Tails

It might seem strange to find "tails" listed as a health issue, but it's not uncommon for Irish Wolfhounds to hurt their tails in a way that IW people usually call "Happy Tail." Basically they wag their tails so hard against a hard surface that they split the skin of the tail open, often spraying blood all over the place in the process. It's not a life-threatening condition, but it can be extremely difficult to heal, since the dogs who have Happy Tails tend to want to keep right on wagging despite the injury. In some cases the only cure is to amputate part of the end of the tail.

Resourceful IW owners over the years have come up with a variety of methods to try and protect the tail, prevent infection, and try to stave off resorting to amputation.

This page was last updated 01/04/2021.