Questions about tail care.

[Angelgirl]

Our breeder told us to use Lotrimin foot powder. It has a nice small nozzle on the end perfect for getting under a tail and the powder is a fungus killer so it's great for damp places. We were lucky with Belly her tail looks more like a little lightning bolt. Cassie before her had a terrible pocket tail that the vet always wanted to amputate.

 

[Swanny]

...This is why I already love the site, because so many people have already fought the issue...

What do you do if he REALLY doesn't want you to mess with the "poop shoot" (who can blame him really)? I mean, he snaps at me every time and since he is a pretty powerful dog, it's really tough to restrain him. I can't get in there very well to do what needs to be done, but I can't be having that either. Mine is a recent adoption of a 2 year old. What I was told the prev owner did was basically sit on him to keep him down. I'm just thinking that maybe there is a better way. I'm not trying to hijack the thread either, it just kinda fit!

 

[kazzy220]

Maggie has NO tail at all, but when I feel under her little stub I can probably get my fingers under a good 1.5 inches .. so I'm guessing that's what people mean by a tail pocket?? Yes???


Whatever it's called she's never had any problems. Our one and only concern is that there is a lot of loose hair back there .. the vet nurse tried to take maggies temp one day and grabbed her little tiny stub of a tail only to come back with a handful of hair. She then got all concerned and put it in her notes which I wasn't too happy about. At the time we knew no different and put it down to the fact that Maggie was stressed and didn't paticularly like something something stuck up her butt!!!! Now I know it's nothing because I can reach down and grab quite a lot of loose hair whenever.

So should I be pulling/clearing out that loose hair on a regular basis ... otherwise I do nothing because there are no problems at all!!

 

[mbuxx]

samson also has a corkscrew tail....what exactly is a tail pocket?

 

[Jessica]

We clean Barney's tail pocket with baby wipes every couple of days. The vet I work for also recommended using alcohol wipes, since it has a drying effect, b/c that area is usually moist.

Very rarely do we have to actually wipe his bathroom hole, since the pocket (inverted corkscrew tail) is above it. I just shove my finger in there (covered by a baby wipe) and follow the spiral.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Oh dear! I never heard of any of this. I use baby wipes after every poo..but I don't know if Jake has a pocket..I don't think his tail is a corkscrew..used to be kinda..but not now. Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow? Yup..pocket hunting..always learning. Thanks guys


I want to make this perfectly clear...I use the baby wipes on Jake!

 

[cadillactaste]

Tank has a deep tail pocket...when he is heavy it becomes deeper. So it is important to keep the weight off a dog that has these as well. Depends...if we're giving a bath...I let him sit in the warm water...and coat that area with shampoo and use a washrag and get up in the tail pocket by wrapping it around my index finger. Then...we rinse it well...then of course...make sure to dry well I use cotton pads to absorb the moisture from a bath and cleaning.

Other times I dilute VET Solutions Surgical Scrub and Handwash. I use a bottle I got from the vet that has a nozzle top. But you can use say a picnic ketchup bottle just as easily. I warm it in the microwave...and then squirt it up under the tail toward the tail pocket. And use cotton pads to dry it. On hot days when his tail pocket can be more bothersome...or the other bulldog cleans it. I will use Pinxav and put a dab up under into his tail pocket. Then wipe the tail so I get any extra off. That stuff is AMAZING for diaper rash...And thus I use it on him.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Very good info here..I appreciate it..and so does Jake!

 

[BruceP]

Becky, did you find Jake's tail pocket? LOL
It should be somewhere around here:

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Becky, did you find Jake's tail pocket? LOL
It should be somewhere around here:

Oh [MENTION=1034]BruceP[/MENTION]..thanks so much for pic of where I could find the missing tail pocket..lol..let's just say..poor Jake got the "white glove treatment"..this morning! Poor Jake..lol..lol..lol..funnnnnnneeee guy u are...lol

 

[LisaMarie]

Mocha also has a screw tail and it is tight. i wipe her with either baby wipes or Malacetic wipes. After I make sure I dry the area really good and then apply goldbond powder(the yellow one). I have heard of the Preparation H when it gets irritated and also desitin.

 

[mbuxx]

oh [MENTION=1034]BruceP[/MENTION] gotta love some of the pics on bulldog forums! haha... so is tail pocket just when the tail is tightup against the poop shoot and this is where you clean? how often should you apply baby powder?

 

[LucysMum]

Lucy has a somewhat tight tail pocket. Out vet told us to keep it "clean and dry" on her very first visit so we have done that for the 2.5 years we have had her and thankfully no problems. We have had the same routine around here since day one. It works for us so far. I use a diluted baby shampoo mixture and I keep it in a picnic ketchup bottle container with a nozzle. I prefer the solution to the baby wipes because I feel like a wet cloth gets the face cleaner. I use baby cotton washcloths (they are thinner). I clean her face folds and nose rope, rinse and dry. I clean her tail pocket area--rinse and dry. Every day or two I use A&D baby ointment in and around her tail pocket and screw tail. If I forget to put on the ointment she will scootch on the rug. Keeping the tail pocket clean and dry is the key. I do wipe her with either a clean tissue or a baby wipe after every #2 like many of you. I also dry with a tissue or dry cloth if I use a wet baby wipe after a #2. So far, this has worked for us. Lucy's wrinkles and tail pocket have never been a problem. The morning routine sounds like it takes a long time--but it really doesn't. Lucy is used to it and she sits there like a champ--no, more like a DIVA!

 

[Rosiesmom]

I too have been using Gold Bond powder on my girls' tail (I swear by the yellow bottle). It seems to work pretty well, it's just so darn hard to get it up in there. She has a very very tight cinnamon bun tail and I am constantly looking for ways to clean it really well. I use baby wipes to clean it, then dry it with a baby washcloth, then try my best to powder it. Any ideas on how to get the powder in the curls of her tail?

 

[patricia]

Hi! I am also laughing with the poop shoot and the yard muffin- too funny!!
I clean Kairos pocket with baby wipes every 3-4 days and the I put a little preparation H ointment or diaper rash cream, just in case there is any irritation.