Swollen Tail on Lab

Question
Sophie, our 9 yr old lab mix (lab retvr-shep mix), has a swollen tail at the very top but yet the remainder of tail is thin and normal looking....we take her in for her monthly exams and the vet keeps saying that when they check her glands, they appear to be empty every time...she's not showing any signs of pain really as in she's still got alot of energy. However, she tends to drag her behind around sometimes and we thought that had to do with her glands which keep coming up empty.....just a bit concerned about the swelling of the upper tail area, it's maybe 3 inches wide swelled but in normal size it is only an inch if that....should we be worried?? Her monthly vet appt is coming up soon. Thank you and we'd greatly appreciate any answers you could give us. Not sure if it's relevant, but she's been eating healthier in the last 6 months and has gone from 121 lbs down to 108 lbs and this makes us all very happy!! Very excited to see what she weighs in at this next visit!

Answer
Well since you didn't mention how long her tail has been 'swollen' and considering that she is about 25 lbs overweight, I am guessing that this is simply a fat pad on her tail head. I doubt if it has anything at all to do with her anal glands. If it is sudden and not a long time thing, then she may have irritated it by rubbing it on something over and over and made it swollen that way.

It's very difficult to say since this is a hands on type of problem. I would not wait until the appointment unless it's in the next few days, but get her in to be seen. She may need some anti-histamines for the swelling and irritation.

I am proud of the fact that you are making an active effort to reduce this sweet dog. She will be very grateful and live much longer as a result. You are all to be commended in that.