# Yikes! Foxtail grasses - a MUST READ!!!



## Myah's Mom (Mar 25, 2013)

I will admit, I was ignorant about these. These grass/weeds are all over the U.S., not just Seattle. Plenty here in CA, now that I've asked around and done research. Sigh...another evil enemy in the outdoors. Wow, I never knew one could track it's way into a lung, brain or heart!

For others who don't know, please read here. Many do know, but I'm sure this deserves utmost attention. Gotta protect our fur babies!

http://www.seattledogspot.com/dog-health-wellness/foxtail-grass-can-kill-your-dog/


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## Persinette (Jan 31, 2015)

Oh dear! I see those all the time around here. One more thing to be on the lookout for! Thank you for the heads up.


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## CaliGSD3 (Apr 23, 2015)

Yes!! My first summer in NorCal with my dog... And I have recently become very aware of the problems that can be caused by these evil little weeds. A couple weeks ago I let my dog out for a potty break for in an area with some foxtails and less than two minutes later there was blood coming out of his nose and he had intense sneeze attacks where he could barely breath... 8 hours of waiting at the emergency vet and $500 (at least it was a reasonably priced e vet!!) later and they were able to sedate him and remove seed head non surgically before it had gone too far. 
We now avoid these things at all costs... 
Crazy that they can even work their way into the body through the skin! Does anyone know what time of year these things generally become a non issue?


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Apparently discospondylitis (which Sage has) is often caused by foxtails. Migrating and causing infection.


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## Jayfeather (Dec 28, 2014)

Koda likes to snap at fuzzy grasses...I will have to watch out for these!


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## Myah's Mom (Mar 25, 2013)

:bump:

It's THAT important. Giving it a BUMP here!


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

When we were kids we used to put them between our long sleeved shirts and sweaters and watch them "walk up" our arms in about 5 minutes. 

This time of year, whenever my dog has been with me playing ball or whatever, she gets a light brushing and every evening I lay down with her and check for burrs etc. 

However, these things have been around forever and I think this is just another sensationalizing of something that 99% of the time is a non issue. To think that anything can do this much damage to a dog without the dog showing obvious signs of itching/distress before it becomes serious - I just think it's reaching.


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## Myah's Mom (Mar 25, 2013)

Stonevintage said:


> When we were kids we used to put them between our long sleeved shirts and sweaters and watch them "walk up" our arms in about 5 minutes.
> 
> This time of year, whenever my dog has been with me playing ball or whatever, she gets a light brushing and every evening I lay down with her and check for burrs etc.
> 
> However, these things have been around forever and I think this is just another sensationalizing of something that 99% of the time is a non issue. To think that anything can do this much damage to a dog without the dog showing obvious signs of itching/distress before it becomes serious - I just think it's reaching.


True, they aren't missiles going straight for your dog's vital organs in hours. Pull them off and you're good. But the ones you DON'T find can be a real painful ordeal. 

I saw a picture (I'll have to find it...) that a veterinarian posted after removing a foxtail burr that worked it's way from the paw almost all the way up the elbow. The DVM injected the tract it left with imaging dye (contrast media) and it was amazing. 

Once they work their way under the skin, only the dogs symptoms and your suspicions can get the dog on the way to a correct diagnosis and surgical relief.


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## Myah's Mom (Mar 25, 2013)

Here's vet whose beloved charge got foxtails up the nose too quick for her to retrieve them:

https://www.petinsurance.com/healthzone/pet-articles/pet-health/Foxtails-and-Pets.aspx

Another good article:

Foxtail season is upon us - Protect your pets!


And this vet says sees "several a day" in his practice, May to October:

Foxtail season can make walk in a dog park painful - SFGate


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## Myah's Mom (Mar 25, 2013)

Here's another article from Leerburg. Look at that poor GSD! Poor baby. What trauma. What expenses! All from a foxtail.

Leerburg | Setaria, The Cereal Dog Killer


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Stonevintage said:


> However, these things have been around forever and I think this is just another sensationalizing of something that 99% of the time is a non issue. To think that anything can do this much damage to a dog without the dog showing obvious signs of itching/distress before it becomes serious - I just think it's reaching.



Except, in our case, we don't know that Sage's discospondylitis wasn't caused by a foxtail. She runs in the woods. We have a lot of foxtails here. Every year I pull them out from between dogs' toes (I'm a groomer). Sage had _no_ signs of being sick until it was too late, and then she was _really_ sick. She's so sick, that this is ultimately going to kill her. It's not a reach here. I've seen some terrible damage done by foxtails over the years.


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## CaliGSD3 (Apr 23, 2015)

dogfaeries said:


> Except, in our case, we don't know that Sage's discospondylitis wasn't caused by a foxtail. She runs in the woods. We have a lot of foxtails here. Every year I pull them out from between dogs' toes (I'm a groomer). Sage had _no_ signs of being sick until it was too late, and then she was _really_ sick. She's so sick, that this is ultimately going to kill her. It's not a reach here. I've seen some terrible damage done by foxtails over the years.


The vet I saw did say that one of the most common points of entry after ears, nose, and paws.so I wouldn't think that's too much of a stretch


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

I saw a dog one time that had a foxtail travel through it's body, and the dog ended up with a drain in the top of his head. It was pretty creepy. That's the first time I had heard about the dangers of foxtails. Yikes.


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## CaliGSD3 (Apr 23, 2015)

Stonevintage said:


> When we were kids we used to put them between our long sleeved shirts and sweaters and watch them "walk up" our arms in about 5 minutes.
> 
> This time of year, whenever my dog has been with me playing ball or whatever, she gets a light brushing and every evening I lay down with her and check for burrs etc.
> 
> However, these things have been around forever and I think this is just another sensationalizing of something that 99% of the time is a non issue. To think that anything can do this much damage to a dog without the dog showing obvious signs of itching/distress before it becomes serious - I just think it's reaching.


Yeah... I don't think so. The night I had my dog at the E vet, she said my dog was the 5th she had seen just that night in for foxtail related problems. She said she regularly sees dogs requiring major invasive surgery due to foxtails, especially with seed heads migrating around or behind eyes or deep into dogs ears and causing infection. 

Since the vet visit, I've asked a lot of local dog people if theit dogs have problems with foxtails... Usually they have, one person told me about how their dog had a $5300 surgery for a foxtail seedheads behind her GSDs eye. Another person told me about their previous dog that had 1 surgery and two incidences where seed had to be removed from the nasal passage... All in one summer. Usually people I've talked around here have at least 1 foxtail incident to tell about. 

So maybe it depends on your luck and the area you're in but around here it seems to be a big problem.


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## Myah's Mom (Mar 25, 2013)

(Bump)


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