"0625Singapore Chinese Sharpei tail docking pet health and welfare educational for animal lovers, excerpts from The Glamorous Vets, Singapore, sponsored by  AsiaHomes Internet.

A broken puppy tail

"It is risky to anaesthetize a puppy less than 3 months old," I said. What if the Chinese Sharpei puppy die? Would the Owner be happy?  The puppy's death on the operating table is always an emotional issue all over the world.  Vets are seldom forgiven.  

This puppy had a big red hole at the end of his tail and it looked as if a yellow disc had been pasted on it. Mrs Cartwright had brought it in for vaccination and the gaping tail wound was discovered.

The veterinarian would be blamed for causing the death of the puppy under anaesthesia.  Bad mouthing by the unhappy Owner would spread like wildfire and this would not be good for the practice.  Some veterinarians have a anesthetic form which the Owner must read and be aware of the risk.  But once the puppy died under anaesthesia, the ill feelings towards the surgeon would be substantial.

To operate or not to operate?  As the tail is an extension of the spinal cord, would bacterial infection spread up to infect the whole spinal cord? The puppy was licking the wound as it looked cleaned. Faeces would contaminate the wound.  If the bacterial and fungal infection went up to the rest of the spinal cord and then to the brain, the puppy would die.  You could see a yellow white button at the end of the spine. That was the spinal disc. 

How risky it would be?  Veterinary books and lecturers say it would be very risky.   The Owner was informed of the risk orally.  Nothing for her to sign to prove that she was informed. 



A small dose of xylazine tranquiliser into the back muscle was used.  The puppy would still need a gas anesthetic to be pain free during surgery.


  A gas mask was used.  Nurse Ann was extremely cautious and observant checking on the black bag movements and the chest respiratory movements of the puppy.  The puppy was in deep surgical anaesthesia.  The tail wound had to be thoroughly washed.  The thickened skin edge had to be cut out so that there was a fresh wound for healing.

Just as the first stitch was inserted, Nurse Ann said calmly, " The puppy stopped breathing."  She took off mask and switched off the halothane gas.  Oxygen was flushed in.   The chest was massaged to stimulate breathing.  I checked with the heart and the stethoscope detected a slow heart beating.

The anaesthetic effects wore off fast.  The puppy now started to struggle to get up.  The anesthetic gas was given.  Five nylon stitches were put in.  The tail might have been docked earlier but Mrs Cartwright did not know whether it was done by a veterinarian or somebody else.  Somebody just left the puppy outside the gate of her house.


"Could it be a dog kidnapper who abandoned the puppy during a chase by the Agri-food & Veterinary Authority enforcement officers? He or she disposed of the evidence?" asked Mrs Cartwright.  Singapore does have dog kidnappers but there are not many of them.

"The puppy really looks like a Chinese Sharpei" I said.  Mrs Cartwright thought he was a mutt or mongrel as no stranger would abandon a $1,500 pure bred.  Or a good looking Sharpei cross?  He had lots of skin wrinkles in his forehead, neck and the legs.     

     Would the tail wound break down again?  Would there be infection which would cause the stitches to break open?  An antibiotic injection had been given.  When would the puppy be going home?
If well isolated and checked daily, it could go home 3 days after surgery.  An Elizabeth collar was used to prevent the puppy licking the tail and causing the stitch to break down.  After 7 days, he went home, but to a strict isolation for another 7 days.  

Stitches would be out 14 days after surgery and he could run and play with another companion.  The stitched area in the tail was really clean. It was due to the puppy licking it, but the stitches had held and the edges of the incised wounds had bridged. 

It was extremely difficult to hold him down for his vaccination to prevent viral and bacterial diseases as you can see from this picture!

This handsome Sharpei certainly had a very big appetite.  And now he had a lot of love from the new Owner.  As for me, I don't look forward to such surgeries as the anesthetic risks are as great as what the experts said in the books on Canine surgery.