Lab Endurance and Broken Wag (Limber Tail, Cold Water Tail)

I just read a wonderfully encouraging article over at Just Labradors, a free, on-line forum for Lab owners loosely connected with the print magazine Just Labs (to which we subscribe and read cover-to-cover!).

What was so heart-warming about the article was its account of a three-year-old Lab's survival through an avalanche and several subsequent days in the wild. Pretty amazing (click the link above to read the article).

It got me thinking again about just how marvelous the Labbie breed is (no comparison in my book). And just how strong, optimistic, and uncomplaining they are.

And that, of course, reminded me of my gang here, but in particular (today, anyway), our girl Kenya.

You read in yesterday's post about Kenya's and Elsie's romp in a cold, muddy run-off stream in our lower backyard.

What I didn't know then was that the sweet Kenya Bean would develop Limber Tail Syndrome just a few moments after they came in from their adventure and subsequent bath.

This is our Kenya, the waggle tail gal:

• Our wiggle butt.
• The one who wags so hard and fast you think her tail will fall off.
• The one whose tail-wag I can never capture in a photo because it only comes out as a blur.
• She's our exuberant-for-anything-in-life pup whose tail-wags start at her front shoulders and work their way back to the tip of her tail so her whole body wiggles and jiggles when she wags (unlike the rest of the gang who seem able to confine their wagging to their hindquarters and beyond).

And this happy-go-lucky Kenya, for a while there yesterday, couldn't wiggle at all. Her tail only drooped. Take a look at her limply hanging, immobile tail:

No doubt about it: she'd developed Limber Tail Syndrome, or Broken Wag, or Limp Tail, or Cold Water Tail or whatever of the other several names by which it's known you'd like to call it -- a little-known-by-vets-but-common-to-retrievers condition that often occurs after the dogs come in contact with cold water.

I posted about this injury three years ago when Ridge came back from a summer trip to the cottage where he'd spent lots of time swimming and retrieving in the spring-fed lake there.

And that post, the one about Limber Tail Syndrome, is, by far, the most commonly "hit" by people using search engines of the nearly 600 posts I've included in nearly four years of LabTails postings.

I've lost count of how many dog owners (of Labs and other breeds) have contacted me about their dogs' injured, non-wagging tails. I get dozens of hits on that page per day.

So why don't more veterinarians know about it? Do they think it's some myth or old wives' tale?

Believe me, the condition is real and very painful for the dog. Kenya, Elsie, and Ridge can attest to that. All three have experienced it, Ridge the most often and the most severe.

No, it's not a critical injury. And, from what I've read, most dogs with Limber Tail Syndrome regain their tail-wag within two weeks (the longest waglessness here lasted five days). Kenya's recent bout, in fact, lasted only about 10 hours.

And, of course, our Labs are strong, enduring, and uncomplaining.

Still, it's a very uncomfortable condition for the dogs, and one about which (IHMO) vets showed be informed.

And it's one that breaks our hearts to see. There's nothing so pathetic as a Lab with pain-filled eyes and a lifeless tail.

The least we can do (besides treat them) is advocate for them.

So talk to your vets, folks.

• Copy this article about Limber Tail from the AKC's Labrador Retriever Club and take it to your veterinarian.
• Read this update by Woodhaven Labs and discuss it.
• Find out what you can -- even ESPN has coverage on this condition (click here to see ESPN's article).
• Educate yourselves, then pass on what you've learned. It's the only way we'll educate others, including professionals, about this condition.

And in the meantime, we'll be helping our pleading-eyed Labs, even if they are the most understanding, uncomplaining breed in the world.

'Til next time,
Joan (who's happy to report that Kenya has her wag back today!)