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The end of my Luke dogs tail is bald maybe 4 inchs. Usually bloody even in the kennel. Has anyone banded tails and if so how much could I get away with banding. If it turns into a rotten stinking chewed up mess a would rather not do it.

I am sure you will get many instances where it has been successful. So i will let you know your concerns are solid. not often but once in a while you will get a hound that has this problem. tail waggers are far more prone to this then tail swirlers. just a side note. Dogs will chew on tail bands and this can end in excess damage along with releasing bacteria back into the blood stream ending in blood poisoning. If you have real sedative you could probably remove it easily and correctly. however that is the difficult part. I take the occasional blood slinger to the vet. I haven't had one in a long time though. The thing about tails is they are part of the spinal column and damage can lead to nerve damage mostly pain and weak hips.

Budd, pegleg, give good advice. My buddy in florida, does all his with bands. When i asked the vet here, he brought up another good point. If your going to dock a tail in this cold country, have it done by a vet, as they not only doc it, but also, leave enough skin to cover the end of the tail, for protection from the elements, and he also warned, of arthritus, issues, and others pegleg mentioned, if not done correctly. If i remember the cost was 150$ to have it done right.

I have banded Doberman pups. The age I do it at is 3 days old. You could obviously note the diffrence in activity etc in such a young pup. If I had an older dog I would also go to the vet. I myself wouldn't bother with trying to learn the proper way myself unless I needed to do it more than ever so often.