Frequency and risk factors for tail injuries in UK dogs under primary veterinary care

Tail injuries in dogs can severely impact welfare and pose clinical challenges. This study aimed to describe the annual incidence and clinical management of tail injury in UK dogs under primary care and identify risk factors.

A nested case‒control design was used within a cohort of dogs under primary care in the UK in 2019. Clinical records were automatically searched and manually verified to identify incident tail injury cases and extract management data. Multivariable logistic regression was then used to evaluate associations between potential risk factors and tail injury diagnosis.

The analysis included 285 tail injury cases and 285,000 randomly selected controls. The estimated annual incidence risk for tail injury was 0.23%. Increased odds of injury were observed in boxers, English springer spaniels and cocker spaniels; dogs aged less than 2 years; male entire, male neutered and female neutered dogs; working and gundog breeds; and dogs weighing between 20 and 30 kg. Systemic analgesia and antibiosis were prescribed in 45.6% and 32.6% of cases, respectively. Surgical amputation was undertaken in 9.1% of cases.

This study relied on retrospective electronic health record data. Only factors consistently recorded in clinical records were available.

Tail injury is relatively uncommon but carries serious welfare risks. Identifying high-risk groups offers valuable insights for veterinarians, breeders and policymakers.