Dogs and Foxtails

[huntoon]

have you guys ever done a foxtail extraction in the field? my dog is pretty complicit and I have a steady hand...

he got a foxtail up his nose yesterday and the vet charged my $350. they sedated him, used and otoscope to find it, and then forceps to pull it out.

obviously, I don't want to hurt him by shoving forceps down his nose and digging around, but I am just wondering whether it was possible to do.

I'd be willing to carry around and otoscope and forceps for when we go hiking together.

thanks,

JON

[huntoon]

i just read this: http://mczar.members.sonic.net/foxtails.html

tons of info on what to do in case of foxtails:

"Foxtails up the nose can be even more dangerous. If he gets lucky, the dog will sneeze a few times and that will be the end of it. His nose may bleed, but if all appears quiet within 15-30 minutes, he's probably gotten rid of it...hopefully by sneezing it out. If he continues to sneeze, paws at his nose, is very uncomfortable, and has repeated episodes of nasal bleeding, the darn thing is probably stuck somewhere in his nasal passages and will require extraction by a vet. Very rare is the dog that will lie quietly while the vet pushes an alligator forceps 3 or 4 inches up his nose! There have been a few, but even the calmest and best-behaved setters generally require some form of chemical restraint for this procedure.



You should be aware that most uses of the alligator forceps consist of blind probing and groping. This invaluable instrument extends a vet's reach but not his vision, except in combination with an otoscope in ear examinations, where blind probing would lead to certain rupture of the eardrum.

"

[dustboy]

Scout has picked up a few, one that bothered him quite a bit. If you could get at it before it started to work itself in, you might be able to grab some piece of it on a calm dog.

The one that was still bothering him after a few hours (we were stuck at work and couldn't leave) was fine the next day. That was a year ago and he hasn't had any trouble. The vets around here put their kids through college on summer foxtail extractions.

Obviously, if you were 200 miles from the nearest vet, you'd have to take care of it yourself.

[huntoon]

If i were 200 miles away, you're right, I would. Foxtails in the nose can become problems within hours. I think I am going to pickup a pair of 8" alligator forceps for that emergency.

At the vet's there were two other dogs and a dog on the phone with foxtail problems.

Hopefully this problem wont arise to often; my dog is a weimaraner, so he shouldn't attract as many as the longhaired dogs.

thanks,
JON

[AmericaOverland]

J. F. C...

I just learned about foxtails in this post today. What?! How come there has never been a "National Emergency Eradication" program in place where by you have to call in an eradication team where they burn, melt down, nuke every single square inch of land on the face of the earth of this deadly S*, and if you don't call it in and they catch you, you go to prison forever and never get back out even if you live to be 400 years old. Why the F* not?!

How come I never heard of the D* stuff?! This is nasty, nasty S*. This just blows me away, this is worse than, snakes, bats, lions, bears, sharks, jelly fish COMBINED.

Where else is this crap found besides California? This is supposedly a northern North American thing.

[adventureduo]

Dixie has picked up a few and is very compliant with us pulling them if it comes to that. However, that being said... she's never really got one deep in her nose. I figure if we are deep in a remote location we can give her a 1/4 of a benadryl and she'll relax enough hopefully to pull it. Her snout is short and stubby because shes a bull dog breed.

[bobcat charlie]

Back in the early '80s I hiked a LOT with Harold, a 100# Bouvier de Flandre. Harold was always picking up foxtails between his toes. On one trip, a foxtail had worked it's way all the way under his skin. We were a long way from a vet so I used a razer to slice the skin and pull out the foxtail. Filled the void with Panalog and Harold was fine! Checking his toes every day became a ritual! I HATE FOXTAILS!

[huntoon]

great story bobcat.

I find that working on my dog with common sense in normalish scenarios can save a lot of money.

for instance, my dog had a milk tooth that wouldn't come out. the special dental vet wanted $1200. I just wiggled it out over the course of one tv show. he thought we were playing. then yank!, he didn't care one bit. I squirted some warm salt water on the wound and then flushed it with cold water. then I took him to that vet just to have a look. he said he was perfect.

[huntoon]

deaf drummer,

I often think the gummerment should switch over a chunk of NIH and NSF money from scary diseases to common problems like ridding us of poison oak and ivy, ticks, mosquitos, and foxtails.

[UK4X4]

"Dixie has picked up a few and is very compliant with us pulling them if it comes to that"

4" in- Dave another inch or so it would would be comming out the other end of Dixi

Jon, I have a weimy too, their fur is almost slick with no undercoat, the only hitchhikers I've ever had him get are ticks.

ref those grasses, watch the dog carefully and check at first limp/ sneeze before they get too far in, they are tall long grasses.

In the UK we had loads ,I thinkonly once in 3 dogs we ever had an issue with them, and they were labs with the fluffy undercoat.

Mind you I used to hate them in my socks !

I carry long blunt tweezers in my first aid kit on the truck and doggy meds too
for anti biotics and anti histamine , a razor too for fur removal and steristrips for joining deep cuts.