Kaley Cuoco opened up about a scary situation involving one of her dogs, and she’s using her platform to warn other pet owners about it.
In a series of Instagram stories posted on July 17, The Big Bang Theory actress revealed an alarming health scenario involving her pup King.
Uploaded images of the dog, she shared that he had been sick for some time with no real explanation for what was causing it.
After going to a specialist, she learned that King had ingested two foxtail grass awn that were close to his heart.
“This is for all my dog lovers out there!” she wrote while displaying what it looks like. “This is a foxtail. They are extremely dangerous to animals [especially] dogs.”
She continued: “We spent the last two months trying to figure out what was wrong [with] our King. He had been violently ill and nothing was working.
Many vet [appointments], surgery and endless meds. Finally found a specialist who found two of these in his body, days away from piercing his heart!”
Kaley also detailed the result of the discovery, which required King to have a procedure to safely remove the foxtail grass awn.
She noted that the surgery was successful, with her dog at home recovering from the health scare.
“He is doing so much better, but as you can see he has tons of stitches from a super intense surgery,” she explained. “Also please note these must be surgically removed. They do not heal on their own!”
“Take care of your pets or don’t have one!” she concluded. “We are so grateful he is OK and will live a long happy life!”
While Kaley’s experience was scary, it is more common than people may think.
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), foxtail grass awns can be found throughout North America, particularly from May to December.
These are specifically perilous to dogs, as the shape of it can be inhaled through a dog’s nose and can spread infections to other organs.
As far as any symptoms dog owners should look out for, AKC reported that common signs include swelling, limping or licking the foot and scratching their ear.
Folks should also look out for their pets pawing a swollen, red or discharged eye along with repeated sneezing and coughing.
We’re sending all our prayers and hope King continues getting better!