Want to Save Your Pet From Misery and Save Money on Vet Bills? Start With Common Sense — Part 1
People who lack common sense may be good for my job security, but their pets often pay a price.
Consider the sweet 10-year-old Miniature Schnauzer I treated the other day. The poor, miserable dog had an agonizingly painful purple-colored swollen area on his penis. The dog was in so much pain that he could barely move. He had a fever. He screamed in distress when I gently tried to evaluate the area.
The owner was pretty sure that the dog had been bitten by a spider. Or, the owner surmised, perhaps the dog had injured himself on someone’s leg.
I couldn’t help noticing that dozens of foxtails were embedded in the owner’s shoes. This led me to offer up an alternative theory–that the dog had been playing in dry grass that had gone to seed, and a foxtail had penetrated his privates.
The owner replied, “Oh yes, there are lots of foxtails in the area of the park where I like to take him. Those foxtails are horrible!”
Yes, foxtails are horrible. And plenty of dogs are exposed to foxtails despite their owners’ diligent efforts to protect them.
But why would anyone who understands the dangers of foxtails knowingly allow his dog to play in a foxtail-infested area?
My staff and I anesthetized the dog. After 20 minutes of probing, I removed the foxtail from the dog’s penis. He woke up visibly relieved.
That dog paid the price for his owner’s lack of common sense. Don’t let your dog suffer the same fate.
Photo: public enemy number one!
You have questions. 
Very timely post. I’ve had problems with foxtails on and off in my yard and this year they’ve come back again. I posted something on our local pets blog about it as well since our area has tons of these things this time of year.
http://tinyurl.com/ncrvq5
They’re devils to completely get rid of, especially when they start to detach and fly around. The wind blows them and they re-seed easily. And they are HORRIBLE for dogs.
Just discovered some foxtails around the home where my boyfriend and I live with our 2 cats. I’ve made sure to let him know that if he sees any on them or in the house to get rid of them immediately. Those things are terrible.
My beagle ran off on our walk about or week or more ago. When she came back to me she sneezed rapidly for about 10-20 seconds. I looked around the field and there was a dry area of fox tails. I treated her at home by dropping a a bit of olive oil down her nostril even though she rarely sneezed after that first time – I did that for 3-4 days and she has been fine ever since. I am still not sure if it was a fox tail or just something else….