Dog inhaled foxglove? Need advice

[Ken Nielsen]

This is Ben. His owner's name is Ben also. Every night Ben and Ben have been at the dog park throwing the ball and bringing it back in the true athletic style of a border collie. About a month ago Ben (the Daddy) said Ben has been breathing funny, wheezing at night and that he thought he picked up one of those weed things that go in and keep going through the dog. They can go to the brain I hear, but this one seems to have gone to the upper respiratory system or lungs. We don't know any more than that and that the dog still loves to chase the ball but at night wheezes all night and keeps his owner awake.

I feel so bad for this beautiful dog.

Ben (the Daddy) says he's had the vet do exploratory but that they found nothing. Should they get an x-ray? I know nothing about this except it is serious and somehow there must be a way to treat this and end this poor dog's suffering.

Any Ideas?

TIA,


Ken

[groominglady]

They can do an Xray to see if he has pneumonia from the awn, but they may have to scope him to fetch it. And I would pay for it, too, if I were this dog's owner. I've heard of foxtail awns working their way to the heart with predictable results. They can work their way out the thorax (I know of one case) but that's not fun, either.

[Ken Nielsen]

Let me make sure I understand: what is "pneumonia from the awn"?

Very good comments groominglady, I really appreciate it. I will print this out and take it to the dog park with me tomorrow.

Thanks Very Much,


Ken

[groominglady]

Aspiration pneumonia - essentially an infection from a foreign body in the lung tissue.

Grass awns and foxtails just drill their way through the body in a pretty straight line. My mother's cocker has a nasty scar from a subcutaneous foxtail infection - the foxtail drove its way up under the elbow, followed the scapula and exited just beneath the withers - and my mom is very diligent about foxtails. They can do some crazy damage.

[Dogstar]

Do they mean foxtail or foxGLOVE?


Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is a toxic plant. :P I've heard of it being ingested but never inhaled. :P

[Ken Nielsen]

It's got to be fox tails, as it is a pointed end weed thingie that imbeds itself in one direction and keeps going.

Sorry, I don't know my fox tails from my fox gloves.

It's the one that groominglady picked up on the right one.

[golden&hovawart]

The damage of a foxtail can be real nasty if not treated and leave sequels!.I would have x-rays done of the nasal passage and of the head and if need be,have an MRI done.

[groominglady]

FoxTAILS. It's a grass weed related to barley with a similar, but sharper, seed head. Nasty, nasty weed. Worse than clockweed.

Wikipedia has a nice picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxtail_(diaspore)

I understand there are areas in the US blessed to not have the weed...

[Dogstar]

Just confirming. :P There was a case here in TX last year (if I can dig up the article, I'll post a link) of a college kid smoking digitalis as he'd read on the internet that it was a hallucinogen. *headdesk* So I guess it COULD be inhaled... :P

[Ken Nielsen]

"a college kid smoking digitalis"

Ding A-ling.

People can be so much less smarter than dogs.