When the weather gets warm, the Labrador Retrievers want to swim. As hunting and sporting dogs, water is there life. Their oily double-layered fur and Ottertail make for the most enjoyable of swimming buddies but when your buddy wakes up the next morning and can no longer move her tail, you know something is wrong.
It’s called “Swimmer’s Tail” and although it is not permanent or life threatening, it is quite painful for any dog to suffer.
Limber tail, cold water tail, or swimmer’s tail, is an excruciatingly painful condition that seems to affect swimming breeds of dogs such as Labs. Usually the day after they are swimming or have had a bath with cold water, their tails are extremely painful, usually at the base. They will react painfully if you attempt to lift their tail, or touch them near the tail base. Often they will walk with their tail tucked. (Jon Geller, DVM)
Swimmer’s Tail Symptoms
When our own Dakota woke this morning, we noticed some significant changes in her body and personality:
- Tired, bloodshot eyes (she didn’t sleep the night before)
- Excessive panting
- Moving from place to place to lie down only for a few seconds and then getting up to find a new place (not comfortable at all)
- Going in circles in order to bite her tail
I finally realized that I read about this same thing on a Labrador Retriever Chat Board years earlier but had never witnessed it in person. Dakota had “Swimmer’s Tail” and there was only one way to prove it. I had to find a way to get her to raise her tail and telling her that her best friend, Katie the St. Bernard, was outside would make her raise her tail. Here’s what happened:
As you can see, she did not raise her tail all the way. Normally I would be straight up in the air in a more dominant or aggressive pose but she couldn’t even lift it straight out. The significant dead drop at the base of the tail is exactly what you see in dogs that have swimmer’s tail.
Swimmer’s Tail Treatment
Although she is very uncomfortable and surely in pain, there is no quick fix for this ailment. The only fix is NSAIDS (Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs) such as Metacam and Rimdyl. We already had both in the house and have started Dakota on it right away and will be keeping her away from water during the next few weeks.
Rest and recuperation take about 2 weeks to finally get back to normal.
If you suspect that your dog has limber tail, cold-water tail or swimmer’s tail, and she has been in the water recently, please contact your veterinarian to discuss treatment options. Although canine swimmer’s tail is easy enough to diagnose, there could be other ailments that mimic the symptoms of this condition and could be quite devastating if left untreated. Always seek the advice of your vet whenever you notice significant health or behavior changes in your pup.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I wanted to ask for my black lab shiners does the tail go straight and then down?
Many thanks Shannon, we have a 2 year old Yellow Lab. I let her out in the night to do her business and she kept circling the garden and sitting down licking her tail where it joins her body. I knew something was wrong but had never heard of Swimmers Tail. i’ll call the vets first thing in the morning to get her booked in.
Once again, thank you
tank you so much i was so scared at one point i touched my dogs tail and she cried and i didnt know what it was
So glad I could help! Keeping our paws crossed that she feels better soon!
Thank you for the information. I was up until late last night with our Lab because she couldn’t get comfortable and did just what your article says, flopped down, got up, groaned, her eyes were heavy lidded and weird, she was shaking and miserable all night long. Her tail is extremely swollen at the base. She won’t lift it or wag it and pulls it to the side. She would doze off for a bit last night and sit up and touch her nose to her tail. It really bothered her and I was concerned all night that she broke something. We have a pool and she swims for hours everyday. She runs across the deck and dives in over and over. I was glad to see the posts here that said its possible that its from swimming and that she will get better once we can get her medicine. Guess she will be staying out of the pool for awhile. Thank you for your posts.
I have 2 lab/chessy mix. My male had exactly what you were talking about. I thought that maybe someone pulled his tail or kicked him. Was very glad to realize that he had swimmers tail. Guess he will have to stay out of the water for a while. Hard to keep Zeke and Abby out if you know what I mean.
Thanks for the info.
Our Lab Mika has had this condition a few times. Was only this morning that I connected it to swimming. We went to the vet last time and he put it down to ‘over wagging’. Didn’t charge us and she recovered in a few days. Was glad to read on your site that it is a recognised condition. Thanks.
So glad this helped! It’s amazing how simple something like this could be.
Just wanted to say a huge thank you, our lab Blue has been incredibly fussy and showing all the signs of swimmers tail after being playing in the river whilst on a walk in Wales………. I feel so relieved to know that after a trip to our vets tomorrow Blue should be feeling a whole lot better…….
Thank you once again, the video clip of Dakota really helped as it gave us an insight to what Swimmers Tail looks like.
Shelley & Blue (2 and a half years old…..)
Thank you for this info as our two year old black lab, Anabelle, also had this problem when she came back from the lake yesterday. She seemed uncomfortable, getting up frequently, and wouldn’t come when we called her. I was ready to take her to the vet (with her tail between her legs) when I ready your article online. Yes, she stays close to me also for comfort as Dakota did with you. Thanks for saving me what could have been a huge vet bill. We will wait and see how she does first. I feel better after reading your article!
You are most welcome! I am so happy to read when my experience with my own Labradors helps others. Best of luck!
Our other Lab had this a few times, I never knew what it was, but she never seemed to be in pain from it.
The first time it happened to our new Lab, coming back from the beach, in the car, I could tell she was extremely uncomfortable and distressed. My first fear was bloat, since she swallows a lot of water when she swims. We decided to take her to the emergency clinic and they took xrays. While waiting for the xrays to develop, the vet came in and asked us if we noticed anything unusual about her tail. Yes, but since it never seemed to cause noticeable pain in our other Lab, I didn’t think much of it. Long story short: it wasn’t bloat, but the pain of a strained tail. Not having tails, it’s hard for us to imagine the pain they might be feeling. So, from now on, we don’t throw the stick in the water as many times, as I feel sharp turns cause her to put more stress on her tail. We just let her swim and enjoy it at her leisure.
Thanks Heidi for the comment! It is amazing how simple the diagnosis can be but, seeing as we are humans, we are conditioned to think something human-similar. Glad it’s only temporary!
Hi all,
One of my four labs, Hershey, gets the cold water tail at least twice a year. It takes a few days for her to get back to normal. The first time was after a quick “shower” with the garden hose to get some dirt off…even though it was 80 degrees out, she still got the cold water tail. Our vet actually calls this “beaver tail”! More often she will get the tail when she jumps into the pond when it is still cold although she has developed this after excessive swimming, even in warmish water. It was explained to me as a cramp in the muscle at the base of the tail. Let the affected dogs rest for a few days. Hope Dakota feels better soon!
Robyn – thanks for the comment and real life example of swimmer’s tail. Dakota was better within 24 hours of getting her Rimadyl and we now plan to let the pool sit in the sun for a while before letting her play. Luckily, I read about swimmer’s tail years ago so I didn’t get overly excited when it finally happen.
Thanks again!
I just wanted to let you know that my lab, Coal, has had this condition twice, and I attribute it to not the swim, but the dive. And she knows when she is geting tired, she will start easing herself into the water (takes the stairs in the pool or just walks into the lake) instead of doing the big athletic dive. I think the dive is what does it to her. And it cleared up in a few days wtih no medication. she really didn’t complain about the pain (they’re so good natured) but just held her tail funny.
Thanks Pat! Dakota’s Swimmer’s Tail was caused by swimming in a kiddie pool with ice cold water. She wouldn’t let me leave it out in the sun before jumping in and laying down in it. That’s Dakota!