FOXTAILs & DANGERs 2 DOGs & CATs

Last week BJ inhaled a foxtail, he had to be taken to an emergency clinic, where they had to put him under & remove it from his nasal passage. Please watch this video.

Since this happened I've had two friends tell me their foxtail story - one dog had a limp after her walkie, the embedded foxtail was only detected with a microscope by the vet & removed...another dog had one embedded in the ear canal.

This vid is only to bring this potential hazard to the attention of pet owners, please, for the sake of your fur friend - follow the provided link & read more about plants that produce spikelets. I am here to tell you that not only is this a threat to your dog or cat's health, but can end up being expensive to treat...I wish I'd known before purchasing two of these plants & putting BJ at risk.

Beyond the expense, there is the recovery discomfort of the animal...BJ had to take 3 different medications, antibiotics & nose drops twice a day. So, on top of feeling like crap - he had to wrestle with us insisting he was fine & didn't need pills & liquids jammed down his throat! LOL

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxtail_(diaspore)

Dog Owners' Guide to California Foxtails
http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark/dogs/foxtails.html

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• pomeranian
• hazards
• spikelet
• foxtails

[callofdutyguy9]

please reply , i need to know if he has ear infection or a fox tail, please reply as fast as you can

[NiteBlogger]

First off - I'm not a vet...see if you can get ur mom to watch this vid, and/or at least call ur vet & have her tell them what you told me & ask for advice....

It may not be a foxtale, there are many things it could be.

Hope your dog is feeling better.

[NiteBlogger]

I guess it had worked it's way in far enough that it was not easily pulled out - as they told me - it was considered a dangerous procedure, also, we took him to emergency vet hospital (after hours) & I know from past experience, they are more expensive. From what they said, & research I've done - it could have worked it's way to his brain & killed him.

I don't regret one penny of it. ;))

btw - man in Florida just lost 2 fingers saving his dog from gator...he said he didn't regret the exchange.

[yeuxlumineuxNtx]

Interesting stuff Ali, thanks so much for the heads up and I'm so glad BJ's on the mend. Texas is big into xeriscaping and those foxtails varieties are everywhere. Well you can bet I'm not gonna walk Muppy anywhere near them from now on. ;) Hugs to you both, Shel

[NiteBlogger]

Shel - this is good to hear - I hope everyone pays heed to this message, as it's very dangerous & expensive to treat. (not to mention the stress factor on our little fur friends)

Hugs

[payit4ward]

This video is a great way of making people aware of this problem.... I dont think we have that plant in Scotland.. thank goodness : )

Billy....xx

[NiteBlogger]

Billy - oh how I wish we didn't have them here!

[Crystals246]

what's a fox tail?

[callofdutyguy9]

please help me, i found a foxtail in front of dogs eye, not in it but it was just sitting on my dogs nose/eyelid area, this not the problem my dog scratches the back of his ear and beggins to whine and yell, i try to rub it but he yells when i touch a certain area, i try to tell my mom to take him to a vet but she refuses and says he just bumped his head on a wall or something, i dont know if he has a fox tail since i cant see one and i cant look further down for fear of causing him pain, pls

[lovemybeau]

Hello, can you tell me why it cost so much just to take out the foxtail from the nose? I had a foxtail taken from my dogs ear, they put him under light sedation and just used a special tool for the ear.

Don't they have a special tool for the nose to just yank it out while the dog is under sedation? Or is there surgery with stitches that goes on to get out the foxtail?

Thanks

[eriksmith123]

my dog had the same thing happen, same plant. i now have a foxtail from my dogs nose that is worth $550. avoid this plant if you have pets.

[drfuzzy23]

foxtails can fuck off. I just took my dog Girl to the vet to have a couple surgically removed. Expensive! Brush your pet and check them for foxtails whenever you can.

[DOWNWITDRO]

Very Cool Foxtails suck

[ejlmp]

Foxtails can enter a dog via six different routes: through the eye, ear, nose, mouth, skin, and anus. Once in the body, they are invisible to X-ray, and they carry bacteria to cause secondary infections. Removal almost always is by surgery with an average cost of $1000. Foxtails can be prevented by removal of the whole plant. The dried barb is the most dangerous period in the life and death of a foxtail. Because of the barbs, a foxtail will bore oneway in tissue and cannot be reversed.