Ms Pea had some rashes on her tail and that was what she was moaning about all night. I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. Laugh probably.
Her tail is still limp and hanging down. It's obviously sore and she's not using it. It's swollen near the base and there are some red bumps and lesions in the area with a bit of pus. It's called pyoderma or "pus in the skin". That sounds horrid but Georgia's looks to be just an extremely mild infection.
What a cry baby!
I hate to think of what deep pyoderma looks like. Here's a description though -
"The hallmarks of deep pyoderma in dogs are pain, crusting, odor, and exudation of blood and pus. Erythema, swelling, ulcerations, hemorrhagic crusts and bullae, hair loss, and draining tracts with serohemorrhagic or purulent exudate may also be seen."
Good god. I'm very glad that's not what Georgia has!
She's now on anti-inflammatories and antibiotics and has been snoring away all afternoon. I'll also be continuing with her medicated baths this week, with special attention to her tail. She's going to be one unhappy puppy.
While at the vet's...
"I've put on 3 kilos?!!"
"Please PLEASE don't make me go on another diet. I'm sick."
Thank you to everyone who followed our little story last night as it unfolded. I was very glad for your company!
When your dog gets sick in the middle of the night [not sick enough for an emergency dash, but sick enough to keep you awake] and you have no medical degrees hanging on your wall, you start to google for possibilities and answers.
Here's a condition I found which exactly described the way Georgia's tail was looking. It's called many things including cold tail or limber tail, and might be of interest to those of you who live in Very Cold Places and whose dogs like to go swimming in icy ponds. [You know who you are!]
Interestingly, although it's supposed to be a fairly obscure condition, our vet knew what it was and brought it up himself when he saw Georgia's tail. He'd apparently come across some cases while he was working in the UK.
There you go. Live and learn.
I'm looking forward to a nice peaceful night tonight. I hope you and your pups have one too :) x
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40 comments:
Ms. Pea:
We are so glad you are okay! What an odyssey. Live and learn, yes, but what stress. Your Typist loves you very much and takes such good care of you. And you have a great vet. Rest and rejuvenate this week. We'll be thinking of you and your tail.
Love,
Tootsie
Yay! So pleased it's not serious. :) Now your house sounds like mine - lumpy skin, antibiotics, anti-histamines! Must be the time of year. Sleep well!
Good thing Georgia brought it to your attention early! Does it clear up completely or is it something you always have to watch for flare ups?
What a relief! Your Typst and you sure deserve a good rest.
I am so glad Georgia's problem was not serious! What a huge relief! Do you know what caused the rashes on her tail? I've never heard of that before. Are they related to allergies?
Regardless, I am glad she will be okay and all your worrying was for naught. I hope you both sleep very well!
OMD, Georgia, that sounds pretty scary even so! Your Typist deserves an extra measure of love from you for being your nurse and for staying up most of the night with you.
Of course Limber Tail wouldn't be fun either! Fortunately the ponds Sage occasionally swims in aren't deep enough for much swimming.
Dear Ms. Georgia,
My condolences on the shaved tail. That is so undignified for a dog, especially for a dog who is always trying to be A Lady.
Here's to a speedy recovery.
Sincerely yours,
Ben in Bermtopia
Aha, so GLP is a bit of a drama queen. My human child was like that when she was young - a little owie warranted a huge song and dance full of moans and groans and "I'm dying" vocalizations. Suck it up, Princess, you'll survive!
GLP's typist- I hope you catch up on your lost sleep. I'm so glad this turned out to be minor.
Do you have any idea how she got it? I'm glad it was nothing too serious!
Oh Georgia!! See?!? This is why we don't have tails. Feel better soon, beauty...
-Bart and Ruby
So glad that you are getting the treatment to get better. That is a new condition to us, but glad to learn something about it.
Unfortunately, the vet couldn't say how it started. He originally thought she'd been bitten by some bug. Georgia does have chronic skin issues, both contact and atopic dermatitis. We're always on the lookout for lumpy skin and scabs and over-scratching. Yes Flo, like you, we're very familiar with medicated baths and antihistamines! Will it recur? We didn't ask the vet that, but given her predisposition to skin issues, I'd say there's a chance.
I'm just glad we caught it early. In a way, being a crybaby was a good thing lol.
Glad to hear your icy swims are not too hectic, Sage. Watch that beautiful tail of yours :)
Thanks again everyone MWAH! xox
The blessing of going to the vet in good time :) Scary stuff that pyoderma! Glad GLP is alright, hugs from Kenzo & Viva
One of the dogs I walked had cold tail once during a particularly cold winter (they were outside dogs) and I felt so bad for her! So glad Georgia is feeling better :)
Oh, thank goodness everything was okay! Poor thing!
~Higgins
Well, aside from the ring around the tail and the discomfort, what a relief! It's hard to say which would be better, a whiny, cry-baby dog or a stoic dog who never says when something hurts til it's too late. (I guess, in a sense, I just answered my own dilemma.)
Hope the meds work and it doesn't come back!
BTW, JF had a bad reaction to being shaved too close for his neuter. The poor guy ended up looking nearly as bad as that horrible photo (and it was a weekend). Thankfully, an anti-inflammatory and antibiotic worked rapidly to clear it up.
Oh, thank goodness, it's nothing major! It must be a bug or some stray weed that she might have encountered. Puppy had something similar happen last summer, except that it was on his head and face. Thankfully it happened early in the evening, so we could take him to the vet's immediately.
But I can assure you that having medical degrees just makes it worse. All through the ride, we were imagining all sorts of worst-case scenario happening.
GLP looks back to her happy self in the photographs. :)
Elizabeth - Yikes. Did you ever go back to that vet?
Swati - I feel better now that someone with medical degrees on the wall has spoken! ;)
Yes, I still go to that vet. JF has sensitive skin and the razor burn wound up getting infected from his saliva. I was naive and let him sleep without his cone the first night. Anyway, lots of lessons learned. And JF will never get a sanitary cut for that reason. :)
I'm glad it's just a little bump in the road, so to speak! Midnight wake ups are the worst. I foresee many rounds of stink eye in your upcoming week, though!
That is so interesting and I'm glad its nothing too alarming. Lamar has crusty stuff near the base of his tail too! I don't think its pus in the skin though :) You guys have a peaceful night too.
Miss GLP! you look so cute with that little ring shaved into your tail :D
Jersey got "Cold Tail" once. She swam too much and "sprained" her tail :0
Hmmm. I see Cold Tail isnt as obscure or rare as I had read. It's probably something we would never have to worry about here. I don't even know where the closest icy pond is...maybe a few thousand clicks away ;)
Georgia!! I'm so sorry I missed your midnight adventures. I haven't been allowed near the computer for days.
I have had some skin probs, and Master and Misery often wonder if it is caused by insect bites, mainly ants when I am lying at my gate. Or maybe mozzies, or buzzie bees. I will try and find the post where we wrote about my treatment and we can discuss our medical probs together :) On my annual review post, there is a pic of my sore at the top of my leg/hindquarters. Shaved like yours of course :)
Do take the best care of yourself and make sure you always cry and moan if you are feeling poorly.
Love Pippa xx
Sorry, I meant to comment last night but got sidetracked, as I often do on the computer!! So pleased to read that GLP's problem isn't serious but it's a shame it will probably reoccur. At least you will know what it is next time and hopefully won't lose any sleep over it! I think it's good that she is a wooz and lets you know when she's not well. You'd hate for her to look like that photo before you realised anything was wrong, although I doubt it would take that long before you noticed something wasn't right. Hope she's back to the new GLP soon:)
Hello again Georgia
Here is my post about my sore and my antiseptic stuff.
http://pippadogblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/vet-visiting.html
I also have some cream but stupid Misery forgot to mention that. I think it is called Furacin. It was pretty cheap and non-prescription. Maybe I will get her to add that to the post.
Pippa x
Poor or popette, glad to hear you are much, much better. Get the typist to give you a belly rub.
All good Sue! I haven't been on the computer today myself. Still catching up on a day's worth of lost productivity haha. Unfortunately, Georgia had an allergic reaction to one of her meds and threw up all her brekkie today. So back to playing nursemaid ;). Have changed her antibiotic and testing that out tonight. Fingers crossed!
Pippa - thank you! Will check out the link hopefully tomorrow. I did read about your sores in ...was it the latest review post? You're one lucky puppy :) Good night, sleep tight from soggy Sydney x
phew!
The weekend was a stinker and very weird too with the solar flares and the weird wind.
Enough to blow anyone's chai around. Don got sick, we got a new doggy guest and everything went topsy turvy for a second.
It was stinky alright but how about today? Wet and cold! Hope your world is right side up again x
I'm so glad GLP is okay! Maybe you can make the shaved tail ring into a fashion statement? :)
Awwwwww, Georgia! Lookit that sweet little shaved ring on your tail. It's SO CUTE! Seeing as how my Mama has had a allergy rash for what seems like days and days and days, I wanted to give your Typist a tip on how to minister to your illness. We have a wise saying here at Casa de Kolchak, it's "Starve a fever, feed a rash." That means all you can eat snacks! Just tell her Koly said so.
Hi Georgie, nice to meet you. Glad your sickie tail wasn't too bad. We live in Oz too but Sth Australia. Look forward to learning more about you. No worries, and love, Stella and Rory
Dear Pupfan, please do not give her ideas. She's been thinking about painting that ring with beet root juice. I would have to move to another country if that happened.
Dear Kol, My Typist HAS been feeding me. I think it's called pap.
G'day! Stella and Rory, welcome to the blog :) I hope you're having better weather than we are. Sorry, it's all My Typist can think about these days. I think she's Really Over It. See ya later!
Oh no. I am SO sorry. Our tails are so important. I would cry too! Paws crossed that you are soon feeling better, catching up on much needed sleep and finally, wagging again:)
I missed the previous post but went back to read it before my comment. It's so hard when something happens during the night or on a weekend...all the waiting, worrying, and then tying to search for what could be going on. Very happy that it was not serious and aside from a shave on the tail and some meds. / soothing bath recovery will smooth.
I just love the faces our sweet pups make at us....
Wow - just catching up here - I'm so glad Ms. Pea is okay (and kind of glad I wasn't up at 4 in the morning to go through this with you - easier to read about when you know the outcome!)
Poor Little Pea. Bella had a similar "limp" tail last year - we were so worried it would never pop back up to its ever happy self but after a few days, she was back just right as rain. Here's hoping GLP is feeling better in no time.
I'm glad she's feeling better. phew! It is always a scary ordeal to look up symptoms on the internet and see what you find. I'm glad her condition seems to be under good care now. Kelly will wag for her until she can wag again!
I am so glad to hear that Georgia's problem was not serious!
Many kisses to you lovely girl!
Cold tail completely freaks me out. I learned about it during my own freaky fact finding mission. Why do we do this to ourselves?! Cold tail .... shudder.
-c at ddy.
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