I never suspected that a solo pool party, at the new doggie pool here in Anchorage: Alaska K9 Aquatics could end in a case of cold tail, also known as limber tail.  One minute, Pongo was a happy-go-lucky, loving life, dripping wet canine and the next, a restless, droopy-tailed miserable little guy.

When we got home from our swim session, I wasn’t too sure what was going on.  He wouldn’t settle despite being exhausted; he would lay down for a minute or two, get up and shift positions–never really finding a comfortable position.  I thought his tail looked kind of funny just hanging there but it took Steve noticing something was off, too before it really hit home that something was wrong.  That night quality sleep was beyond our reach as Pongo tried to settle into slumber but just couldn’t. Besides constantly moving around trying to get comfortable, he was up 4-5 times that night needing to go outside.

The poor guy was miserable and was in no shape to attend daycare the next day.  I called him in “sick” and Miss Peg thankfully gave us a lead of what might be afflicting Pongo: cold tail.  After a Google search, we realized that this indeed was what Pongo was suffering from.  One website recommended giving the dog Rimadyl to help with the inflammation and pain.  So, that’s exactly what we did and ended up with a boy who could finally settle and slept the whole day Friday.

We just hope he can find that elusive wag soon…