Cinder is a gorgeous one-year-old domestic shorthair. He has striking markings and incredible golden eyes. Cinder is shy and is gradually getting used to people. He avoids being touched, but with patience he will make a wonderful family member. Come out and meet him; he would love a forever home with you.

Satch here, and my curiosity landed me in a world of hurt! I love to run and play by the river. The downside of that is there is tall grass growing along the riverbanks. That is where the problem began. I happened to sniff up a foxtail and it infected my eye. I was miserable!

Foxtails belong to the “mean seeds” group, which includes any plants that have barbed grass awns or seed heads. We can pick up a grass awn in an ear, eye, mouth, nose, or between our toes. These mean seeds can even burrow directly into our skin.

The foxtail that was pulled out of Satch.

We are sniffers and if a foxtail gets into our noses it can travel throughout our bodies. The shape of the plant barbs allows the seed to move forward continuously spreading bacteria as they go. These barbs can start at the nose but travel to the eye, brain, or into a lung. If inhaled they can cause pneumonia.

Grass awn disease is a problem for any dog that walks or runs through tall grass. These plants are quite common in North America, especially during May through December. The best way to avoid getting foxtails is to avoid areas where they are growing.

That doesn’t sound like much fun because I like walks in the wild. Mom is now taking precautions when we go. After a walk mom checks between my toes, then ears, face, and mouth. She also runs a fine-toothed comb through my coat to make sure there are no awns in my hair.

I dodged the bullet with my foxtail encounter, because we were able to tease the barb out of my eye. A trip to the veterinarian, some ointment and I am as good as new. That foxtail almost out-foxed me.

Help! We need emergency funds to repair our main air conditioning.

Items for the CAPS garage sale. Call 775-423-7500 to have your items picked up. 

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