Therapeutic Tail Docking surgery in a dog

Abstract

Currently, tail docking surgery in dogs in Brazil is performed only for therapeutic purposes. The surgical procedure can be classified as complete or partial, depending on the location of the lesion. The main indication in dogs is trauma. In this article, a case of traumatic lesion on the tail of a dog with partial caudectomy is described. The patient is an adult male dog rescued by an non-governmental organization. The end of the animal's tail had a serious injury with exposure of two coccygeal vertebrae. Due to the absence of skin to cover the lesion and the fact of apparent necrosis of the caudal vertebra, partial therapeutic caudectomy was indicated. The dog was anesthetized and the tail was amputated using a technique described in the literature. In the postoperative period, antibiotic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory were used. After 10 days, the skin stitches were removed and the animal was completely recovered, having been sent for adoption. It was concluded that with adequate pre and postoperative care, the prognosis is favorable, with good recovery of the patient.