My precious Havanese was hit by a car yesterday. Has fractured right acetabulum, public symphis, cocygeal vertebrae in tail. His tail is flaccid. He is out of shock, his eyes are bright, but vets are slow to act because they say the dog may be permanently incontinent. There is a lot of swelling. Is there any hope?

I'm sorry to hear about your boy, there is always hope, but there is the fact that yes, he may always be incontinent due to the muscle damage.

Is it something you are prepared to live with?

I have an incontinent dog here, granted it is urinary incontinence, but still a pain, we have a system and products figured out to make life easier... it takes a lot of time and effort but it is manageable.

Once you have gotten over the shock of what has happened just have a think about what our daily life will be like and if you think you would be able to cope with an incontinent dog.

I have no technical competence in this matter but I am a pet lover and have 2 pups of my own.

Animals have remarkable recuperative powers so hope for the best.

I'm so sorry for his suffering but at least there's life and an opportunity to recover.

I agree, there is always hope. But like Shaz says is incontinence something you are prepared to live with?

I am so sorry for your boy, I know how hard it is to make decisions like this.

Is there a need for surgery with how his pelvis is broken? We have a cat in our clinic right now that got hit by a car and the way the acetabulum has been broken, he needs surgery or he won't be able to defecate properly.

Time will tell when the swelling goes down. If the damage is severe enough that the tail will always be flaccid, it may need to be removed.