The last few days Alfie hasn't been very happy - his head has been down and his tail down too, my husband took them both out for a walk hoping it would cheer him up and get his tail wagging but no :-( tail remained in a downwards position and on touching it he cried out in pain, time to make an appointment at the vets - luckily we were able to get in the same day, that evening we took him to the vets to get checked out - he had a full examination of his spine, legs and hips all perfectly normal took his temperature absolutely fine, then for examining his tail - he wasn't a happy Alfie at all he shot his head around as the vet touched it as if to say "ouch that really hurts" the problem seems to be coming from the base of his tail where it connects to the body he can move his tail from side to side to wag but not up and down, it could have been caused by something as simple as banging it when he was wagging it or maybe playing too rough with Star and over-used it. A 5 day course of carprieve was given we're now on day 3 with a small improvement this afternoon when he managed to lift it level with the rest of his body only for a short time but its progress!
A little more about beagle tail AKA cold tail, dead tail
Dead tail syndrome and "cold tail" is quite commonly seen in hunting dogs, but may not be familiar to veterinarians. It is most often seen in breeds like English Pointers, English Setters, Foxhounds, Beagles, and particularly Labrador Retrievers. In most dogs the most frequent age of onset is reported to be 2 years old. Typically the presentation is a young adult dog with an acutely flaccid tail that hangs down from the tail base or is held horizontally for 3-4 inches and then drops down. The tail remains in this position even when the dog moves about. Pain may be seen on touching the tail base and some owners report that the dog seems uncomfortable. The best thing to do is leave the tail alone.
Rest is definately recommended.
Complete recovery is usually seen by 2 weeks and often occurs within a few days although it can recur later during excercise or play. Some owners feel that anti-inflammatory drugs shorten the recovery time if given when the condition is first seen.
The cause of dead tail is not known although it is thought to be associated with over-using the tail (especially in underconditioned dogs) and swimming or bathing in water that is too cold or too warm. Tail conformation (high set or very active), gender (males more frequently affected), and nutritional factors have also been suggested as possible causes. Ongoing studies suggest that dead tail is associaed with muscle damage in the tail with dogs examined early in showing elevated muscle enzymes eg., creatine phosphokinase.
Alfie has had it 3 times before so we were aware what it was but some dog owners may be concerned if their dog suddenly developed it and wasn't aware of the condition so I thought it beneficial to other dog lovers to pass on this information :-) I've also included two pictures of Alfie so people are aware of how it appears
