What Every Dog Owner Should Know About Foxtails

Foxtails are a type of natural plant that grows around. It might be in meadows, on vacant lots, or even along roadside. Foxtails are basically seed clusters which are normally found on the stalks of certain types of grasses. These foxtail seed clusters feature pointed tips that are designed to pierce the surface immediately as they separate from the plant, causing the seed to cling to the ground and begin forming roots.

The clusters contain barbs that protect the cluster from coming out loose from the ground when penetrating. This enables the seed to stay firm on the ground. The exterior part of the cluster is also home to bacteria with enzymes that decompose cellular components, which eventually assists the seed to submerge past the surrounding plants.

Foxtails are a frequent concern to dogs in regions with drier climates because they break free from the plant and find a place to stick. The western regions of the United States are where foxtails are most commonly found, with California having the highest concentration of the plant.

Do foxtails endanger dogs?

Foxtails are advantageous to the area since they help with plant reseeding. However, they cause a multiple set of challenges for dogs. For example, when a dog comes into direct contact with a foxtail cluster, it may attach to the fur and begin to penetrate inward as the dog moves. The bacterial enzymes found in foxtails are responsible for the dog’s loss of hair and tissues, and the cluster barbs help the foxtails to firmly attach on the dog’s fur. Foxtails penetrate the dog’s skin in the same manner they do on soil.

It therefore develops into a very sick dog. There are numerous ways for the foxtail to penetrate the dog. It could enter the dog’s body by many different areas, including the ears, mouth, eyes, mouth, nasal passage, lungs, and more. The path the foxtail took through the dog and the harm it caused determine the severity of the illness most of the time.

You must go see a veterinary doctor who will then find the foxtail and remove it in order to treat your dog. When the foxtail has grown past the reach of forceps, the dog must undergo surgery to remove the foxtail.

Signs that your dog has picked Foxtail

There are plenty of ways you may discover if your dog has picked foxtail clusters. They include:

1. If the dog scrubs the nose, sneezes frequently or there is blood coming out from the nostril.
2. If the dog scratches the ears, shakes or tilts the head more than usual.
3. If the dog cries.
4. If the dog experiences toughness in walking.
5. Mucus discharge from the affected eye.
6. If the dog gags a lot using the mouth.
7. If the dog coughs frequently.
8. If the dog develops the habit of eating grass.
9. If the dog swallows repeatedly.
10. If the dog stretches the neck.