Yikes—it’s foxail season again!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
We dog walkers talk a lot about foxtails—which trails have lots of them; where on a dog we found a foxtail and how we got it out, and occasionally we talk about a dog that went to the vet to a foxtail out of his eye or her vulva. (Ouch!) “Foxtails” generally refer to the seed portion of the foxtail grass; it is shaped like an arrow or barb and so once it goes “in,” (fur, ear, eye, skin, etc.,) it is very difficult to get out. They’re all over the Bay Area. We try to avoid foxtail-infested areas as much as possible on our hikes, but that’s difficult since they’re virtually everywhere outside except the beach, manicured grassy areas, and deep redwood groves.
We ask our clients to join us in this “team effort.” We check for and remove any foxtails we find on dogs after our hikes before leaving the dogs at home, but we also ask our clients to also check regularly for foxtails. Dogs that have long fur or hair, (e.g., poodle mixes, etc.) should get groomed regularly and get a “summer cut” when appropriate. Dogs can pick up foxtails in their own backyard or walking down the block, and they can be a serious, even fatal, health hazard.
There’s more information on foxtails in Wikipedia.