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Expert: - 10/15/2010


Question
Hi,

My 7 month old boxer is acting really weird when we ask him to sit. Its like he
cant because either his butt hurts him or his tail hurts. I tried lifting his tail up
to see if anything was wrong with his butt hole but i see nothing. His tail never
raises up though, it stay tucked under. Please let me know if you can help. He
does hit his tail really hard on things when he wags it. We never got his tail
docked.

Answer
Seven month old dogs are always banging into things anyway, but when a dog acts like this there is a good chance that he has injured his lower back, not his tail necessarily. They will tuck their tail when their sacrum is hurt, or they have strained a back muscle. They also have a hard time sitting.

You should have him looked at if he doesn't appear better later today. Waiting can result in more damage unless it is just a muscle strain.

You could wait until later today but you should call your vet and ask them their opinion as well. This is one of those things that the vet really needs to 'look' at and feel.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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