This spring, following all of the unusual rain, the Santa Monica mountains are spectacular. The bush sunflowers, the caterpillar phacelia, the sage and the mustard are carpeting the hills in vibrant colors.
ELBEE Is the mustard taller this year or is she getting shorter?
The mountains are truly my happy place, especially in bloom, but lately I have refrained from taking the dogs up there. Along with the flowers have come rattlesnakes, poison oak and foxtails, a seemingly innocuous plant that can cause so many problems.
Despite an abundance of caution and sticking to local streets, Stanley had a recent run in with a foxtail. It started with him licking his paw non-stop and ended with a visit to the vet.
After two hours of waiting with Stanley as a walk in, I had to leave him there so they could resolve the problem. After some probing and a light sedative to ease the pain, they found the offending foxtail.
I had a real pang of dog mom guilt when they handed it to me in a small bottle. I don’t know how I missed it, especially since Stanley is very dramatic and throws himself on the sidewalk when something is bothering him.
STANLEY How else am I going to tell her.
Even worse, he came home wearing one of those huge E-collars that look so uncomfortable and have them bumping into everything. Gus was very sympathetic. Henry, on the other hand, took one look at it, bolted across the room, and stared at Stanley from a safe distance.
Fortunately, in the closet where I keep all things dog-related, I had a Zen collar for Stanley. It’s cloth, much softer and more wearable than those hard plastic versions. As a matter of fact, Stanley looked so relaxed that I decided to join him.
ELBEE Oy!
Seriously, keep an eye out when you’re walking your dogs. Those foxtails are a menace hiding in plain sight.
