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Originally Posted by chattiesmom  I read a little bit about the dangers of foxtail, but could you please explain it? I'm not sure I fully understand the dangers. |
A couple of you have asked about foxtails and I haven't had a chance to explain. Sometimes called foxtail barley, they can be found all over the U.S. and Canada. There's one variety called the California foxtail. In Alaska, we don't have a lot of them, but they seem to crop up in areas where there's been road work or other construction.
I don't know all the science of it, but the danger is that once they penetrate the skin, they can only move in one direction. They have tiny barbs on each bristle angled that way. They can enter a dog's system anywhere: through the paw, the body, the ears, the eyes, the nose. Since they can only move one direction, they go right in and cause all kinds of havoc.
A couple sites I've seen recently say some dogs that have been autopsied have had foxtails in their hearts, perhaps drawn there by the bloodstream. But they can end up anywhere in the body.
The vets I've talked to say they can also be eliminated by the dog naturally, with no harm done. But you don't have to look far on the Internet to find horror stories of how dangerous they can be.
My vet said foxtails in the nose, at least up here, are extremely rare. He's been in the business for 20-plus years and can't remember a case like this one. That's why he was advising me to wait a little longer before going through this expensive scoping. He thinks there's a chance that it's something else.
Well, hope this helps. The bottom line is to be able to recognize them and stay away from them. And if you've been in an area with them, check your dog thoroughly afterward.