Hiking With Small Dogs by Adam Raven

Author:Adam Raven [Raven, Adam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Autumn M. Birt

Environmental Hazards

Nature is filled with all kinds of nasty things trying to use you or your dog as vectors to complete their lifecycle or are designed to protect themselves from you and your dog. I will cover three of the most common.

Foxtail

Foxtail is a grass related to barley that spreads its seeds by attaching itself to hair and skin with one-way barbs. It is located in all states west of the Mississippi, and is prevalent on the West Coast. Unlike many other plants that spread seeds via animals, the nature of the Foxtail is that the seed (and any bacteria) continues to work its way into the animal, and in rare cases has even been found in the brain.

The seedpods cause cysts and infections that can possibly kill an animal as they will not be absorbed or broken down under the skin. They do not show up well on x-rays and finding an embedded seed is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack, especially in a fur-covered animal. It is an expensive and intrusive process to remove an embedded seedhead. To avoid this, it’s best to give the animal a thorough brushing and inspection of the ears, nose and paws after any hike in an area known to contain the plant.

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