The Dangers of Foxtails
When you're out with your dogs, it's always a good idea to check their bodies for foxtails. This barbed, grassy weed can burrow into your dog's skin and can become very dangerous. Foxtails are relentless; they can cause swelling, discharge, abscesses, pain and, in severe cases, death.
Here are common places and symptoms of foxtails:
- Ears: Shaking head or scratching incessantly at an ear (they can travel down deep into the ear canal.)
- Eyes: Pawing at a red, swollen eye or if the eye has discharge.
- Nose: Frequent intense sneezing or discharge.
- Feet: Swelling, redness or limping. Foxtails love to dig into their toes and travel up their paws.
It's always a good idea to examine your dog's fur after playing or walks. Especially May–December during foxtail season. They have to be removed!
Check their paws, face, ears and even inside their mouths. If you do see a foxtail that's easy to get to, use tweezers to remove it. If it's deeply embedded, or swollen and red, call your veterinarian right away.
Since they can easily migrate, better to get them out as soon as possible. For your dog's sake.
Recent Articles
-
Ultrasonic Bark Control and Electric Fences Don't Mix
Dogs need consistency and repetitive training in order for them to learn new behaviors, tricks, or boundaries. Our bark control products use a simple yet effective ultrasonic sound frequency to train dogs not to bark and stop other unwanted behaviors. But what happens when similar tones are used for additional types of training – like invisible fences? Good question. We do not recommend the use of any ultrasonic bark control product in conjunction with invisible fences (especially not shock fences).Doing so will confuse the dog and cause a lot of frustration for both you and your pup. Here’s Why Electric...
-
Prevent Animal Cruelty
There are many forms of animal neglect, cruelty, and abuse, and it happens all over the world. So how do we recognize the signs of abuse, and how can we make a difference? -
OnGuard Training: 3 Steps to Success!
The OnGuard™ is designed to make training your dog easier, as well as to stop unwanted barking and bad behaviors in their tracks! It's one of our most versatile products, but still people ask what its purpose is and how they are supposed to use it effectively. -
Barking In Your Sleep?
Is your neighbor's dog keeping you up all night from their incessant barking? Or maybe it's your dog that likes to bark at night. Read these tips to help you and your pet get a better night's sleep! -
Anxious Olivia
Due to the severity of Olivia’s anxiety and fear, the volunteers were desperate to try anything that could help her…
