Vet wants to dock my schnauzer's broken tail. What should I do?

It is unfortunately not common practice to dock tails so late in age. Most general practitioners will not perform this procedure unless the pet is less than 2-3 days of age. At this age it is considered an amputation procedure because the bone vertebrae have completely formed, as well as the nerve endings, and is a lot more costly (average ~$500-$1000 depending on your area). You unfortunately will most likely have to discuss amputation with a veterinarian and call around to local clinics in your area to see who is willing to do the procedure. We don't have any websites dedicated to this service, so finding someone is going to be something you will have to ask around for to see who is willing to perform the procedure at this stage.

Docking the tail is a surgical procedure, it is mainly done as a cosmetic surgery which i as many vets are against it if it has no medical reason for it. i really do not recommend having it done for cosmetic purposes, it is an unnecessary surgery that will put your dog at risk and will cause him pain just because some people decided that it has a better look. having it done at 8 weeks is even worse as it is a procedure that needs to be done under full anesthesia and a good-responsible vet will never accept having it done at this age.

I want to thank you very much for providing us such good pictures. Judging by them, I believe your dog either has an infection, immune allergic disease, a cyst-like growth, etc Unfortunately, any topical medication such as the one you’re applying will not be effective against any of these diseases. You do need to schedule an appointment with your regular veterinarian as soon as possible to have a thorough physical examination performed. The vet may also want to do x-rays, a biopsy, skin culture, etc. to the affected area. Most likely, you will get treatment in the form of injectable or oral medications as well as topicals. You will also probably be given a coon to keep your dog from traumatizing and licking the area. Thank you very much for using our consultation service. I hope I have provided you some help today.

I am unaware of the previous conversation. I am assuming one of Maia's puppies have a tail docked and you are unsure what to do. Typically tail docking is done with in 2-4 days of birth. At this age typically pain medication is not dispensed. I would recommend just allowing the puppy to stay with mom because she can calm and take care of the puppy the best. If the puppy is not able to be with warm I would recommend keeping it in a warm comfortable area. If the puppy is not acting right vomiting, lethargic, diarrhea this is typically not from the tail dock but still needs to be addressed by a vet. Hope that helps!

Hi, yes it is necessary to see a vet. Jazzy will likely need antibiotics as it looks like the wound is oozing a bit of fluid in the picture. These lesions can be tricky to heal, and the more you keep on top of it, the better outcome you will have. If Jazzy is biting the tail, please use a cone shaped collar in order to refrain her from doing so. Hope Jazzy gets better soon.!

Of coarse there are always individual cases where this may be true. However, in general tail docking is cosmetic and not a medical decision. It is something that breeders have done with Dobermans for many many years, but it is definitely not a medical necessity. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

The part may be getting infected. A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!