FOXTAIL: SOFT AND BUSHY GRASS THAT HIDES A SERIOUS DANGER TO YOUR DOG!

Foxtail is a summer annual grass that can hurt your dog.  This soft fluffy looking plant got it's name because it looked like a fox's tail.  Initially, this green plant seems rather harmless, and in a spring breeze it seems to wave, “Hello!”  How could this innocuous-looking plant hurt a dog?

Here's a hint: It is also known as ‘Spear Grass’.​

​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.