I hate these things
If you're a dog owner, the sight of one of these might make you shudder.
It's dreaded foxtail season in the South Bay. I've been seeing them sprout up all over my neighborhood in recent days. If you have dogs, you know to stay clear.
Foxtails -- spiked clusters of grasses -- are a serious hazard to dogs who can wind up with the nasty little weeds burrowing into paws, noses, ears, and even eyes. My former terrier mix Fritz once sniffed 2 of them up his nose, prompting a mad rush to the vet ER clinic in Torrance one night after he began sneezing uncontrollably and spraying blood all over the kitchen floor. (He was fine, but the surgery wasn't cheap).
The bottom line is to beware of walking your dog in tall, dry grasses -- and always give dogs a thorough once-over if they do go traipsing through the spring brush.
There's some good for information for dog owners online, and here is another helpful site.
Meanwhile, be careful out there.
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About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.
I can totally attest to that. My dog Sasha got them all the time and one time it was embedded so deep into his ear that he had to have an operation to get it out. Very bad stuff indeed!!!