foxtail
Plants To Avoid On Your Walks: Foxtails
This is a continuation from: Plants To Avoid On Your Walks and Plants To Avoid On Your Walks: Burrs
Another comon weed that is much more dangerous is the "foxtail." There are actually a number of species of grasses that create these sharp, barb-covered seedpods, and at this time of year, they are soft and green, looking quite pretty and innocuous, like some kind of wild grain. But within a couple of months, the long sheafs of seedpods will dry out and become stiff and sharp, and break apart into feather-light, long, skinny pods, tipped with a sharp point.
Woe betides the poor animal who encounters the foxtail then! Like burrs, they easily tangle in fur, but they also resemble porcupine quills, being covered with tiny stiff spines that ensure they only move in one direction. Once in the fur, they work their way down to the skin, and imbed themselves.
During foxtail season, we remove hundreds of these "awns" from every place you could imagine ---inside the ears and between the toes are common, as well as up the nose ---poor dogs, just trying to sniff some "pee-mail," and snuffle up a foxtail! I've pulled them out of tonsils, from behind third eyelids in the eye, and from assorted sensitive "private areas" (ouch!). It can be even worse ---once imbedded, they keep migrating, and the bacteria they carry with them can cause infections and abscesses throughout the body ---around the lungs, in organs, in bones ---I've even seen them imbedded in spinal vertebrae!
So do everything you can to rid your environment of these horrible plants; you might save yourself a lot of grief and expense in the process. Pull them up by the roots if you find them in your yard ---mowing just encourages them to set seed shorter and shorter, until they're seeding below the mower's level. Here's a picture of one I found in my lawn the other day (pic). And here's a link to a site with some great pictures of the plants in various stages of seed:
Dog Owners' Guide to California Foxtails
When you're out on walks, keep an eye out for these grasses, and don't let your dog sniff around in them. I commonly see them growing around the bases of trees on sidewalks, so you need to vigilent even on urban walks. Check over your dog when you come back from a romp in the park, and make sure you check carefully between their toes. Once we're into the dry western summer, any sudden shaking of the head or sneezing fits, especially if your pet sneezes blood, merits a quick trip to the vet for a foxtail check!
Meanwhile, enjoy spring, and take the opportunity to pull up any of these problem plants you see before they can cause any problems!
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of Housecall Of The Wild.
Another comon weed that is much more dangerous is the "foxtail." There are actually a number of species of grasses that create these sharp, barb-covered seedpods, and at this time of year, they are soft and green, looking quite pretty and innocuous, like some kind of wild grain. But within a couple of months, the long sheafs of seedpods will dry out and become stiff and sharp, and break apart into feather-light, long, skinny pods, tipped with a sharp point.
Woe betides the poor animal who encounters the foxtail then! Like burrs, they easily tangle in fur, but they also resemble porcupine quills, being covered with tiny stiff spines that ensure they only move in one direction. Once in the fur, they work their way down to the skin, and imbed themselves.
During foxtail season, we remove hundreds of these "awns" from every place you could imagine ---inside the ears and between the toes are common, as well as up the nose ---poor dogs, just trying to sniff some "pee-mail," and snuffle up a foxtail! I've pulled them out of tonsils, from behind third eyelids in the eye, and from assorted sensitive "private areas" (ouch!). It can be even worse ---once imbedded, they keep migrating, and the bacteria they carry with them can cause infections and abscesses throughout the body ---around the lungs, in organs, in bones ---I've even seen them imbedded in spinal vertebrae!
So do everything you can to rid your environment of these horrible plants; you might save yourself a lot of grief and expense in the process. Pull them up by the roots if you find them in your yard ---mowing just encourages them to set seed shorter and shorter, until they're seeding below the mower's level. Here's a picture of one I found in my lawn the other day (pic). And here's a link to a site with some great pictures of the plants in various stages of seed:
Dog Owners' Guide to California Foxtails
When you're out on walks, keep an eye out for these grasses, and don't let your dog sniff around in them. I commonly see them growing around the bases of trees on sidewalks, so you need to vigilent even on urban walks. Check over your dog when you come back from a romp in the park, and make sure you check carefully between their toes. Once we're into the dry western summer, any sudden shaking of the head or sneezing fits, especially if your pet sneezes blood, merits a quick trip to the vet for a foxtail check!
Meanwhile, enjoy spring, and take the opportunity to pull up any of these problem plants you see before they can cause any problems!
View the previous posts in this series:
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of Housecall Of The Wild.
Plants To Avoid On Your Walks
Spring is springing here in northern California, and that means all the plants are growing like gangbusters! One of the great things about having a dog is that it ensures we get out on lots of walks, and this time of year there are tons of flowers to enjoy as we pad about the neighborhood. I love plants, but as a vet, there are some that I absolutely hate, and I'm going to do a few blog posts on a couple of the less-friendly plants that cause problems for pets here in the western US: burr clover and foxtails.
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of Housecall Of The Wild.
View the next posts in this series:
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of Housecall Of The Wild.