Dealing with Injuried Tail of Very Large Great Dane

I thought I would share this info for anyone who has a Great Dane. I wish I had known this sooner but  information has a way of showing up at the oddest times.

My Great Dane, Mr. Biggs (name arrived pre Sex in the City, sorry Sarah Jessica)is a nervous, anxious dog who chews on himself in times of great stress, which obviously moving is.

He chewed on his tail until it became raw and required a vet visit, however because he is so large you cant get a Cone of Silence for him. We tried everything but he eventually did so much damage we were actually thinking of amutating his tail about 5 inches. (Great Danes have HUGE tails that are used to clean all bric a brac off tables, chairs, shelves, small children and create great whelping bruises if you get too close) Finally we called the Sister In Law who is a vet but does not DO family pets, who gave us this suggestion.

Required parts:

Foam tubing used to wrap pipes for insulation - you want to get the largest internal diameter possible.

Atheletic Tape - for injury management and strategic management of tubing.

Elasticon - amazing strong sticky tape that will stick to animals hair, most useful for ackward places of injury

Vet Wrap - tape that sticks only to itself. (getting the sense here its all about tape?)

Arid Extra - Deodorant, especially stinky

What to do:

Medicate the injury, I highly recommend Triple Antibiotic Ointment (not expensive but works a treat in general wounds) or Novasan Ointment (purchased at farm stores or vet supply expensive but highly antibiotic levels).

Wrap a 4x4 gauze pad on the wound and tape it in place the best you can, then add a strip of tape over the wound with a long tail hanging out, then over that wrap some Vet Wrap to hold it all in place. Swing the long tail of Atheletic tape back over the wound and tape it down.

Now here is the best part, take the foam tubing and cut it open down one side. Take to longer pieces of atheletic tape and put them lengthwise over the wound and hanging out of the end of the tubing.  Tape the tubing closed on the side you cut open so it is closed over the wound.

Swing the two long pieces of tape back over the tubing again and then tape them down with a piece of elasticon to secure it all in place!!

Smear deordorant all over it because dogs hate the taste of it and he wont tear it open again.

Tada!!!!!! (Pictures coming soon!)