On May 25th, a Good Samaritan brought in a cat that had a foxtail in its eye. The individual befriended the cat after several visits to a farm in Concord where she volunteered. She was tempted to bring the cat home, but couldn’t because she is the owner of diabetic service dogs. Once Dr. Isaacson and Margaret had removed the foxtail from the cat’s eye, they looked for corneal ulcerations. They did find ulcerations and applied antibiotic cream. Once his eye was cared for, they scanned him in the hopes of locating a microchip. Luckily for this cat, its owner did have a microchip implanted. After calling the microchip company, MVH learned that the cat had been reported missing as of December 26th, 2009! After contacting his very happy owners, Missy (yes, a male) was picked up and returned to his home in Baypoint. This is a great reminder to make sure that your pets have the proper identification in the event that they wander away from home.

Late spring and summer is a good time to be cognizant of the dangers associated with foxtails. While they may be mildly annoying to humans, they can cause real harm to our pets. Foxtails are abundant in Northern California and become problematic when they become lodged in ears, eyes, noses, paws, or underneath the skin. Like fish hooks, foxtails are barbed which makes for a more complicated removal. They primarily cause pain and irritation, but more serious consequences can result if left untreated. Foxtails can migrate and lodge in other areas of the body, including internal organs. This clearly makes treatment and removal considerably more difficult, so it is advisable to visit your veterinarian if you suspect a foxtail as the source of your pet’s discomfort. Please learn to identify foxtails so that you and your pet can avoid them on the trails this summer!

Written by Lindsey H.