Foxtails are seeds and look like the end of a shaft of wheat. They can cause more damage to a dog or cat than you could ever imagine! Foxtails can be inhaled through the nose, burrow into the ears or eyes, between toes and under the skin. They can move through the body, forming abscesses and serious infections. The results are serious—and sometimes fatal. 

Whenever your dog has been outside where there are dried grasses that look a bit like wheat, check between toes, pads, under arm pits, under tail and behind the ears. You should be able to simply pluck the foxtail easily out with your fingers because they will have not had a chance to burrow into the skin.

If your dog or cat exhibits any of the following symptoms, don’t wait to see if it goes away. Get your pet to a vet right away.

¡        Pawing at the ears and eyes and shaking the head.

¡        Rubbing an eye or squinting.

¡        Rubbing the head on the ground and wheeling in circles or licking and biting at the rectum or other parts of the body.

¡        Repeated violent sneezing, sometimes with a bloody discharge from the nostrils.

¡        Yelping or whining for no obvious reason.

¡        A small raised infected spot showing signs of inflammation. Clusters of these barbed seeds can penetrate the skin and cause deep wounds and abscesses.

In some cases removing a foxtail means the dog or cat will have to undergo anesthesia. Please for the sake of your pet, do not delay getting to a vet if you suspect your pet has a foxtail.

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