Happy tail (aka tail tip trauma)
What is happy tail?
Happy tail describes trauma to the tip of the tail due to repeatedly whacking the tail against hard surfaces while wagging it. The tip of a Greyhound's tail doesn't have much padding so when it's bashed against something solid, the skin can split. This doesn't seem to cause the dog as much trouble as it causes the people as the blood gets flicked all over the place.
The main problem is that injury is often continuously retraumatised by more wagging. This not only prevents healing but can also lead to infection.
Happy tail doesn't always look that happy!
What are the symptoms of happy tail?
Happy tail just has one main symptom – a wound at the tip of the tail. However, the first thing you notice is often tiny spots of blood on the walls, floors and even ceilings.
If infection occurs, the affected part of the tail might appear swollen and discoloured (dark red or purple). The dog may lick at it a lot and react painfully if you touch it.
How is happy tail treated?
This depends on the degree of injury. Minor happy tail tail may just heal on its own without any treatment. More serious cases need bandaging (often for quite long periods of time and several bandage changes). In severe cases, especially if the tail tip is infected, we might even recommend amputation.