Spring has sprung: beware of the sneaky foxtail

Spring has sprung and so have the FOXTAILS (aka grass awns, spear grass): Flowers are blooming and birds are chirping. It is a wonderful time of year but beware if the sneaky and tenacious foxtail. These little botanical seeds look very innocent but they can cause serious illness in your pets. Nature has designed these seedlings to excel at burrowing. Most commonly they set up shop in dog's ears leading to ear infections. They are not species specific. I once pulled 10 of then out of a 3 pound kitten's eye! While less common but magnitudes more dangerous, these little grass awns can migrate into the spinal cord resulting in seizures, the lungs resulting in pneumonia or lung puncture, or stomach wall and intestines skewering their delicate walls. The consequences can the life threatening.

How to prevent FOXTAIL INJURY

• If possible, avoid foxtail infested areas – especially during the dry season.
• Thoroughly brush and inspect your dog's coat if it has been romping through tall, mature grass.
Run your hands over their coat and look for foxtails. Dogs with long hair are particularly
susceptible to foxtail seeds.
• Look into your dog's ears. If your dog has floppy ears, lift each ear and inspect.
• Immediately examine your dogs paws (in-between toes and paw pads), neck (under the collar), tail/anus, and underarm areas after walks in areas with foxtails. Remove any foxtails that are sitting on the fur.