​REFERENCES:
“10 Types of Ticks That Can Make You Sick, Where They Live, and How to Identify Them.” Prevention, 6 Feb. 2023, www.prevention.com/health/g27419738/types-of-ticks/.


Vsadmin. “Ticks: What You Need to Know.” VetCare Pet Hospital, 29 Mar. 2022, www.vetcarepethospital.ca/ticks-what-you-need-to-know/. 

surface temperature. Avoid walking on lawns because fertilizer or other yard chemicals can burn a dog’s paw pads. Protective booties are also available for your dog. A dog may not immediately show the pain of burned pads such as limping or licking the pads. Burned pads need to be examined and have running water over them.  DO NOT ICE THEM BECAUSE ICE CAN MAKE THE BURN WORSE.  Call your vet.
 
DOGS AND CARS
In less than 10 minutes a car can become a furnace.  Even if the outdoor temperature is 78° a car’s interior temp can reach 120°.  Imagine what it can be if it’s 90°!  At 100° the interior can reach 170°  Dogs cannot pant or sweat enough to cool themselves down.  Heatstroke is a danger when a dog’s temperature reaches 105°.
 
DOGS AND SUMMER PARASITES
Ticks are one of three external summertime parasites for dogs. Some common tick-borne diseases are:

1. Lyme Disease
2. Anaplasmosis or "Dog Fever"
3. Ehrlichiosis
4. Rocky Mt. Spotted Fever
5. Hepatozoonosis (ACH)
6. Babesuosis
7. Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever (TBRF),
8. Bartonellosis
9. AIHA or Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia which can be catastrophic.

​Some of these diseases can be transferred to humans by ticks.  Lyme disease is one of the most serious concerns. Ticks can lay over 1000 eggs at one time. The most common ticks are the brown dog tick, deer tick, American dog tick, and the Lone Star tick.  The adult lifespan is about 3 months to 3 years. 

Fleas and mites round out this list. Fleas can lay 20 – 40 eggs in a day for weeks, adult lifespan is about 100 days. When swallowed, fleas become tapeworms. Mites live in the fur and ears.  They can cause intense itching in the ears and skin diseases like mange.

Internal parasites include tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms.  Roundworms, tapeworms, and hookworms can be contracted by humans. There are medications that can eliminate all worms in a single application. 
 
DOGS AND TOADS
Toads have dry, bumpy skin and their back legs are not so long.  They prefer to crawl versus hopping around and all toads are poisonous.  The most likely and dangerous time to find a toad is at dawn or dusk from May to August. The places the toads enjoy are gardens, ditches, lakeshores, sandy soil, fountains, and anywhere with water including a dog’s water bowl.  A toad such as Fowler’s toad (2”- 4”) soaking in a dog’s water dish can leave enough toxins behind to make the dog very sick. Usually, toads are only mildly toxic.  When a dog gets a toad in its mouth small amounts of toxin are absorbed through the mucous membranes and the poison goes directly into the bloodstream. It can also cause vision issues if gotten in the eyes. The dog may paw at its mouth or eyes or both and whimper or cry. Inducing vomiting will not help because the toxin is not in the stomach. If your dog eats, chews, or licks a toad call your veterinarian.   If you have to handle a toad, wash your hands.  Take the toad or a picture of the toad to your veterinarian.

​DOGS, PLANTS, AND MUSHROOMS 
The top very toxic outdoor plants in Texas for dogs include aloe vera, amaryllis,  azalea, begonia, caladiums, castor bean, daffodil, daisies, dumb cane, gladiola, holly, ivy, lilies, oleander, Sago palms, Texas Mountain Laurel, tomato plants, tulips, wisteria, and yew.

If your dog has any of these symptoms, call your vet:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Depression
• Seizures
• Liver failure
• Cardiovascular
• Collapse
• Irregular heartbeat
• Loss of appetite, 
• Nausea, drooling,
• Tearing
• Lethargy
• Weakness
• Inability to urinate.

Blood issues:

• Bloody nose
• Bloody stool
• Bruising
• Anemia

Take the plant or mushroom or a picture to show the veterinarian.

DOGS AND HEATSTROKE
Vomiting, confusion, dark red gums, dry or sticky gums, lethargy, tremors, seizures, excessive panting, thick pasty saliva, drooling, and fainting are signs of heatstroke.  This can occur when the body temperature of a dog reaches or exceeds 105°.  A dog’s natural temperature does not allow much room for getting overheated or having hyperthermia when he can no longer self-regulate his body temperature.  The quickest thing to do to help your dog cool down is to get him in the shade or A/C. *NO ICE* Pour only slightly cool or tepid *NOT COLD* water over him or dip a towel in water and lay it over him briefly.  Offer little sips of water.  Call your vet immediately.  If you have sports drinks with electrolytes ask if this would help.  Dehydration and heat are problems.

DOGS AND DISEASE
It's easy to forget about a lot of things with your dog and summertime but do not forget that until your puppy has had his 16 week vaccination, he is susceptible to parvo.  The other night we were at the animal ER and there was this beautiful Doberman puppy brought straight in to quarantine with parvo.  Parvo is a deadly 10-day roller coaster ride.  Central Texas is having a particularly hard time with it.  Older dogs are not affected but they can carry and shed parvo.  It lives for 48 hours on inanimate things.  Wait out this brief period with you puppy at home.  Be safe.

References:
Caplan, Christy. “What Happens When Your Dog Walks on Hot Pavement Is Painful and Avoidable with These Tips.” Pets, 18 June 2019, https://www.wideopenpets.com/pavement-too-hot-for-your-dog/. 

Burke, Anna. “Can Dogs Eat Mushrooms?” American Kennel Club, American Kennel Club, 21 Oct. 2019, https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/can-dogs-eat-mushroom/. 
​
Wyoming Public Radio | By Ashley Piccone. “The Science (and Magic) of Wyoming's Fairy Rings.” Wyoming Public Media, 14 June 2021, https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/open-spaces/2021-03-12/the-science-and-magic-of-wyomings-fairy-rings. ​

​Summary: The foxtail part itself is called a seed head with many parts that are seeds themselves.  The plant is a weed and grows wildly fast.  The dried awns or seed heads can adhere to fur and skin.  The danger is that the seed heads or awns can burrow into and through skin. 
 
Issue:  Longer-haired dogs are more at risk than shorter-haired dogs, and dogs with hanging ears are less in danger than prick-eared dogs, but any dog that run in grassy fields are at serious risk.
 
Dangers:  Infections in open wounds, abscesses, ear infections, blindness, seizures, tissue necrosis, etc. Possible life-threatening cases. Extreme cases are rare.
 
Symptoms:  Intense itching, scratching, or licking, glued-shut eye, head shaking, or sneezing

Areas of Infestation:  

• Ears
• Noses
• Eyes
• Throat
• Genitalia
• Between toes
• Open sores

How Can a Plant Burrow? 
Bristly foxtail has hairs with hooks. These hooks are the mechanism that enable the seed heads or awns to attach to fur and as they are incapable of going backwards, the awns burrow towards or through skin etc. 

How is Foxtail Dangerous? 
The plant dries out during the summer and the seed heads fall off. Not foxtails all are dangerous, but the ones in the 'Hordeum' genus, aka 'Wild Barley' are. The plant’s seeds consists of several seed heads or awns and when they dry out, the awns break apart.  The awns are pointed and sharp with long bristles or retrose prevent the plant from moving backwards thus it burrows deeper into its carrier. The bristle can break off if pulled backwards, but it will leave the awns behind.  The movement of the skin between a dog’s toes allows the foxtail to pierce the skin and continue to travel.  *Read more about how the foxtail can become life-threatening as it travels in the body in the Whole Dog Journal referenced at the end of this article.
 
Growth stages: 
It begins as a leafy plant but can look different dependent on species. At first it resembles green grass with a few basic wide leaf blades, but a mature plant can grow up to 4 feet tall and on one stem.  Leaves can be slightly hairy.

Growth: 
Normally seeds germinate quickly when the weather is 68-95 degrees F. It reaches maturity after germination in only 40 days and varies in color according to species and will bloom between May and November, approximately 212 days.

Seed head: 
Their seed head is distinctive.  It is often green but turns a yellow color when dried.  Dried, the seed head falls apart.  The seeds can ride the wind and remain dormant for almost 3 years.  

Genera: 
Alopecurus, 25 species or Setaria, 125 species.

Four Common Species:

• Giant Foxtail, 'Setaria Faberi'
  
  
• Green Foxtail, 'S. Viridis'
• Yellow Foxtail S. Pumila'
• Bristly Foxtail S. Verticillata'

 
What to do with it:
1. Eliminate it in your yard using a pre-emergent herbicide containing pendimethalin. 
2. Be aware of it where you walk/hike.
3.Keep your dog away from it or from sniffing it.
4. Do not let them go to seed.
5. Keep hair on your dog’s pads well-trimmed and your dog well groomed
6.Be watchful for symptoms
7. Seek immediate veterinarian care if you suspect foxtail exposure
​ 
References:
-, C.C. Holland, et al. “Beware of Foxtail Grass This Summer.” Whole Dog Journal, 30 July 2019, https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/care/environmental-hazards/beware-of-foxtail-grass-this-summer/.

“Foxtail.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/plant/foxtail.

Grant, Bonnie. “Information about Pennycress Plants: How to Control Field ...” Controlling Foxtail Weeds – How To Get Rid of Foxtail Grass In Lawns, https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/pennycress-weed-control.htm.

Kelly, Jasey. “Growth Stages of Fox Tail.” Home Guides | SF Gate, 17 Nov. 2020, https://homeguides.sfgate.com/growth-stages-fox-tail-104375.html.