Answer

Dear friend,

 

I am sorry your boy is not feeling well. If he want swimming he may have a sprain called cold tail.

 

Please compare your babys tail to these photos:

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/coldtail.html SOURCE

I printed this for you:

Cold water tail," "limber tail syndrome," "broken tail," "dead tail," "broken wag" are all euphemisms for a relatively common occurrence in sporting dogs. The tail of the dog hangs down from the tail base or is held horizontal for three or four inches and then drops down. A flaccid tail episode appears to be a painful, but relatively benign affliction that can occur after swimming, after a heavy hunting day or even after a bath with cold water or water that is too warm. It is not always associated with swimming or water, but can happen after a heavy day of work that involves a lot of tail action. The majority of limp tail cases have been reported in sporting dogs or hounds -- Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Setters, Pointers, Flatcoats, Foxhounds and Beagles are the breeds frequently named. Almost all dogs that suffer through an occurrence return to normal within a few days. Affected dogs may or may not have a repeat incidence during their lifetime. [It is this author's experience that symptoms will repeat in the same animal and can be trigged by something as simple as a cold water bath.] This affliction has been described by the layman as a "sprain," fibrosis or a "cold in the tail." The affected dog is miserable at the onset and the tail is painful. If neither the dog owner nor the veterinarian is familiar with this condition, it can be disturbing

Here is the rest of the link:

http://www.thelabradorclub.com/library/coldwatertail.html SOURCE

 

If that is the case he can have 5 mg of aspirin per lb of his weight with food every ten hours.

 

Apply ice or cold compresses to the swelling.Five miniutes on and off for an hour every four hours.

 

He can have immodium or kayopectate for diarrhea:

 

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=0+1459&aid=1432

 

I would pick up any dog food.Try a small amount of boiled chicken with all fat drained off, chop meat , or baby food with no onion, beef, turkey, etc add cooked white rice or infant rice cereal.

Go very slow so he does not throw it up.

 

Dogs get dehydrated and hypoglycemic very easily from diarrhea.

Add unflavored pedialyte to his water 50/50 to hydrate him and balance his electrolytes.

Put a drop of pancake syrup on his tongue to raise his blood sugar in case he is a bit hypoglycemic. That should perk him up.

Do not allow him to drink a lot at a time If he throws up water, he can lick ice

Keep him on that very light diet of boiled chicken or baby food for 48 hours after the stool is normal.

Also give him one teaspoon a day of plain yogurt to keep "good" bacteria in his system.

If he develops any abdominal pain, bloating, constipation or cannot keep anything down he needs to be seen by a vet.

 

Please let me know how he is doing. I will always be here for you

 

I hope your baby feels better very soon..

Best wishes,

Terri