Tales of Dog and Cat Tails
"When he was a kitten he got his tail slammed in a door." She said.
"Hmm." I said. "Did you see it happen?"
"Oh no, it happened before we got him. See how crooked his tail is? What else could it be?"
It is quite common for cats to have crooked tails and rare that someone actually saw it get slammed in a door. When it happens, there is usually extensive damage to skin that leaves an obvious scar. When a door slams on a cat's tail he doesn't just sit there quietly and wait for someone to open the door - he leaves and may leave part of his tail behind.
It is common for cats to be born with deformed tails, ranging from a minor crook in the middle or near the end of the tail, to a very short tail, to no tail at all. It usually doesn't cause any significant medical or physical problems. Neuroses or Freudian inadequacy complexes are rare.
It also happens occasionally that a kitten is born with a more serious defect. Instead of a tail, there are a few deformed vertebrae just behind the pelvis, and an opening where the tail would normally attach that may leak spinal fluid. These cats often do not have control of their urination or bowel movements. There may be deformities of the hind limbs as well. In most cases the only humane thing to do is euthanasia.
Tail deformities in dogs are more common than in cats. Many breeds have short little stubs for tails and Bulldogs and some other breeds have tight little corkscrew tails. These result from selective breeding. Little stub tails rarely cause problems but it is common for a dog with a corkscrew tail to develop inflammation and infection in the deep skin folds around the tail. The problem can usually be successfully managed with diligent and careful cleaning and drying of the area. Treat it like diaper rash.
Big shorthaired dogs with long tails sometimes traumatize the end of their tail. Slamming doors, car accidents, and heavy sharp knickknacks on the coffee table can be the original cause.
It can become a chronic or recurring problem and may be difficult or impossible to cure. The dog, if he's at all happy, keeps on exuberantly wagging his tail and banging it into things. Even tail banging that ordinarily would not cause injury is enough to keep re-opening a wound on the tip of the tail. And it is very difficult to keep a bandage on a gleefully wagging tail. Newton's laws having to do with centrifugal force and change in momentum rear their ugly heads and the bandage eventually goes flying off across the room amidst a spray of blood droplets and scab fragments. And if that doesn't happen, the dog will likely take matters into his own teeth and chew the bandage off.
The last resort, often resorted to, is surgery. As a minimum the wounded end must be removed. It is wise to remove enough of the tail so the risk of further injury before healing is reduced to a tolerable level. It is a judgment call. Years ago we ultimately had to remove all but a stub of a Dalmatian's tail before it finally healed.
Tails are important to dogs and cats. A cat signals a feeling of pride and confidence by displaying his tail high and warns of his diminishing patience and escalating agitation by twitching his tail. When a dog wags his tail, even if it is only a stub, he is saying, "Here I am, look at me!"