Larry the Labrador and his owner Otis had enjoyed a big autumn weekend at the family farm. As usual, Larry had the time of his life trying to keep up with the two working kelpies and then paddling happily around in the river afterwards.

The next day, however, Larry wasn’t so cheery. The dog seemed subdued and reluctant to move out of his bed. When Otis offered him breakfast (which usually fixed any issue for Larry), Larry yelped and cowered down.

Remembering that Labradors are prone to joint issues like hip dysplasia, Otis phoned his local veterinary hospital to ask for advice. Given Larry seemed so out of sorts, the nurse recommended booking the dog in for a veterinary assessment later that morning.

At the appointment, the vet performed a thorough physical examination of Larry. Whilst Larry seemed very reluctant to be touched around his back end, he showed no signs of limping, and had a normal range of motion in all his joints. The vet did notice, however, that Larry seemed to be holding his tail down very low, as opposed to his usual constant wag.

On gentle palpation of the area around his tail base, Larry yelped and jumped away. Given the dog hadn’t suffered any obvious trauma in this area, the vet diagnosed him with likely Limber tail syndrome (LTS). LTS is a condition seen mostly in hunting dogs, involving acute swelling and pain in the tail-base region. It usually occurs due to overexertion of the tail, particularly in colder conditions.

TL;DR: Larry had wagged too much!

Larry was prescribed a course of anti-inflammatory pain relief, and a period of rest and restricted exercise. Within five days, he seemed back to normal, as indicated by the return of his usual vigorous wag and wiggle (despite Otis’s attempts to enforce rest).

If your pet shows any signs of sudden pain or lameness, please don’t hesitate to consult our helpful team. Like Larry, we’re always happy to help!