Several types of grasses can cause problems for your pet when they are going to seed. Foxtail barley (stalk looks like a fox’s tail) is the worst offender.

Foxtails grow more in rainy years from January through April. According Dr. Karl Jandrey, a vet at UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, “the seed pods have an outer coating with a sharp point and barbed hairs. They work their way in, but not out because of the barbs.” Foxtail grasses and other sorts of grasses occur most frequently in fields and along roadsides and trails. Some of them are very attractive so make sure you don’t plant any of these in your yard. Check with your vet before planting ornamental grasses in your yard.

The vets writing in the book The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies for Dogs and Cats by the Editors of Prevention Magazine Books for Health explain “that unlike burrs, which stop at the hair, foxtails can puncture skin in a matter of hours. In some cases they travel all the way through a pet’s body, tearing tissue as they go.” In some cases the foxtails can actually puncture organs. Usually though they just get in between toes, in the ears and in the nose, where they can create an abscess.

You can try to avoid them but sometimes you just don’t know what plants your pet has brushed up against. It is really best to check your pet’s entire coat after you have returned from your walk. Look between toes and around body openings. If you find anything suspicious remove it immediately.

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