We had a pretty rough month in Feb. with Cody.  He had a serious infection in his chest that stemmed from "plant matter".  I had no clue this could even happen but it had likely been in him for some time.

I worked him one weekend and he did great.  Brought him home, washed him, and 1/2 hour later he was "down" (105 temp, not moving, shallow breathing, rear leg spasms).  Emergency vet put him on IV fluids and antibiotics to stabilize him while they attempted to diagnose the source of infection.  Subsequent tests ended up leading to the chest area.  First thought was a UTI since he had just had a breeding but luckily she checked further and did not assume it was a simple infection.  Recommendation was surgery so I sought a second opinion and in that time he went back to critical.  Surgery was extensive and completely opened his chest down to his lower abdomen.  They removed tissue that was later found to contain plant matter (they think foxtail) that caused the infection.

He is doing fine now, all signs of infection stopped shortly after surgery.  The main issue now is that it will take a couple of months for his sternum/ribs to heal after being split.  The vets involved in the case tell me he should be back to 100% after his chest has ample time to heal back together.  So, no field work for some time which really drives Cody crazy.  But he is alive.

This is something to keep in mind for field dogs.  I had no idea this could even happen, let alone how serious it could be.  Luckily I had some good vets working on him that were familiar with this type of infection in working field dogs and made the diagnosis pretty quickly.  This could very easily have been a situation where the dog was stabilized, sent home on oral antibiotics, had a temporary improvement, then "mysteriously" crashed and died in a few days.

Bruce,
I'm so glad to hear Cody is ok...give him a big hug and a pat on the head from me....Stuff like this just scares the heck out of me...

Bruce,

So glad they found the foxtail and got it out! Sometimes they explore, and can't find them...foxtails just keep working their way in-nasty things...

This happens WAY more than most people know. Glad your boy had a happy ending.

Marlana

Wow, that had to be a tough go. I'm glad Cody is on the mend.

Weed matter is scary "stuff" because that's where our dogs work. Taffey had two different close calls in the same year with jagged edged "velcro" like weed heads migrating through the ear drum.

I had no idea this could happen.  Bruce,  I am very glad everything is ok and thank you for sharing with us.  We need this kind of info on this forum to teach others.


Wow, my wife would never let me take him hunting again if I share this with her so make sure nobody tells her!  : )

WoW !--Major Ordeal-This would be very easy to mis diagnose I would think- I gotta figure out what foxtail is now! Give Cody a hug.

Good to hear Cody is doing well.  Make sure you give hium some extra lovin' this week.

What is Foxtail?  How did that cause an infection in his chest?  I've never heard of Foxtail let alone that it can cause an infection like that.

I found this doing a google search

http://www.almostheaven-golden-retriever-rescue.org/foxtail-dog-dangers.html

Joe, can you make this a link???  "Yep  Done"

When I was first told about this by the Internal Med Specialist I kind of put it in the "stuff so strange you can't make it up" category. The plant matter was located on Cody's heart sack. His body had been growing granular tissue around it to "wall off" and fight the infection. That, at least made it easier to find. It is apparently common enough that the Radiologist that interpreted the CT scan (in Colorado) asked if he was a hunting dog before having any further background. Theory (since it was located near the heart) was that he aspirated it, was unable to get it out and it then worked its way through the windpipe into the chest cavity. Apparently the dogs body will work to remove foreign matter and in this case "removing" was working it into his chest cavity. The infection simply stems from the fact that there is foreign matter that carries bacteria from the outside world inside the dog. I am told that if it had carried fungus spors in, things would have been a lot more complicated.

I thought what happened to Cody was bizzare then I looked up the link Stuw posted. Not sure I wanted to see that : )  Certainly puts some things in perspective. They are tough little creatures but not invincible. They live and love to work but it puts them at risk.

Special treat today, Yeager is moving to field transition on whoa and I'll plant a couple of quail for Cody while we are out. I'm sure there will be plenty of foxtail wherever we train.

Cody is a lucky boy-I didn't realize it had worked it's way all the way to his heart. Wow!

Foxtails are luck of the draw, and NOT implying anything negative about Bruce-we all know he loves and takes great care of Cody! But, since we have this opportunity, let this be a reminder to us all to check over your dog after every hunt-check their feet and nails, ears, eyes; give them a brisk brushing; run your hands all over them. Seeds of all kinds can get stuck into your dog, and looking them over may not find them all-especially on a yellow dog. I don't always check Churchill-you can bet I will remember Bruce and Cody's experience, and take that extra 5 minutes from now on.

Also, if your dog is dry coughing or sneezing a lot after a day in the field, and it is going on a day or two, take your dog in to the vet and have them look up in the dog's nose or down it's throat and be sure there is not a foxtail caught in there. You will not be able to see it, or get it out, on your own.

Glad to hear everything is ok!!

Thanks for posting the link Stu, that was all news to me.  I never would of figured that something like foxtail could have such damaging effects.

Glad everything is working out for Cody.

Hi Brian, I am just wondering if this is the same thing that happend to Deke? Was this in his intestinal tract? I did not see your other post about being by the heart....but I am thinking Deke ingested one of these things while out west. It seems to me this is too much of a coincidence.  They never did find what caused the infection,  just saying that it was from a foreign matter.

Anyway I am pulling for a full recovery for Cody.
 
Deke is at 100% now but it was a tough three weeks.

Deke, nothing would supprise me after this. I was told by my vets that this "foreign matter" is generally either breathed in or through a cut or puncture. Apparently once inside the organ the dog's body tries to rid its self of the matter. It can work its way out of the organ into the body cavity or move to the outside of the organ and abscess.  Jim mentioned problems with it in the ears.  Then I read the link that  Stuw posted up and realize that foxtail is apparently a little better than other weeds at working in rather than out.

Did Deke show any signs leading up to the infection showing? I know you went through a lot with him and I am glad to hear that he is back in full stride.

He started to throw up every few days but I was not sure what from. Then he went outside one morning and basically could not move well basically the toxins started to take over...good luck with Cody !!!

I remember Deke uncontrollably sneezing in South Dakota. Then he stopped...I looked but could not see anything in his nose....I am really starting to wonder.

I remember mine going thru a sneezing fit last year-i think it was sd. Could not find anything either but I am thinking it was in cattails that were throwing the white stuff...i think. Couldn't tell ya one grass type seed from another. It seems so bazare that these would cause a problem- no way you can blame
yourself-and ya simply cannot just avoid grass-i'd take grass over stubble any time. BTW Bruce, KC is real glad her brother is doing ok now...

Too close for comfort Bruce, sure glad to hear Cody’s okay. A good friend lost a nice dog due to spear grass that made into the heart.

Foxtails, cheat grass, spear grass all have a way of penetrating the dog’s skin. Good advice from Hooli to give them a good check over after running in the field. Also check the vagina on females, if they squat on cheat grass it penetrates rather easily.

Just came across this:

http://working-retriever.com/library/ftdisease.html

Yep, that pretty much explains it Hooligan. Unfortunately, Foxtail is unavoidable in the mid-west. I used to check him over pretty closely when hunting but would just wash the dogs down after training. I have changed my outlook here and check the boys over pretty thoroughly now. Really no way to avoid it short of a doggie HASMAT suit and respirator .

No way to avoid it is right, Bruce, and those little seeds can work their way into a dog's fur pretty fast and be almost impossible to feel. I hate them! We have all kinds of burrs and spiny grass seeds out here in the desert-they love to get in between the dog's toes and pads. Glad Cody's ok!