Setters tip of tail bleeds

[Croix]

I have a 1 year old Setter and has been out grouse hunting 5 times. Starting on the 3rd hunt, the tip of his tail would start bleeding. The bleeding would stop with 10-15 minutes. Then next day same thing would happen. Now back at home his tail tip looks a little raw??
Any comments, should I take him to vet? Chance of infection?

Thanks in advance

[topher40]

Common issue with ALL long tailed dogs, nothing to worry about

[nj gsp]

I wouldn't say there's nothing to worry about. A dog with recurrent tail bleeds may end up with a tail that won't heal. If the tip turns necrotic it will have to be amputated. This happened to one of our sighthounds - and it's why many sporting dogs have docked tails as part of the breed standard in the first place. I'm happy the setter I have does not have a high cracky tail, he runs with it mostly straight out behind him and so he keeps it out of trouble that way.

[Sharon]

It's common but that doesn't mean you don't take care of it. Clean well with an antiseptic wash, apply something like neosporin and bandage or not. I put an Elizabethean collar on my setters which gives the tail a chance to heal up....until the next time.

[shags]

You can put some EMT gel on the tail; BagBalm, neosporin or a spray protectorant like DermaSpray also. There are protective covers you can buy - but some people use a shotgun shell casing taped on. Over time the end of the tail can look like an old stogey butt.
Keep an eye on it, you don't want him to beat the skin off his tail til the bone shows.
Nothing much else you can do except lay him up, but he'll bust it up the next time you take him hunting. That's the price of a merry tail.

[mcbosco]

I would wrap the tail when he is in the field. My friend has two labs, both barely 1 year old, and one had to have 4 inches removed because of repeated injury to its tail. Half a tail will look a lot worse than a protective wrap.

[nj gsp]

I put an Elizabethean collar on my setters

We gave up on those "E" cone-type collars- they are just murder around the house, our knees, and the dogs. We have some plastic greyhound kennel muzzles and the anti-stool insert. We have them in several sizes so we can fit them on everybody from my 50 lb GSP up to our 100+ lbs Lurchers. The inserts are best secured to the muzzle with a small nylon cable tie.

[birddogger]

I have never hunted with a good long tailed dog that didn't get the end of their tail beat up and bleeding. Right or wrong, I never worried about it and fortunately have never seen a problem.

Charlie

[cjuve]

I had a female pointer that did the same thing she also had a bout with limber tail. I tried bandages they don't really work, It finally got to the point that I just ignored it. To me the other end is more important, the problem finally took care of itself without even going to the vet to have it amputated. I can assure you that it is not the nicest looking tail in the country but she earned it.

[smoothbean]

I heard of a trick to help with that. When puppies are a couple days old dock the tip of the tail. I tried it with some setter puppies. I can't remember exactly how much I took off but it was probably a quarter of an inch or so maybe a smidge more. Anyway as they grew you can't tell any of the tail is gone. I think it may have helped. I don't have all the puppies still of course but haven't had any problems with the one I have or the othere two I keep in touch with. Anyone else tried this?