Could electric fence paralyse a dog's tail?

Wagtail

Wagtail

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Our electric fence got knocked and shorted out onto the mesh fencing around the garden. One of the tiny JRTs that has a long tail was not herself all day yesterday, and won't go near the boundary fence. Her tail is usually held up in a big 'C' shape. Now she can't raise it. No one saw or heard he getting shocked, but could an electric fence do this? It is possible that she fell somewhere, but she is fine apart from her tail. It is a mains electric fence.
 
I don't know if its the electric fence, but our smallest lab does this two or three times a year. We think its like he has pulled a muscle or something. It seems to gradually get better over a week, and his tail gradually starts pointing upwards again and wagging..

Could she have got it caught in something? Usually you hear a huge yelp when my dogs run into the elec fence, and they don't go near it for weeks after! It is a big zap for a dog if they touch a fence though - especially a diddy one.

You're not having a good week are you hun! Hope you got some sun today to make up for it.
 
my dog got proper zapped when she was younger she wasn't herself for days but she ran into the sheep fencing - I'm not sure whether your dogs tail will be ok or not but think my dog was lucky to still be here - I hope your dog's tail gets its curl back
 
Honey08 said:
I don't know if its the electric fence, but our smallest lab does this two or three times a year. We think its like he has pulled a muscle or something. It seems to gradually get better over a week, and his tail gradually starts pointing upwards again and wagging..

Could she have got it caught in something? Usually you hear a huge yelp when my dogs run into the elec fence, and they don't go near it for weeks after! It is a big zap for a dog if they touch a fence though - especially a diddy one.

You're not having a good week are you hun! Hope you got some sun today to make up for it.
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That's interesting, thanks. Her tail is definitely better than yesterday. No one heard a yelp or anything. It's really strange.
 
Miss Bean said:
my dog got proper zapped when she was younger she wasn't herself for days but she ran into the sheep fencing - I'm not sure whether your dogs tail will be ok or not but think my dog was lucky to still be here - I hope your dog's tail gets its curl back
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Thanks. It did happen once before, when one of my liveries 'helpfully' tied the electric tape to the galvanised mesh fence! :eek: No ill effects but both the littlies wouldn't go near the fence for a week or so. I don't know how it happened this time, but someone must have moved a post so that the fence touched the mesh. Poor little thing. :(
 
Honey08 said:
I don't know if its the electric fence, but our smallest lab does this two or three times a year. We think its like he has pulled a muscle or something. It seems to gradually get better over a week, and his tail gradually starts pointing upwards again and wagging..

Could she have got it caught in something? Usually you hear a huge yelp when my dogs run into the elec fence, and they don't go near it for weeks after! It is a big zap for a dog if they touch a fence though - especially a diddy one.

You're not having a good week are you hun! Hope you got some sun today to make up for it.
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Our dogs also done this before, not electric fence but not sure how he done it. Just hung down like it was dead. But like above he gradually got better over a few days and was back to normal after about 5. It wasn't nice to see him though as Dalmatians tails are always wagging! Was odd for it to be so still.

Hope your dogs back to normal soon. :)
 
One of our welsh springers electrocuted himself on the fence a few years back. Unfortunately for him, it was not his tail - he wee'd on the fence. No interest in his stud duties for about a week afterwards - poor boy!
 
Auslander said:
One of our welsh springers electrocuted himself on the fence a few years back. Unfortunately for him, it was not his tail - he wee'd on the fence. No interest in his stud duties for about a week afterwards - poor boy!
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My friend's dog did this yesterday. He felt very sorry for himself afterwards:(
 
Wagtail glad the tail is recovering:) slight OT but for those with dogs who enjoy a good swim, then suffer tail paralyses there is something Cold Water Tail, which is common in Labradors / working dog breeds, they can also suffer folowing a cold spell my in laws lap gets it on a regular basis ....never heard of it before ...
 
Wagtail, i had a dog at the yard i used to be on, grab the electric fence handle i threw to the side when coming through the gate of a fenced off area.
He took off squealing and wouldnt come near me for weeks, or if he saw me would shake as if it was me who did it, but it didnt do him any permanent damage and it was wired into the grid.
It sounds like hes possibly pulled something, or banged something when hes tried to get away. Hope hes alright
 
WelshTilly said:
Wagtail glad the tail is recovering:) slight OT but for those with dogs who enjoy a good swim, then suffer tail paralyses there is something Cold Water Tail, which is common in Labradors / working dog breeds, they can also suffer folowing a cold spell my in laws lap gets it on a regular basis ....never heard of it before ...
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Interesting - the lab I was talking about has a habit of hurling himself off bankings to get in the water quicker - we always thought it was that, but could well be cold water tail.
 
Most dogs will let out a yelp when they get a zap and no harm done, my Lurcher got one recently off the sheep electric fence which has a nasty bite, it taught her to keep her nose out.
My Jack Russell actually statred weeing up the sheep fence too many years ago, I shouted NO but as he heard me he yelped and did the best backwards somersault I've seen over the top of the fence and into the sheep paddock. He then had to get back out getting another zap as he went. He was a bag of nerves for days after that.
You just can't stop them in time sometimes.
 
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