Last week our Collie's tail had to be amputated. What started out as a dime
sized bump on the tail was removed as a precaution. The vet said it should
be removed immediately because if it got bigger it would be harder to
stitch
up and it could be cancerous and if it was the tail would have to be
removed. The surgery went well and the bump was only an ingrown hair
follicle. About a week after the surgery our dog was able to start licking
at the bandages due to the collar we bought from care-a-lot. It was
supposed
to replace the cone but it didn't work and when my wife got home from work
the bandage was very wet and the dog seemed to be in pain for the 1st time
in a week. She took him to the vet that night and he said the tail looked
bruised and the bandage seem too tight. The dog was very uncomfortable the
next 2 days and when we brought him back to the vet they said that the
tail
had no circulation and must be amputated.
Now we are trying to under stand what went wrong. Did the vet wrap the
tail too tight after the original operation? Was this caused by the dog
licking and chewing at the bandage which is what the vet said. Did we
really
need to have the bump removed at all in the first place or could we have
waited to see if it got bigger. We are second guessing our decisions and
looking for answers. Our beautiful collie now has a stub for a tail and my
wife is very upset. One thing for sure is we will get a second opinion
from
now on before any surgery.
