[NAGDU] {Spam?} Experiences with swimmer's tail?

[Carmella Broome]

Hi everyone, Brooklyn and I are currently dealing with an episode of limber tail syndrome, or as my vet called it “swimmer’s tail.” The  fancy name is acute cautal myopathy.   First of all,  she will be okay.  This is a temporary thing and she   has already shown a lot of improvement and has started to seem  more and more like her usual self throughout the day today. I'm curious  about whether any of your dogs have  ever experienced this and also want to  do a little educating for those of you not familiar with this  condition. I'd never heard of it myself.  Apparently, no one  had studied it much  until the  mid to late 90s and it was often misdiagnosed so I’m glad our vet didn’t immediately want to do all kinds of tests and X rays.  He immediately recognized it based on presentation and the information we provided and prescribed appropriate treatment.

Brooklyn (my three year old yellow lab) and I were on vacation with my family last week.  She worked a little, including  at  my nephew’s infantry  graduation ceremony. Mostly, though, it was  a relaxed week with lots of  just hanging out and doing fun stuff with family. Brooklyn did some swimming in the lake  several days.  Nothing super strenuous or prolonged really. She also got a couple good runs in at a fenced in ball field near my parents' house.  I was careful with that due to the heat (we're in the southeastern US. I live in SC and my parents live in GA).  Saturday night (the day before we came home), she didn't seem interested in swimming.  I thought maybe she was just tired, encouraged her some, and then when she just obviously wasn't feeling it, I  put her back on the boat. She seemed  to be her usual self on Sunday. 

Yesterday morning, when we got up to get ready for work, I could immediately tell something wasn't right with her.  She wasn't her usual perky wagging self. She didn't want to eat and  was being very still and just seemed upset. My Mom  was still here since she’d driven me home the night before and was going to  drop me and Brooklyn at work before making the two hour drive back to GA. Brooklyn loves Nana but wasn’t responding to her the way she usually does either.  Mom noticed that the base of Brooklyn’s tail looked swollen and that she was holding it funny.   When she  tried to touch it, Brooklyn started wimpering and shaking. I wondered if something had bitten her.  Obviously,  she was in distress and off to the vet we went.

Brooklyn was diagnosed with swimmer’s tail. Basically, it’s a sports injury involving the muscles at the base of the tail.  Its not exactly a sprain, but  kind of along that line.  The exact causes can vary but can be related to overuse of the muscles (aka playing too hard or swimming when the dog is not used to that activity).  Of course, the tail is very involved in balance in running and  in swimming.  Even vigorous wagging can cause it.  Interestingly, according to my reading, so can things like exposure to water that is too cold or too warm or being confined to  crates for long periods of time. Its onset is sudden and is usually within a few hours to a day after  exposure to the  conditions or activity that  sets it off. Its common in retrievers, pointers, and other sporting breeds with long tails.   It is painful and the tail can be swollen like Brooklyn’s is, or simply appear  to be   kind of paralyzed, just hanging down or  tucked.  Its not held in a  natural position exactly. Obviously, this is because moving it hurts, and  sitting can hurt, too. 

This condition resolves itself  after a few days usually, but to make dogs more comfortable, antiinflamatory meds are often  prescribed.  Brooklyn was given a week’s worth of Rimadyll, which I give her in the morning and evening. Rest and restricted activity  are advised obviously. That wasn’t a problem yesterday.  She had no interest in anything. She stayed under my desk  and was very  lethargic. I gave her the first dose of Rimadyll   last night and she slept very soundly. She seems a good bit perkier today. She is  eating,  drinking water, and being a little more interactive. She was  even doing some tail wagging this afternoon, though I tried to  keep her from getting too excited. I try not to bother her much, but have checked her tail a couple times today.  It is definitely still swollen and she  doesn’t want me touching it. I’m sure the antiinflamatory/pain med is helping. As she feels better, I’ll know by  her return to her usual bouncy self.  

So, should I  have not allowed her to swim or  run because doing so increases the chances that a dog may experience an injury like this or worse?  She is a guide dog after all. I know there are  a range of opinions among schools, individual trainers, and  guide dog  owners themselves about how much  “playing” a working dog should be allowed to engage in. Philosophies differ about which toys are okay,  whether playing with other dogs is acceptable, if running around outside even in securely fenced areas is wise or not, or if swimming should be  allowed. No one wants a guide dog  getting out of a yard and  getting lost or becoming injured in some way that could impact ability to work. Having a guide dog that becomes more of a pet and   who has behavior problems because of being allowed too much freedom   is, I think, disrespectful to the dog who was trained to work and to all those who put time, love, and resources into  it becoming a guide dog. I seek a middle ground and balance here. I am  big on supervision,  making informed choices based on good info and knowing our own situations and our own dogs, etc.  I have learned a lot during the 20 years I’ve worked dogs and  certainly know there are situations I would handle differently, boundaries I should have  kept tighter with dog and other people, and  times when lack of supervision has lead to  unintended negative consequences. 

Personally, though, I don't believe in the all work and no play  philosophy with working dogs and see  play with my dogs as a very important part of  keeping them healthy and happy.  Each dog is different.  My last dog liked to cuddle more than she liked to play.  My first guide  needed lots of play time  to get out energy and to keep her brain engaged.  Brooklyn is a lot the same way.   I view  play  as a means of strengthening our bond,  as a way for us to interact in different ways, as a reward for work and good behavior, and  as a way to get exercise and blow off steam being silly and just having fun. Once a new dog is settled in, I feel that our bond is good and that their behaviors are manageable,  and I know what they can handle in terms of boundaries, I let trusted friends and family members play with  them, too on a limited basis and  supervised by me.  I  make clear what behaviors and what toys are allowed and all that. Secured yards, avoiding choking hazards, and other safety factors are essential. Me taking responsibility and supervising activities and making solid judgments is also essential.    

During our vacation activities, I monitored her and also had sighted  family members helping me monitor her during swim and running  playtimes.  I was not irresponsible or putting her in unsafe situations.  I was allowing her to do some things she normally doesn’t get to do because we live in the city and don’t have access to   good places to swim or run. She was not overly active or forced to swim or run. I enjoyed  sharing those activities with her. This is just one of those fluke things that happens  to some dogs sometimes. This is a problem I knew nothing about as a possibility. Even if I had,  I wouldn’t have considered her activity level risky or excessive.  And that’s the thing.  The only way to prevent something like this would be to not let her engage in  physical activity and Brooklyn  is a dog with a lot of energy and a need for  more vigorous exercise. She could have done the same things and not  developed this condition.  Its kind of a random thing, and  in most dogs, it  isn’t something chronic  or likely to happen again just because it happened once. I’m not sure how I’ll handle our next opportunity for swimming and running.  Obviously, we won’t be doing any of that for the next couple weeks, but after that, I’m not sure.  I’ going to ask the vet more questions  when we go back for our follow up appointment. For now, I'm focused on getting her well and am glad  nothing more serious is going on.  

Thanks for reading all this and for  your thoughts.

Submitted for constructive dialogue and information,
Carmella Broome