04/01/2021
Did you know?
Every late spring and early summer, vacant lots, hiking trails and fields fill up with herbaceous plants that produce foxtails. Also known as spear grass, a foxtail is produced by many types of plants, the most common species being Alopecuru, Hordeum, Stipa (black oat grass) and *Setaria.
The original purpose of foxtails are not to be harmful; their spikelets are simply meant to attach to the fur of animals passing by so their seeds can be dispersed and implanted into the soil.
In wild animals sharing the same habitat with the foxtail, the fur is generally short enough so that eventually the foxtail dislodges and successfully disperses its seeds.
Problems start though when the foxtail burrows itself in places it shouldn't. Once burrowed, the foxtail's barbs cause it to migrate in one direction (always forward, never backwards) where it creates a multitude of problems.
In dogs, the foxtail may lodge in the most inconspicuous places. They may lodge into the dog's nose, into the mouth, inside the ear canals, under the eye lid, and even under the skin such as the skin between the toes or the armpit and rear ends areas.
The foxtail's tendency to migrate once under the skin, wrecks havoc in the dog's body triggering inflammation, infection and pain.
