Can I have your thoughts about therapeutic partial tail amputation (dog)

RE: Can I have your thoughts about therapeutic partial tail amputation (dog)

Mark Holmes — Tue, 02 May 2023 16:42:14 GMT

I largely stopped doing partial tail amputations years ago. They traumatise the wound through wagging and it regularly breaks down. Cats are different as they don’t wag. I leave enough to cover the anus, short enough they won't traumatise it through wagging. I make sure they have a collar after surgery - although in a Rottie it probably short enough they cannot reach it.

As mentioned already leave plenty of skin (full vertebrae length). They frequently swell a bit do even minor tension is a disaster. Mine often look like an empty sock at the end after the surgery and for a week or two afterwards - it resolves with time.

RE: Can I have your thoughts about therapeutic partial tail amputation (dog)

Richard Carter — Tue, 02 May 2023 13:44:35 GMT

As Alistair s already said- lots of loose skin. I start my skin incision a full vertebra away and undermine back to the joint then trim as needed. I never cut the bone either - think periosteal pain much worse than going though joint.

in rotties there is a nice natural narrowing about distal anus anyway. - I will normally just place 4 or 5 simple interrupted loose nylon sutures just achieving apposition avoiding too much tissue handling and minimising chance of suture reaction if s/c

RE: Can I have your thoughts about therapeutic partial tail amputation (dog)

Virginia Campbell — Tue, 02 May 2023 11:42:34 GMT

In this case I would just leave a few inches like everybody else; for a first go I like to do what Beats does. If you're not taking it off quite short, get the dog to sit and check the length- I once stupidly took a Dalmation's off just at the point it contacted the ground when the dog was in a sitting position, so it retraumatised and I had to go again. So get the dog in a sitting position unsedated to check and decide then whether to take it short, or leave long enough to bend sideways on the ground.

The syringe case thing works well, or pipe lagging on a big tail. I don't bother with local blocks but I do try to disarticulate between vertebrae rather than cutting through a vertebra. Alistair comments about leaving enough soft tissue to cover the bone (cut a little bit more distal then undermine it to kind of fillet out the bone) and enough skin for zero tension are definitely important.

RE: Therapeutic partial tail amputation (dog) following self-trauma of initial tail tip amputation

Benjamin Alyoshkin — Tue, 02 May 2023 06:28:37 GMT

Hi Alistair, thank you very much for toe thoughts! There’re plastic drapes which I reckon I can utilise, too, around the anus on this occasion… Cheers, Ben

RE: Therapeutic partial tail amputation (dog) following self-trauma of initial tail tip amputation

Alistair Graham-Evans — Tue, 02 May 2023 02:19:10 GMT

Don’t over-think it Ben.

Tail tip amputation often fails- if they have limited finances then amputate to a few inches to cover the anus. I would use methadone in premed and NSAID postop. Use an E collar of sufficient length to prevent mutilation.

The most common faults with these surgeries are not leaving sufficient s/c tissue over the end of the bone and tight skin sutures- you need a nice flabby bit at the end to avoid any tension and ensure accurate skin apposition.

Oh - and a purse string anal suture during the procedure- nothing more annoying than a continuous avalanche of shit!

Don’t worry about risk of faecal incontinence - that’s only a potential concern if removing a screw tail.

I wouldn’t bother with local blocks but I guess you could give an epidural.

Good luck

RE: Therapeutic partial tail amputation (dog) following self-trauma of initial tail tip amputation

Benjamin Alyoshkin — Mon, 01 May 2023 21:14:54 GMT

Hi, Beats, many thanks for your thoughts, really appreciate them! Cheers

RE: Therapeutic partial tail amputation (dog) following self-trauma of initial tail tip amputation

Beats — Mon, 01 May 2023 20:38:37 GMT

I find every vet has a different approach to tail amputation.

My preference is to remove a bit (enough to give a less vigorous wag at tip), elastoplast on a sawn-off 50ml (in a big dog) syringe hub, and only take more if problem with healing or repeated trauma. If there was a wound infection then I would apply flamazine to the exposed end (while keeping sawn-off syringe hub in place).

Most other vets I work with prefers to take off (all but an inch or two) at the outset. I couple will refuse to take any less than this.

I can see it both ways.

If you take most of it off, then you don't get repeat surgeries, but I like them to keep a tail if possible.

If the owners requested a full length amputation in this case (already had a failed surgery) I would happily do so (albeit I would clarify what is meant by "full length" to avoid confusion). I'd happily just leave a couple of inches covering anus. I do intradermal monocryl plus if doing this +/- skin sutures, then stick on a primapore parcelled around the stump at end and find they heal up very well on the ocasions I do this with just nsaids given post-op.

I like lidocaine, but would happily use bupivicaine (but not at more than 2mg/kg total max).