Beth G Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 Looks like Poppy does NOT have allergies on his feet. He tore a pad on the left and we found out at the vet's today that he also got foxtails on the right top paw. Which explains why it was getting infected. And the other vet has said that it was only allergies, and to let it go!! NOT! So since they were on the surface I think we got most of them removed. My fear is can they travel and how far? If so he might need surgery... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloRiver Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 They can travel practically all the way through a dog if I understand correctly but this is also a rare occurrence. We got boatloads of rain this spring, and now the jungles of foxtails that sprung up are drying. Of my three, Solo picks up the most. I check him every time we come back in and go over him with a comb at least once a day to make sure. He'll get them mostly in the plush "stuffed animal" fur on his legs, but armpits and belly are also implicated. The first time we encountered foxtails I think I pulled over 50 off of him in one day. But they aren't hard to find if you know to look for them, so you should be OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted June 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 Well it has been let go over a week. We went to a vet today, that cannot remove them surgically. My husband and I removed 9 tonight. Hope this swelling goes down. Poor boy. I am sooo mad at the last vet who told us that Poopy had licked his allegic feet and infected them. Don't "See" anymore foxtails... But that does not mean they can't be under the surface right? Or would they all be on the surface?? I'm so afraid... PS I'm from Boston originally and never encountered these things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 Ugh, foxtails. The bane of my existance in internship (in CA, where they are rampant.) Foxtails and other plant awns have little barbs that allow the awn to travel unidirectionally through the animal. By "unidirectionally" I mean the awn barbs are like porcupine quills in that the barbs point one way and promote motion in the opposite direction relative to the quill or awn. They can alter their course through the animal only by moving in another forward direction, unless someone intervenes and pulls them out backwards, or unless they develop an abscess or draining tract that allows them to come out with the pus. Imagine a Christmas tree in miniature. The awn or quill will travel tree-top point first, the trunk following along behind. The foreign body, be it awn or quill, will migrate "forward" along the path of least resistance. Hence they tend to detour around the bone. The body meanwhile is trying to wall it off and confine it so it can contol the invader. The consequences of the migrating FB are that they tend to get infected and cause draining tracts, or that they can migrate into other tissues, causing injury. Foxtails tend to soften faster than quills, but they are also more likely to find their way into odd places - the ear, for instance, or the vulva or prepuce. :eek: Eventually the body would probably break them down, but they can be a right pain in the hiney meanwile, and the fastest course is usually surgical removal. I had a dog once in CA that I spent over 2 hours pulling foxtails out of. He was a wreck. That's unusual, though; most cases were like 30 minutes or so. (Quills are another matter entirely.) As Melanie points out, the best thing to do is not to go there in the first place, by thoroughly searching the dog for awns before they have a chance to penetrate the skin. Comb, look between toes, look inside ears, and if you have any excessive attention to any area by the pup, be suspicious during foxtail season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyoBC Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 I hate fox tail too. Our dogs and horses get in them a lot. They're not fun. I hope they get better. God Bless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoku's mum Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 Yep, Evil Foxtails. Hoku just had one up his nose.... poor guy. He came in sneezing up a storm this morning, so off to the Vet. This wet spring has spawned a bumper crop, and we have been mowing for 2 months, and they just will not stop. Each time I think, this is it, the grass can't keep growing, but up it comes with more foxtails. :mad: Check Poppys feet for any small red holes, that's the track (like a tunnel) the foxtail would be in if its under the skin. They are usually red and inflamed. The vet can follow the track with a really skinny tool and hopefully find and remove the foxtail. (our Vet here in the Foothills is REALLY good at this)Good luck, I know how frustrated and scary those darn things can be. Oh, another thing to do is if Poppy has long soft fur on his feet, shave it, especially between the toes. That's what we had to do with our old guy Spencer, the foxtail magnet. It helped a lot and made seeing and removing them a bunch easier. Kristin and Hoku (the Humbled) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodi Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 Ugh! Foxtails! My husband and I just spent three hours mowing and bagging a small patch of foxtails out of my pasture. I am constantly picking them out of my dogs' toes. We had a Corgi mix that got one in his ear. It went so deep, we couldn't see it, because, of course it made it's way around the bend of the ear canal. Sedation and a really long pair of tweezers and $180 later, the vet got it out. Lesson learned. We put on a sheepdog trial in So. Cal. one year, and Jenny Glenn (she's on this list) was working either setout or exhaust with her Bob dog, I believe. Jenny, correct me if I'm wrong... Bob got a foxtail up his nose (or maybe down his throat?) and down off the hill she went and took him to the vet. Such a hassle. Jodi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordercentrics Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 When we had an odd wart (it was really a wart) removed from Meg, our vet gave us a tube with many grass awns encased in ear wax that he took out of her ears. She never showed any symptoms, but she did seem to feel better afterwards. We're now very careful where we take her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 What exactly IS a foxtail? Googling doesn't give just one answer....so I dunno which one is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg's mum Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 Oh yay, oh yay, oh yay. A foxtail is not, I just discovered a horsetail.... duh. I thought y'all were talking about Equisetum but you were talking about: http://www.thepetprofessor.com/articles/article.aspx?id=197 I will never make fun of my husband's need and capacity to mow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted June 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 Got this off the net: Foxtails are named after foxtail brome, a grass whose seed head is bushy like a fox's tail. The term is used for any of the sharp stickers you might find poking into your socks after walking in a dry summer field. AK Dog Doc- So if we got them all will the infection pass? And if we didn't then is there a chance the rest will come out with the pus or not? I mean do you think that he definately needs surgery? If so, then I want to try and get him in tommorow but I wasn't sure if since we pulled out 9, if we should wait and see if the swelling goes down or not. What do you think? I want to do the right thing for him. PS Hey- Also how do I shave between Poppy's toes? What do I use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Nasty things. I remember how awful they were to walk around in (my "real" dad was kind of a lazy jerk and our backyard was constantly grown up with them). We didn't have dogs in CA so I never saw that side of it, but I did groom horses, and rides through those lovely golden hills always started and ended with a thorough grooming. I just had the funniest thing happen. I have realized that I had an old fox-tail related habit. We'd always groom forelock to heels every time we pulled a horse to ride in the summer (nothing like a foxtail under the saddle blanket!). I just went riding with a friend last week here in NC. It was hot, so I started at the top and worked my way down carefully. I wasn't even thinking. My friend stood there rather impatiently and finally said, "It's OK, just finish up her sides and let's go!" I felt kind of stupid at the time, but I just remembered why I did that. I'm soooo glad we didn't start or finish that ride looking for foxtails! But aren't those golden hills beautiful? Snerk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Oh, toe shaving, I know this one! I'm the toe queen. Well, I think there's a few groomers here so I'll just give my viewpoint as a layperson. You can get either a grooming kit from the pet shop (maybe $20) or a little half-sized battery run clipper from any drug store. I like the Wahl which fits in my palm. The advantage to the full sized clipper is power, speed, and you don't have to keep changing the batteries. The advantage to the mini battery run is manuverabililty, obviously, and dogs accept it better because it's quieter and doesn't make as much ruckus. What you can do is have your groomer do the first trim and then touch up with the mini, because it WILL take the mini forever to plow through a normal set of "hobbit feet". I start on the hocks on the rear legs and shave from the point to the first pad underneath. Grasp the leg at about the point of the hock and let the paw hang naturally. Go in with the clippers and carefully follow the skin's curves. Gently touch the bottom of the paw to spread the toes and from top to bottom, follow the sides of the toes (be careful not to jam the clipper against the webbing if you are using the full-sized clipper). I fyou get really confident you can go in from the joint outward, longways, which produces a neater and more complete trim, but has more potential for nicking. Let the paw fall naturally again and touch up the sides and anything sticking out of the top if you care how it looks. Repeat on the other back leg. I don't shave the feathering on the front leg. I hold the front leg above the joint and again let the paw hang. I found my dogs are much calmer about letting me handle their feet if I don't grab the paw unless absolutely necessary. Again, I start at the back of the paw, work my way under, and then touch up the sides and top. By the way, I found it made it easier to work with using a makeshift grooming stand. I simply use a short leash and the porch railing to restrain the dog so I have both hands free to work. The dog usually resigns himself to fate much faster if he knows he can't get away, right from the start. I'm sure a trained pro might be cringing now, but that's the technique I developed after years of grooming rescue Border collies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Watch Debatable Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Hordeum murinum: More images here. When they're green, they're harmless and kinda purdy. Once they start to dry and break apart, though... :mad: Look up Foxtail (diaspore) at Wikipedia for some great photos of the microscopic barbs: (Sorry, can't seem to do a direct link to the article.) I knew long before I got my first border collie that the slick coats were the ones for me---I love the way they look (among other things). Smooth coats also tend to repel stuff like foxtails, yay. Grayling, my lone rough coat, would be a burr/weed/foxtail magnet if left to her own devices. My groomer spends a fair amount of time keeping her snowshoe-hare foot feathers clipped as close as can be and her legs, tail, etc. trimmed so that she looks as much as possible like a smooth-coated dog It helps a lot. My slick-coats shed most weeds like a duck sheds water. I always go over them with an honest-to-God fine-toothed comb after we've been outside, though, and invariably find a foxtail just when I'm starting to wonder why I waste my time looking for the darn things. Here's another foxtail link, courtesy of Wikipedia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvlucy Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 I"m glad black watch sent pix. i never heard of these things. perhaps they are not indiginous to louisiana or maybe its because my dh is a mowing freak. i will be on the lookout for them tho. btw we have no skunks in this area either, just alligators. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Do they grow all across the US? Or just in the west?(I noticed most people on here talking about foxtails are from the western US) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Beth, if you got them all, the infection probably will pass, but it may need some help from antibiotics. If there's a piece left in there, it'll either come out with the pus or you'll have a persistent problem, which will be your cue to let the vet go in there and have a look. I can't tell you if he needs antibiotics or not, since I can't see him. By the same token, I can't tell if he neeeds surgery or not. You have to have a vet look at him to decide that. It partly depends on how deeply buried the awns were. We have foxtails in AK - which are gorgeous at first (before they become a hazard), since the seed heads are a sort of burgundy-bronze color, not like the ordinary green ones in CO where I'm from - but as far as other distribution, I can only speak to CO, CA, and AK. I've lived in or travelled in other states, but at those times I wasn't A) a vet, or a dog owner, so I never paid attention. Up here I've seen very little trouble from the foxtails, for some reason. Maybe there just aren't very many so we don't run into trouble with them as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack & Co. Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Geoffrey - This link has a map of the US that shows where foxtails grow. You can then click on your state to see which counties are affected. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=HOMUL I was relieved to see none in my county. However, that's what we used to say about fire ants and boy, do we have those now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Wouldn't you know that Orange County appears to be the one county in NC where foxtails exist? I often find little awns on the dogs when doing my tick searches (since the fields next to my house are full of tall grass)--now I guess I need to be even more vigilant about them. Ugh! J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 OK, that is really weird. It's got to have a story behind it - like the place in Nova Scotia where Highland soldiers shook out their bedding and (or used to be) purple highland heather grew there subsequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack & Co. Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Yikes, Julie! Don't send any to Cabarrus County! After picking a tiny deer tick off of my son's back the other day, I don't need anything else to watch out for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 If Orange County is the only one affected in NC...then Caswell County must be free!! yes!! Well, it will probably make it here eventually. -Geoffrey PS. Julie P....I think I've driven by your house a million times, if you live where I think you do. (Not that I am a stalker or anything). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Geoffrey, Did you have to slam on your brakes to avoid hitting sheep in the road? If so, that was my house! Also, if you know of any decent properties for sale in Caswell (need pasture and preferably a house of some sort), let me know. I'm having no luck with realtors, and I know that word of mouth is probably going to be my best chance of finding a place. Becca, I suspect that list might be outdated or incomplete, as it is odd that only one county is affected, but it sure is one more reason to move OUT of Orange! J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valhalla Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Jenny Glen, please correct me if I am wrong here.... didn't Brittney (my old Mirk's mother) inhale a foxtail and have it travel to her lungs - killing her? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted June 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Wow! The swelling in Poppys foot is almost all down this morning! Yay! But just the same, he is going to go on some amoxicillian that we are going to go back to the vet today, and get. At the moment all he is on for antibiotic, is the colloidal silver. Not sure if that is enough?? Or if we should just go with the amoxicillain? Don't want to hurt him by mixing the two... He looks much happier and is bouncing around more than usual. Good signs. PS Thanks guys so much for all the links. So I have found out that there is only one kind out here and it is called Hordeum murinum L. ssp. leporinum. So I now know what it looks for and how to avoid it and to groom him several times a day instead of just once. Now where would I be without all you guys to help me? I learn so much here! Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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