Is there anything I can do to help my lab with cold tail? It just started this morning... the tail is tucked or holds it out about two inches from body and then drops down, also painful on palpation.

Some sort of anti-inflammatory med. Ascripton (buffered aspirin) or Deramax, etc.

Yes, you can give her ascription(asprin that has a coating on it to prevent upset stomach). It will go away in a couple of days. We have had 3 or 4 cases in our life time. It's just painful but will go away.

A hot compress may help (on the butt)

I've had miraculous results with Preparation H (applied as directed!)

Bufferin - cleared up in about 3 days.

One thing you all should know about any (coated medication) like Aspirin. The coating is made so that it will only dissolve in the (intestines). "It will not dissolve in the stomach." Human intestines are much longer than an animal, therefore, the coated Aspirin will not work in dogs. The coated medication leaves the body of a dog before it can be effective.
This was explained to me by my Veterinarian. Other anti inflammatory medication is fine but given with food, and not for a long period.

I don't doubt that your vet may have told you that and it may be true.

My anecdotal evidence, however, doesn't support that, from as many buffered aspirin that my collie has spit back out with the coating coming off. Once it's slimy, the coating comes off pretty easy in your fingers.

I personally just put regular aspirin on their dinners.

Enteric (coated) aspirin will be less effective than regular aspirin (which should be buffered.) About half the time you will find it whole in the stool.

In addition to anti inflamatory meds...a good chiropractor can expedite healing and prevent future occurance.

How would this work, exactly?

a chiropractor will adjust the dog's spine which will bring direct comfort to the lower spine and base of tail. I had a girl who got dead(cold) tail several times. Once she started to see a chiropractor, she never had another episode of dead(cold) tail...it has been almost 4 years now without any dead(cold) tail.

Why do some dogs get cold tail and some never do? I have never seen it. My labbies do swim lots and in cool water often.

No idea. My girl only had it once.

Years ago we had one that got it all the time from spending so much time in the pool.

None of our others have ever had it over the years.

I've had it a few times with my gang. I now think it is connected to them being crated right after they have been swimming and are put away damp. From the cases I've had, I noticed a combination of the two things brought it on.

I haven't had it happen in a long while. I have wondered if it's because I don't towel dry my dogs any more. When toweling Bear dry one day, I was working my way front to back and ended at the tail. By that time he was all wiggly and squirmy, and he got cold tail the next day. I don't towel dry any more - I make sure they shake and they get a dry towel in the crate. Once they shake they are almost dry anyway. I wonder if my over-enthusiastic toweling had something to do with irritating whatever causes cold tail.