Foxtails! If you notice these signs and suspect your pet is in pain, it may be due to spear grass penetrating one of these respective body parts: Eyes: Pawing at the eye, squinting, excessive tearing or discharge preventing the eye from opening Ears: Head tilt and/or shaking, discharge, odor Nose: Violent sneezing and pawing; even bleeding. Mouth or Throat: Gagging, coughing, difficulty swallowing or making exaggerated swallowing motions, bad breath Paws, Legs, Privates or anywhere on the skin: Licking and/or appearance of an abscess
By Denise Fleck, The Pet Safety Crusader™
the skin or nose, but if it has moved deeper into the nose, ears, privates or lungs, an endoscopy (high-tech miniature video camera) may be required to locate and remove the spears. If a grass awn enters the belly or lung, surgery is likely the only treatment possible. While the best strategy is to avoid areas with foxtails and to keep your yard free of them, anytime your dog is out and about, brush his coat well and give him a head-to-tail check. At the first sign of distress, get veterinary help! Additionally, sign up Pet First Aid & CPR Class before you pet encounters an injury or illness. Many pet parents do not know what questions to ask about caring for their pet, but once through a pet first aid course, they are adept at spotting problems at onset and often prevent emergencies from happening in the first place. We can’t keep our precious furry family in a plastic bubble however, so for the time illness strikes, knowing how
to handle it with confidence is priceless! Denise Fleck is the Pet Safety Crusader™ having personally taught more than 31,000 humans to rescue Rover or help Fluffy feel better. She is now training the next generation of animal care instructors but continues mission to help YOU make a difference in the life of an animal through Pet First- Aid, Senior Pet Care and Disaster Preparedness classes, her “The Pet Safety Bible,” and the dozen other books she has penned. Learn more at www.PetSafetyCrusader.com.
What is a Pet Parent to Do? If you see a foxtail, remove it as quickly as you can with a pair of tweezers however, if it is has helically twisted into the skin, you may not be able to remove it without it breaking apart. Also, by the time your dog is exhibiting signs, you may no longer be able to see the barbs of this dangerous grass, so should you notice any of the above signs or suspect that your dog is in pain in general, seek immediate veterinary care! Your vet may be able to remove a foxtail from a superficial area of
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