Correct Methods and Key Operational Points for Tail Docking in Dogs

Tail docking in dogs has been performed more frequently in clinical practice in recent years. The purposes of docking vary. Some dogs undergo docking because of gangrenous tail injuries that are difficult to cure with conservative treatment; some are docked for cosmetic purposes due to show requirements; some owners dislike white hair at the tail tip and curling of the tail end and therefore request docking; some breeds have a docking tradition, such as the Rottweiler, which requires leaving 1 to 2 caudal vertebrae to give the dog's back a sense of elongation; and some dogs suffer from self-mutilation syndrome and require docking to cure the stubborn condition.

1 Methods of Tail Docking

1.1 Restraint and Anesthesia

The tail of dogs contains relatively large nerves and blood vessels, so local infiltration anesthesia is required at the surgical site before tail docking; for larger dogs with fierce temperaments, general anesthesia should be used. For general anesthesia, 2% Xylazine is commonly used at 0.1 to 0.2 mL per kg of body weight, or 846 compound anesthetic at 0.01 mL per kg of body weight administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly. For local anesthesia, procaine hydrochloride is generally used, with the dose determined randomly according to the size of the dog. After anesthesia, the dog's four limbs can be tied, and the head and neck pressed with a wooden board for lateral recumbent restraint, or the dog can be restrained standing on the grid above a restraint cage (with limbs hanging down).

1.2 Local Clipping, Shaving and Disinfection

The docking site is determined according to the owner's requirements or the location of the lesion. The surgical area is shaved, first disinfected with 2% iodine tincture, then deiodized with medical alcohol; finally, a thin rubber tube or rubber band is used at the base of the dog's tail for temporary ligation to stop bleeding, which is released after suturing is completed.

1.3 Tail Docking

On the cranial side of the last reserved caudal vertebra, first ligate with a rubber band, then make a 2/3 circumferential transverse incision of the tail skin above (or below) the surgical site on the caudal side. Preserve a 1/3 skin flap on the dorsal or ventral side, 3.5 to 4 cm, free it and trim it into an arc shape, so that after suturing the stump can be covered by skin and appear aesthetically pleasing. Subsequently, about 0.5 cm from the upper and lower ends of the incision, use sterile suture thread to ligate the central tail vein, the lateral veins on both sides, the artery, and the ventral tail artery and tail vein beneath the dissected skin (as close to the cranial side as possible). Generally, the blood vessels on both sides and the ventral side bleed more; if conditions permit, they should be separated and ligated. Then, cut through the ligament, muscle and other tissues between the last reserved caudal vertebra and the next vertebra to be removed, until completely separated. Finally, continuously suture to cover the reserved skin at the stump, disinfect with 5% iodine tincture, bandage with clean gauze soaked in epinephrine, and remove the ligating rubber band. If the dog's tail has already been severed and cannot be ligated, an electric cautery iron can be used to cauterize for hemostasis.

1.4 Bandage Making and Application

If the remaining tail after docking is relatively long, the dog will be in great pain immediately after docking, and during wound healing there will be itching and pain, so the dog will always try to bite the tail with its mouth; therefore, the docking site is prone to infection, suture breakage, suppuration, putrefaction, and even sloughing of necrotic tissue. When general bandaging methods cannot solve this problem, a "bamboo tube bandage" can be tried, which uses a section of bamboo without nodes, with a diameter larger than the diameter of the dog's tail and a length slightly exceeding the docked tail; two opposite holes are drilled at one end of the bamboo tube, and a thin string is threaded through. The docked dog's tail is placed into the bamboo tube, and the string is tied at the base of the dog's tail. The string passes around the dog's hip, inguinal region and perineum to secure and protect the dog's tail. The dog's tail cannot bend or swing freely, the dog's mouth cannot reach the tail, and the surgical site on the tail will not rub against any other object and become infected.

2 Postoperative Care

2.1 Disinfect the surgical site with 2% iodine tincture daily. To prevent tetanus, refined tetanus antitoxin can be injected intramuscularly. Remove the subcutaneous ligature sutures 3 days after surgery.

2.2 Strengthen feeding management. Within 1 week after surgery, a dedicated person should monitor the dog to prevent the ligature from falling off and the surgical site from being contaminated with feces or dirt, which could cause inflammation.

3 Summary and Discussion

3.1 The docking method described in this article is simple and easy to perform, with little bleeding and fast healing; sutures can be removed in 2 to 3 days, and infection is unlikely. Some folk methods directly clip the hair and ligate at the site requiring docking, allowing the dog's tail to fall off naturally; although there is no bleeding, swelling occurs after ligation, the dog experiences severe pain, suppuration and infection easily occur, and the process is long with poor healing; other methods directly clip the hair at the docking site, and after disinfection and ligation, either cut off or cut off without ligation and then use a cautery iron to cauterize for hemostasis; although the operation is simple, both are prone to infection and heal slowly. Practice has proven that this method is suitable for the docking needs of various dogs under different circumstances.

3.2 If a breed has a docking tradition or requires cosmetic docking, the surgery should preferably be performed at around 30 days of age. At this time, the puppies have strong resistance, sufficient mother's milk, the docking stimulus has little effect on the puppies, and healing is fast. The dog's body is small, making restraint easy. It is best to feed the puppies separately to prevent infection caused by crowding and playing among the puppies.

3.3 The key to successful tail docking surgery is to reduce bleeding and prevent infection.