please help we have a bet going on and would appericate a site proving you theory. and if they are made out of bone how do you dock them?
2007-01-02 14:52:44 · 12 answers · asked by psycho_rhonda 4 in Pets ➔ Dogs
the dog's tail is an extension of its spine and has vertebrea (little flat round bones) and cartilege in it just your own spine has. When the tails are docked, they're docked between the vertebrea where the soft cartilege is. Tail-docking can be horrendously painful for dogs because when this extension of the spine is severed, so are the nerves that run down it.
2007-01-02 15:00:53 · answer #1 · answered by Fetch 11 Humane Society 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
http://www.4rottweilers.com/tails.htm
http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/tcolvill/135/skeleton.htm http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/bicycle/816/id30.htm
Dogs tails are made of bone. You can see by the photos and drawings of dog's skeletons that the tail has bones, vertebrae but it is not like one solid bone. The tail also has muscles, tendons and nerves.
Docking done by breeders that aren't well trained or by people who are not Vets is often done in the wrong place which can cause complications as noted in one of the above links. Even when "done correctly" it is painful and can have lasting negative affects. If an adult dog has its tail docked it can affect the dogs balance and cause serious neurological problems to name a few possible complications.
Most dogs have their tails docked when they are between two to five days old. If you look at the Rottweiler link on docking you will get some description of how this is done. From orthodontic rubber bands which take 3-7 days wrapped real tight until a puppy's tail falls off, to cutting them with surgical scissors after crushing the site with something like a hemostat. One breeder I saw used a hemostat and crushed the tails of the new born pups at the point where they were to be severed and then twisted off the tail.
Docking tails is a cruel procedure as is ear mutilation of dogs.
2007-01-02 23:59:20 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Same thing as the rest of their body. If you mean what is the main structural piece it is a bone. There is also cartilage, nerves, skin, fur, etc. Tail docking is amputating a dog's tail at a certain point. It's just like amputating a leg or an arm. That's why many people consider it to be cruel.
http://www.wsava.org/Taildock.htm
2007-01-02 23:01:30 · answer #3 · answered by talon 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The tail is made of vertebrae, so it's part of the backbone. When the tails are docked, the vertebrae are basically twisted off at a certain point, depending on what the breed standard is. It's not fun to do or see.
2007-01-02 23:03:39 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Bone & Cartlige. They are segmented like vertbrae in the back but the spinal cord stops at the tail. They are docked by cutting the cartlige between bones.
2007-01-02 23:02:09 · answer #5 · answered by Sheepish 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
they are made out of bone and skin and nerves and tissue. and they are docked properly at 1-3 days of age by a vet taking a pair of scissors and cutting the tail and then suturing the end closed.
2007-01-02 23:00:55 · answer #6 · answered by cagney 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Vertebrates , fascia , NERVES. Depending on the breed standard the tail is docked between vertebrates.
2007-01-02 23:05:32 · answer #7 · answered by greythound crazy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm pretty sure its a soft tissue or some kind of cartilage, and even if they are made out of bone. they do it when the puppies are young/born.
2007-01-02 23:00:56 · answer #8 · answered by ilickbadgers 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They are made of cartilage...the same thing that makes up your nose "bone"
2007-01-02 23:01:04 · answer #9 · answered by Kevman9999 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
http://www.wsava.org/Taildock.htm
here you go
tail docking is amputation.
2007-01-02 23:01:25 · answer #10 · answered by sunset12211 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋