Foxtails can get stuck in your pet’s paw, nose, eye- or much worse. Here’s how to protect your pet and your wallet from a hefty vet bill.
SAN DIEGO — Right now, San Diego is filled with pesky foxtails, and if your pet picks one up, it could lead to serious health issues and thousands of dollars in vet bills.
Whether on a hike, at the park or just on a walk, foxtails can be one step, or sniff, away from getting stuck in your pet.
“It’s that season. So they’re constantly, pretty much everywhere, especially when the wind blows,” Dog Owner Albert Arpon said.
Albert said he notices them in open fields and on hiking trails, and tries to keep his dog Aiko away from those areas.
B Street Veterinary Hospital sees hundreds of foxtails stuck in pets every year. In fact, many of the doctors keep a running tally to see who removes the most foxtails, and the winner gets a trophy.
Associate Veterinarian at B Street Vet Hospital, Jenna Olsen, said foxtails are most common in dogs and usually get stuck in their paws, ears or sometimes worse.
“Last summer, I actually had to take out a dog’s eye, because it went into the eye, and it ended up rupturing it,” Jenna said. “They can be swallowed, and they can actually lodge in the spine, and so dogs can become acutely neurologic and have an infection in their spinal cord.”
Even if you can’t see a foxtail, it could be behind sudden symptoms in your pet.
“Maybe they’re squinting their eye all of a sudden, they’re rapid-fire sneezing, they notice a bulge that just pops up between their feet,” Olsen said.
Vet bills can vary widely depending on where the foxtail is and how far it’s traveled, but it can be thousands of dollars for serious cases.
“It could be as little as $200, it could be, if we do a nasal explore, it could be $500 to $700,” Jenna said. “Something more advanced could, maybe at another clinic, it could be $2,000.”
So how can you protect your pet?
Some pets, especially certain breeds, need extra care during foxtail season. Jenna said longer-haired dogs should get the fur on their paws trimmed so you can see if a foxtail gets stuck.
Also, make sure you check your pet every time you come back from a hike, walk or anywhere there may be foxtails. If you have an outside cat, you can give them a check every time they come in. If your dog has sudden symptoms after going on a hike or outdoor activity, a foxtail could be the culprit.
Albert said he does a full inspection after every outing with Aiko.
“I’ll go through a whole check on her body just to make sure that she doesn’t have any in her paws, on the back of her legs or anywhere they could get stuck and I can’t see,” he said.
Jenna said foxtail season typically runs from March through October or November.
