April 2009 Gold Country Monthly

FYI for Furry Friends by Kathy Hanson April, 2009

Spring has arrived and there are 2 very important topics I would like to cover this month – West Nile Virus and Foxtails.

I’ve seen the coverage on TV asking everyone to check around our homes, properties and anyplace there might be standing water. This is the breeding ground for mosquitoes and their eggs. They are the carriers of this disease as well as dead birds who may have been infected. I already stressed this at my home as I squished a little blood sucker in my bedroom that anywhere there were buckets, troughs, pails, ponds, etc. to dump that water out and then only then put water where it was needed for our dogs. I haven’t really walked around checking all these holders of standing water, but I did see a few standing on their sides empty. Sometime during the next few days I will do a more thorough check. It is best to be safe rather than sorry and have a loved one or even you become infected with this terrible illness which can kill. If you need more help with this or more information go online, talk to your vets, your doctors. In this case ignorance is not bliss.

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I am sure living in our area most people who are owned by a pet are familiar with the word “Foxtail” as it is a huge hazard to our pets (primarily dogs). Our area, as well as other locations that have limited rainfall and certain months where there is no rain, are prime locations for this pest. It could be considered an ideal place to live but it also makes a ripe environment for all different types of weeds. Most of these weeds are not harmful. But one weed in particular, while being completely non-toxic, is an extreme threat to our pets. While this weed can grow almost anywhere in the world, certain areas of California have the best environment for it and it can grow anywhere from covered hills to empty lots, vacant land, or your own backyard.

Wild barley is commonly called ‘foxtail’ or ‘foxtail Brome grass’ due to the distinctive shape of its seed cluster. During the early spring, these weeds start to populate anywhere the seeds had been carried the previous summer. While green, they pose little danger. Once the seeds mature and the plant begins to wither(around May most years), the seeds can fall of the plant, either by blowing in the wind(less common) or by sticking to the hair coat of a passing animal(most common). These seeds are ideally suited to transmission via animals because of their shape. They are “V” shape, with a sharp point on one end and microscopic barbs on the other. These barbs and this “V” shape allow the seed to firmly attach to the coat. Later, during grooming or running through other plants, the seeds can be knocked off and will sit in the soil until the following spring.

While this structure is a wonderful adaptation for this plant, this mechanism can cause a lot of problems for the animal “ride” it attaches to. This structure allows for the foxtail to “migrate” deeper into the coat with time. Because of the barbs, it cannot move back out again. So it will continue to go deeper and deeper wherever it lands. This can be a very serious situation. It can sometimes be fatal.

Personally last year over one weekend I had 2 medical emergencies with both Ebony, my black lab mix, and Barney, my yellow lab. Imagine both of them the same weekend having medical problems due to foxtails. In all the years we’ve lived in Cool this is the first time for any of our dogs. Ebony was the first one to exhibit a problem with her ear. So off to the Vets she went where they put her out and removed 2 foxtails from her ear. We had to administer medicine to that ear until it was all gone. I’m not sure if at the same time she had one in her other ear that could easily be removed. Then later that weekend Barney showed signs of an infected area on the side of his face. So off to the Vets he went and this foxtail had entered through his mouth and then got into his saliva gland causing an infection. If we hadn’t been observant, he could have developed an abscess which would have been even more serious. He was treated and came through with flying colors.

Start now checking your property for these menaces – you can’t miss them. Please do whatever you can to make your yards weed-free. Keep your pets’ fur short especially the feet and ears which will prevent foxtails from hitchhiking. Trimming your property should be done as the hills and surrounding areas are turning brown and every 6-8 weeks until the end of September. Check over your pets daily by brushing them because if you find one on their coats more than likely there will be more. Be observant – they can enter ears, eyes, skin, noses, throats, chests, and between their toes. Watch for any behavior that will indicate something is wrong, like shaking their heads, pawing at their mouths, eyes, etc.

Talk to your vets, go online, and the same as with the West Nile Virus, be as informed as you can possibly be for the sake and protection of the furries you love.