# Burrs and Foxtails and Long-haired Havs Oh My!



## Wulfin (May 3, 2019)

Help!!!
Hubby took the boys for a walk and somehow they got into SOMETHING with burrs and foxtails (the kinds with barbs on them that will travel INTO a dog and into their lungs, etc etc)....

I just spent the last 30 minutes using the CC feet and face buttercomb to get every last one out of Keeper (I think!) and I'm about to check Denver over, but on quick glance it looks like Keeper got most of it. But is there anything else I should do before giving him a bath to get the sticky stuff out? (I picked the burrs out by hand, and then used the feet and face buttercomb (omg that saved my life) on his chest and legs, but there was still kind of a sticky residue). 

Then I used my flea comb to make sure i got it all off the grooming mat.
Those things are insidious..they were poking and sticking into my skin while i was taking them out. I can see how they can travel inwards and yikes.


----------



## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Yikes I have had issues with burs before but not foxtails. Karen had some great advice on this but I cannot find the post. As I recall, the key thing was using tons of conditioner. I believe she said to put them in the sink with water and use tons of conditioner to get them out by working it through the fur. However, it sounds like you already got them out? Anyway hopefully Karen sees this and responds but I wanted to pass on what I know. Good luck.


----------



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Do you have one of those super fine eye or flea combs? If he was mostly detangled before, I have used them to pull out leaves. If he has lots of mats it’ll pull on them, though. I have always been able to get out burs with the fine buttercomb. Maybe human conditioner? It might also help you see better without shrinking the hair up with water. I would try the slipperiest conditioner you can find. Once everything is out you can always give him a regular bath. 

We have run into burs a couple of times but they have always come out pretty easily, it just took a long time. It was tedious because I had to isolate each individual burr and remove it, but it’s always been soon after the encounter so they weren’t matted into the hair. It was a two person job and lots of treats were involved. 

Are they at least tired from their adventure?


----------



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I missed the last part of your post! We think alike  I suggested things you already did, sorry!

I would condition them before bathing! With the slipperiest, heaviest conditioner you can find, for humans or dogs. I think that’s the best way to break up the sticky before shampooing and conditioning as usual. It works for almost every messy problem we have run into for both kids and dogs.


----------



## Wulfin (May 3, 2019)

Yeah, I was lucky that he only had 3 patches. One on each foreleg and one huge patch of 4 gigantic ones on his chest that caught so much hair that he looked bald below it. Luckily, I have lots of burr experience with my last dog and was able to break the middle of the burrs which basically makes them fall apart. I’m mostly concerned that if I missed any, they can be dangerous. But looks like fine toothed comb was the way to go, and that’s what I did (thank goodness I’ve gotten into the habit of combing him every evening).

But probably a good idea to condition him super well and really blow dry/brush/comb with a fine tooth comb again.

And yes, both boys are currently passed out. Lol.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> Yikes I have had issues with burs before but not foxtails. Karen had some great advice on this but I cannot find the post. As I recall, the key thing was using tons of conditioner. I believe she said to put them in the sink with water and use tons of conditioner to get them out by working it through the fur. However, it sounds like you already got them out? Anyway hopefully Karen sees this and responds but I wanted to pass on what I know. Good luck.


It wasn't foxtails, because we don't have them on the east coast. I know they can be VERY serious. But yes, I filled our bigsink with warm water and a TON of conditioner. Enough to make EVERYTHING slippery. Then with the dog IN the water, I combed out all the burrs and plant material. (And in Kodi's case, dried, packed-in mud as well) it took a while, but he was warm and comfortable, and the conditioner helped everything slide apart. When I had all the gunk combed out, I rinsed him, shampooed, him rinsed him again. His coat was the silkiest, shiniest that it had ever been! LOL!


----------



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Nothing like an unexpected grooming session on TWO Havanese! Hope you were able to relax afterwards


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> Nothing like an unexpected grooming session on TWO Havanese! Hope you were able to relax afterwards


Wine helps! LOL!


----------



## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Last time Mia got burrs they were mostly around her mouth and chin...not good!


----------



## Wulfin (May 3, 2019)

LOL. Unfortunately, there is a severe lack of energy in our house as we all have a nasty cold right now. We are pretty exhausted and feel bad for our kiddo who is full of energy and over this (she can’t go back to school until her nose stops running).

So I was glad that Denver managed to stay out of them. Grooming and bathing Keeper took enough out of me! I was asleep by 8.


----------



## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Learn something new All the time. I didn't know Foxtails were a problem. Good information to know about how to get them out.


----------



## Wulfin (May 3, 2019)

Foxtails can actually be very dangerous as they work their way under the skin or in nasal passages and cause major infections and can even get into lungs, heart, etc. They’re very dangerous.


----------



## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

OMG! Willow has had burdock burrs stuck to her before. They are just awful! We don't have burdock (that I know of) on the west side of our state where we live. However we were camping over on the east side and they have burdock. It's like prickly balls of velcro. And I mean really prickly and they get just horribly tangled up in her hair.

We do have foxtails on the west side of our state. I know to keep her away from them.


----------



## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Shama got some burrs on her recently, and it was indeed a pain to get them out of her fur. You have my sympathy!


----------

