wet?) area around the base of the tail.

• When the dog is finally sent to work, it will eagerly and energetically express its hunting instinct with a lot of ‘tail action’. It stands to reason that this can lead to a lack of energy in the muscles, which, exacerbated by cold and fatigue, leads to reduced blood flow and metabolic acidosis (anaerobic lactate formation).

• This condition, familiar to every athlete as muscle soreness, can lead to actual muscle inflammation with destruction of muscle cells and ‘microtrauma’ of muscle fibres. These relationships are well known and researched in equine medicine.

• Dehydration (lack of water supply) is also suspected to be a contributing factor in connection with strenuous exercise.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any scientific evidence on this topic in veterinary medicine. My assumptions are therefore based solely on observations in practice. 

A US source reports that studies based on the analysis of blood values are still pending or in progress. There are already indications that muscle enzyme levels are increasing. (Source: www.working-retriever.com/library/cwtail.html)

There are also few scientifically based therapeutic approaches. Due to the sometimes dramatic symptoms, pain management is the main focus. 

Common painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are available. In extreme cases, the severe pain even justifies the use of opioids by the vet.  

Pain-relieving preparations are also available in biological veterinary medicine: e.g. arnica, Rhus toxicodendron, etc., or the combination preparation Traumeel.  

Unfortunately, their effect is not fast enough to provide the patient with rapid relief, but they have proven themselves in long-term use, for prevention and in the regeneration phase.

• Most affected dogs gratefully accept warmth, e.g. in the form of a red light lamp or hot water bottle. As a precautionary measure, every dog handler is advised to dry their dog thoroughly and warm them up after water work.  

• Avoid long, cold waiting and transport times in the car. Please note: even while driving, the boot of a estate car (possibly equipped with a dog transport box) does not warm up sufficiently. 

• Ensure that your dog is regularly and adequately supplied with fluids (some dogs do not drink enough water when stressed, but will happily drink water that has been made more palatable with a little milk or broth).

It is not ‘pampering’ to take good care of your hunting or sporting companion after a strenuous day!  

• Unfortunately, even adequate fitness training and hardening of the dog is no guarantee of avoiding water tail, as most dogs overexert themselves in special hunting or test-related situations.  

by Julia Enz (julia.enz@gmx.de)