I pulled my 2 month old daschund's tail kind of hard. Will he be ok?

Question

I took my puppy out for a drive to pick up dinner for the first time. I left him in the car to pick up the food, and when I opened the door, he jumped out. I thought he was going to run so I grabbed the top part of his tail. He cried really loud and now I'm worried something might be wrong with his spine. When we came home, he was wagging his tail like he normally does and when I massaged and touched the lower back area where his tail is connected, it didn't bother him. Can their spine get damaged if I pull too hard? And do you think he's fine? Thanks

Answer 1

It sounds like you lucked out this time. He is likely just fine. However, it really can cause damage! So, the tail doesn't make a good handle.

Answer 2

Apparently you & I are the only ones that have acted out of fear & grabbed what was able to be grabbed to stop the dog from getting hurt badly. If he's walking fine & wagging, he should be fine. He yelled because it scared him & probably hurt. But, I've had to grab a dog by the tail to keep her from getting away & worried about hurting her. That was 12 years ago & she's fine. The tail still wags & she still comes running when I get home. I'm sure this will not be a habit but do watch for any signs of swelling or discomfort. You'll probably not see any but it never hurts to watch. It sounds like it hurt you more than him. If you worry about him doing this again, get a harness for him & hook the seat belt through it to keep him in his seat. It works pretty good.

Answer 3

You can damage the spine by pulling the tail too hard.Dachshunds in particular are prone to problems in this area,and it can cause incontinence.Just watch him and see that he keeps acting normally,and DON'T pull it again! I know it's handy when you think they ar going to run off,and I have done it myself,but try to grab him somewhere else other than his tail.I think he'll be OK if he was wagging his tail.

Answer 4

I have an Dachshund as well very stubborn dogs. It sounds that your dog will be fine - if you are not 100 % sure about it have a look how he is reacting in 2 to 3 days if nothing is changing in the way your dog is always then he will be fine. They are very strong and "hard" dogs. Just next time be carefull

Answer 5

Yes you can actually break their tail doing this. It is dangerous to pull on his tail. He sounds fine, but most animals do not show pain like humans do, so keep an eye on him for swelling.

Answer 6

He will be ok.. their bones are soft at that age.. If he is happy I would not worry about him unless he show signs of his tail or back being a bit tender..Put a collar on him.. makes it easier to grab.better still a car restraint.

Answer 7

I think he'll be ok. If you didn't wrench his tail sideways or compress it in any way, you probably didn't hurt him. The fact that he's wagging it is a good sign that he's ok. Bottom line - don't pull his tail at all - it does hurt them.

Answer 8

Yes they can get very damaged, that's a cruel thing to do. I know it was unintentional, but it could have caused a big problem. Learn from this, and never do it again.

Answer 9

sounds like he's fine also, but looks like you got to teach him to stay close to you and not jump out of the car unless you tell him to get out. You have to train him to not go anywhere unless you let him.

Answer 10

It depends you could have hurt him, because hes olny a puppy, but its not likely that you hurt him badly.If hes limping take him to the vet, then let him rest if not he should be fine

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