Beware of Foxtails!
By Denelle Curry
If you can’t picture a foxtail in your head, it’s time to look at the images below and remember them!
San Diego residents are generally aware of foxtails and their danger to dogs. But foxtails have come out earlier and are more plentiful this summer. Recently, two of my two clients have unknowingly been affected. I am also surprised that people have heard of a foxtail but cannot identify one visually. Foxtails are a grassy-like weed (they look a bit like wheat) that can lead to serious infection once inside the body because they do not break down. They are also like a barbed arrow that cannot back out of the body once they have migrated. Symptoms include swelling, redness, pain, abscess, itching, limping, head shaking, and often cause a dog to excessively lick themselves. The most common foxtail ailment is certainly in between the toes, and they are generally obvious there. These two client stories will hopefully educate you as to some other more silent conditions to beware of.
Just today, a client let me know that his labrador was acting lethargic for two days. She is a high energy dog and seemed “off” somehow, with slower than usual eating. The only thing he could gauge was that there may be something wrong with her mouth, but she was reluctant to let him touch it. The vet saw nothing but was wise enough to ask if there had been anything strange in the week prior to the visit. The only event he could recall was five days prior, while on a walk, she had stuck her head into a bush and upon coming out, was sneezing violently for a minute. It seemed to have subsided, but the vet wanted to immediately sedate and scope her nasal passage. BINGO! They found a foxtail as far as they could get the scope up her nose. Any further and it would have been a major emergency as these nasty things can navigate into the lungs.
Three weeks ago, a client was inquiring about an ear infection that would not subside despite doing two weeks of treatment. Although the infection had dissipated, the dog was still shaking its head and walking around with a head tilt at times. Additionally, the dog was not playful as it usually was and was sleeping more often. Their vet was not concerned, so they decided to go to the emergency vet. A more in-depth scan revealed a foxtail was moving far beyond the scope of a visual ear exam. Foxtails in the ear can migrate to the brain and, sadly, cause death if not detected. This dog was lucky and made a full recovery after the surgery to remove it.
These incidents are reminders of how dangerous foxtails can be to our dogs. It is so important to avoid areas where you see these dangerous plants but also to routinely check your dogs after you have walked or hiked in areas where they may grow. These plants can be in your lawn or gardens, along the street, and, of course, in parks and our backcountry. Foxtails can penetrate skin, ears, eyes, feet, and any other place with which they come into contact. As a dog owner, I know what they look like, where they are in the summer months, and check my dogs routinely to make sure I do not need a vet visit.
Hopefully these stories and pictures will remind you to… watch out for foxtails!