Cold Tail Prophylaxsis???

Hi Angela,
Yes we are big dog people. I keep thinking that we'll go smaller and that just doesn't seem to happen. I have to say though that Brew got much bigger than we thought he would. His parents are around 50 pounds so Brew must have a throw back somewhere. He's a great dog though and you are right he is a very happy pup. He loves anything we throw at him. A day on the beach swimming or going camping or just a walk around the neighborhood. I am still working on a bit of dog aggression problems he has but he's much better than what he was a couple of years ago. Most people aren't bothered by Brew because he's always smiling at people. Our 90 pound black german bred german shepherd was the one who scared people and she was the sweetest thing on 4 feet. She was the most rock solid dog I've even seen for doing therapy work in the nursing home. I never had to worry about her in any situation. I'd laugh though because I've seen people walk across a 4 lane road just so they wouldn't have to walk by her. As long as you didn't touch me she'd just ignore anyone who walked by. We tried therpy work with Brew but if an elderly person eye locks with him he'll start barking. Not what you want in a nursing home! It's so weird too because he loves people! I guess it's just the eye lock thing. We're still working on it and hopefully one day I'll be able to get him certified for therapy work. My Mom is in a nursing home after living with us for a year. She had a stroke and we had to get much more care for her so she's in the home. We take Brew in the summer and sit out on the porch where there's less movement and I'm hoping that that will help him get use to the smells and people moving around. He's only 4 though so there is time to work with him. And of course if he doesn't become a therapy dog we'll still love him anyway. Not every pup is cut out for that kind of work. I see your pups though and I still would love to get another shepherd! Have a great day,

After a recent event my friends dog suffered the same problem. She contacted her holistic vet to find out what could be done. Here is a summary of what she was told:
The only preventions are: conditioning your dog physically as sometimes it can result from lack of conditioning. The dog must be physically in good shape, carefully dry your dog afterwards and place towels over the loin and tail head to keep area warm
There are some herbs you can use afterwards. No one knows for sure if they can prevent it but worth a shot
garlic 1-2 cloves daily (fresh or jarred minced)
cinnamon 1/2 tsp daily
red pepper (cayenne) pinch to 1/2 tsp daily
ginger 1/4 tsp or equivalent in fresh ginger root
Hope this helps
Karen