Foxtail and Dogs. Is this real?

[JasperFrank]

Took our fur-child, dog, to the Vet yesterday for his annual check up. Two weeks prior, he had an ear infection, which seemed to have cleared, after a few ear rinses, before the visit. The Vet asked if we had any Foxtail on the property. I had never heard the term "Foxtail" before. She showed me a sample, and I immediately recognized it as a common type of wild grass that grows everywhere in our area, EVERYWHERE. To me, this was just wild barley, or any other wild grass going to seed and nothing to give a second thought over.

The Vet proceeds to tell me this stuff is extremely dangerous to dogs and can kill them in many different ways.
I've had dogs all my life. And this was the first time anyone said certain wild grasses were dangerous.

Spent the better part of today, finding any thing that looked like Foxtail that the dog could get into and up rooted it. But this seems silly. No way, I could ever control the propagation of wild grasses in the PNW.

What does the Jury think? Is this real? Or just some new scare tactic to get you to buy something?

Foxtail (diaspore) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Jstpssng]

I'd never heard of it, but did some reading up on it.
Here is what PetMD says;

Foxtail plants are a weed-type grass that can cause serious problems for dogs.

Flourishing in the summer months, the seeds from these annoying weeds are designed to burrow into the ground. If they attach to your pet’s coat and burrow into the skin, this can lead to pain, infection, and sometimes more serious issues. Foxtails can also be inhaled, lodged in the ears, swallowed, and embedded in the paws.

And there's more! Read on. Why Foxtails Are Bad for Dogs and How to Remove Them | PetMD

 

[Egon]

It’s for real.

 

[EarPlug]

The Dangers of Foxtail and Grass Awns - Gun Dog

These seeds pose a significant potential threat to our gun dogs.

www.gundogmag.com

 

[grsthegreat]

When i worked for a dog vet, we were always having to dig those things out of the skin buried between toes, ears, etc. they can cause a nasty infection. Also caused ear infections.
no way to ever eliminate them. There everywheres, but mostly caused problem in long haired dogs.

 

[bigtiller]

I didn't know it was a hazard for dogs. It was one of the first plant names I learned as a child to identify. I always thought it was a tall pretty grass.

 

[ponytug]

Took our fur-child, dog, to the Vet yesterday for his annual check up. Two weeks prior, he had an ear infection, which seemed to have cleared, after a few ear rinses, before the visit. The Vet asked if we had any Foxtail on the property. I had never heard the term "Foxtail" before. She showed me a sample, and I immediately recognized it as a common type of wild grass that grows everywhere in our area, EVERYWHERE. To me, this was just wild barley, or any other wild grass going to seed and nothing to give a second thought over.

The Vet proceeds to tell me this stuff is extremely dangerous to dogs and can kill them in many different ways.
I've had dogs all my life. And this was the first time anyone said certain wild grasses were dangerous.

Spent the better part of today, finding any thing that looked like Foxtail that the dog could get into and up rooted it. But this seems silly. No way, I could ever control the propagation of wild grasses in the PNW.

What does the Jury think? Is this real? Or just some new scare tactic to get you to buy something?

Foxtail (diaspore) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It is for real. Some dogs have coats that shed foxtails well, and others don't. I have friends whose dogs have had to have major surgery because the foxtail went in through the skin and kept going.

Our German shepherd's coat seems to shed foxtails pretty well. We groom her every night, as a precaution, but I occasionally am petting her and find stickers buried in her coat. About every four years or so, she gets one lodged under her skin and it blows up into a pus volcano that doesn't go away until you dig into the opening with a hemostat and grab the foxtail and pull it out. I wouldn't do it myself with most dogs, but this one is extra trusting.

In my book foxtails are better than cactus or porcupine spines, but they are certainly a hazard.

All the best,

Peter

 

[oosik]

I don't think I have anything that looks like Foxtail. I do have a weed - we call it Cheat Grass. Different plant but can do the same thing as Foxtail. I routinely dig this crap out from between the dog's toes. Check his ears every day.

 

[Torvy]

Sometimes back home I think people deliberately planted foxtail, because there was so much of it. I haven't noticed it down here, much..but that could just be me spending too much time in the city.

The Vet is not lying. We used to throw fox tails at each other like little spears. I have heard of people with serious issues with dogs and foxtails...hmmm, I wonder how foxes deal with foxtail?

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I have a standard poodle. She was aspirated a foxtail that kept burrowing through the lung until it got into the pleural cavity. This caused a gangrenous infection called pyothorax, that required a $12,000 surgery. I had to rely on a GoFundMe to come up with the bucks, which covered about $9000 of it. Yes, foxtails can be deadly. I had left a patch of tall grass last year for wildlife habitat. This year the wildlife is on its own. I mowed everything before it could set seed.

I also brush the poodle's coat daily to get any grass seeds out. They can burrow through the skin too.