17/05/2021
❗️Foxtail Season is now well underway 😠 Many of my little clients are coming in covered in these seeds and it’s very important to remove them as quickly as possible because they can cause lots of problems. Keep your babies safe & Try to avoid walking in areas where you know they grow as much as you possibly can. 🐾
FOXTAILS: They are beautiful and appear harmless, but they can be lethal.
SAFETY TIPS: If your pet is exposed to foxtails, do a thorough inspection afterwards: Brush coat, feel every part of body with hands. Look closely at ears, nose, eyes, underbelly, tail, behind, between toe pads, and underneath collar (foxtails burrow quickly & are hard to see).
Check inside mouth & around lips. Leave NO body part unexamined!
FOXTAIL SYMPTOMS: Continuous sneezing, pawing at & licking an infected area, shaking of head, frequently tilting head to the side, scratching at an ear incessantly, scratching in general,
sores or abscesses, swelling, discharge, coughing, and limping.
WHAT ARE FOXTAILS? Foxtail grass (also known as Wall Barley, Spear Grass & other names across the globe). is a type of grass with seed awns (the fox tail- shaped tip of a grass blade containing seeds). Foxtails also refer to the tip of ANY grass going to seed that resembles a fox tail, many of these are a nuisance, but not lethal like specific Foxtail Grass.
The w**d tends to grow in grassland areas and is common along roadsides, trails, and areas that include human disturbance, such as dumps. It also grows well along the edges of salt marshes, on flatlands and Western prairies, and in irrigated meadows."—WHOLE DOG JOURNAL