Tail strapping

[madrags]

I have worked many seasons with my undocked springer Rags and have developed this method of strapping. If you use the right tape and follow these steps it will stay put without pulling out tail hair on removal.
I use Strappal sports strapping, 1" wide. It has the advantage of being tearable so that you don't need scissors.


Start about 3 or 4 inches from the end of the tail and smooth the hairs towards the tip before applying the first strip. You need a piece 4 inches long - wrap it around the tail sticky side up and stuck to itself. This is the only tricky bit, but is important as it stops hair being pulled off at the end of removal of tape.


Start the strapping proper by sticking the end of the roll (sticky side down) over the first strip and make one full turn. Be careful not to pull too tight - I pull the tape from the roll and then lay it on the tail rather than use the tail to lever it.


After the first turn, spiral up the tail overlapping by 1/3 to 1/2 of the tape's width. Overlap a little closer as you reach the tail tip.


One full turn at the tip, the spiral back down, overlapping as you go.Tear tape off when you reach the start point.


Take another 4" strip and do a full turn to act as a keeper strap. Keep the roll in your pocket - if anything starts to come undone it will be this strip. If you notice the end of the keeper strip lifting, don't remove anything but just put another keeper strip over the top


Voila! Sounds a very long-winded process but takes little time when you are used to it.

To remove strapping, just reverse the process. Because of the overlapping, the tape is only stuck to the tips of the hair and will peel off without loss of hair.

[Judy]

Thanks Madrags, you're a star!

Judy

[DLK]

Cool pic,s well done showing this, its better than a long read.

Darren

[Greyghost]

Oh my Little did I know I would be using this thread so soon.

Holly has had a lump on her tail which she has ignored until last night It was bothering her all evening and I was up with her until 4am getting the gunk out of it. I thought it might be a foreign object, blackthorn is quite common apparently, so started with the Silicea yesterday which is a homeopathic remedy for ejecting foreign objects.

Having spoken to a few people today one of my colleagues on the committee had a similar thing with a fatty lump which would burst and then heal and this went on for a while.

These things always seem to happen at the weekend but I am half hoping that it has improved enough by Monday not to have to see the vet who will no doubt administer anti biotics as a precautionary measure. Unless there is infection I like to keep the immune system on full thrust and not compromise it by killing off the good guys.

My biggest worry is that it will turn septic so am bathing it in salt water and dressing it with some colloidal silver.

We are off out tomorrow to get some proper strapping as my ripped up dish cloths and socks are not staying on I doubt my strapping will look as good as yours madrags especially as there is a lump the size of a conker at the end of Holly's and I will probably have to pad it out with something.

Any other thoughts welcome.

[madrags]

If you start 4" from the tip of the tail it should hold ok, even with a dressing on over the end, providing you then come back to the starting point.

[Greyghost]

I can't get her to keep it on at all . I couldn't get the sticky stuff anyway so ended up with a normal bandage and some sticky tape. Her tail if only 6" as she is docked and the fur is silky soft, so difficult.

It is drying out nicely now though but on Monday evening my friend came to collect her dog and Holly got all excited and wagged it against the door which opened it up again. It was hardly bleeding but amazing how that blood spreads onto walls, sofa, paintwork etc.

I have ordered one of these now: Buster Collar for night times because she is licking it when I'm asleep.

[madrags]

I know several people who have tried the method with Micropore or similar but it really doesn't work. You need a very sticky tape like Strappal - the high adhesion is vital to keep it in place and the method will stop it from pulling hair out.

[Greyghost]

I have just been googling to see whether licking it is a problem. Seems the jury is out on it on most sites?????

Am I not better off leaving the air to get to it if she is not licking it all the time?

[Rookie]

IMO licking is bad for wounds, especially if the dog's constantly licking. It slows healing and increases the risk of infection which will also delay healing. I would go with some method of preventing her from licking it.

[Greyghost]

That's what I always thought too Rookie but so many people keep telling me that their tongues have healing properties. I thought they had a mouth full of germs.

Anyway like I say she only gives it a tiny lick a few times a day and is good when I tell her to leave it. The buster collar should help during the night when I can't see her, although I think I will have her back in with me tonight. I quite got used to having the bed to myself when hubby took the spare room when I had my cold last week. I could get used to this