Foxtail And Pets

Foxtail (Hordeum murinum)

Foxtail is a nuisance weed that is dangerous to pets, livestock and wildlife

Mechanically Injurious Parts of the Plant: Awns of plant

Common Location: Throughout the U.S. with many in the western U.S.

Toxic Signs or Symptoms: Injurious to eyes, soft tissues in the mouth, digestive tract, paws, eyes, ears, skin, or fur.

Foxtails are the sharp, barbed seed heads of wild grasses that pose a severe medical risk to dogs.Because of their microscopic, fishhook-like barbs, they can easily pierce a dog’s skin or enter through the nose, ears, eyes, and paws, migrating deeper into tissue and causing painful abscesses or life-threatening internal infections.

Why Foxtails Are Dangerous

One-Way Migration: The barbed awns move forward only; they cannot work their way back out on their own and can burrow deep into organs, lungs, or the spine.

Active Season: They are most dangerous during late spring and summer when the grass dries out and turns a golden brown, easily breaking apart.

Infection Risks:They carry bacteria that frequently cause severe secondary infections and pus-filled abscesses. [

Common Symptoms by Location

• Paws: Constant licking or chewing at a specific foot, limping, or a swollen, draining lump between the toes.
• Ears: Intense head shaking, tilting, or pawing at the ear.
• Nose: Sudden, violent, and continuous sneezing fits, snorting, or bloody discharge from one nostril.
• Eyes: Squinting, heavy tearing, redness, and pawing at the eye.

Prevention and Treatment

• Check Your Dog: Inspect your dog’s coat, underbelly, armpits, and between toes immediately after walks through grassy or unpaved areas.
• Keep Fur Trimmed: Clip long hair around the paws and ears during peak foxtail season.
• At-Home Care: You should only remove a loose foxtail sitting on the surface of the fur or skin using tweezers.
• Vet Care: Seek immediate veterinary help if you suspect a foxtail has entered the skin, nose, eyes, or ears; professional sedation or surgery is often required to track and extract migrating awns.

Vet Removes Foxtail (AKA Grass Awn) from Dog’s Paw

Timothy Hay Looks Like Foxtail ! Let’s go over the difference, Timothy hay resembles Foxtail and people can confuse it easily.

The seed head

This will only be obvious when the grasses are going to seed and aren’t mowed. The foxtail seed head may droop over, which is a dead giveaway that it isn’t timothy. However, there are several different varieties of foxtail, and some seed heads remain upright. Next, check for the awns, which look like hairs coming off each tiny seed on the head. These are what give foxtail its name. Some varieties may have very long and obvious awns, but others may have shorter awns that you need to look for. Timothy has no awns as shown in image below.

Left Image: is Timothy hay.  Right Image: is Foxtail

The immature Foxtail plant has no ill effect, the maturing seed heads are troublesome. Each individual seed has an attached “spike” with barbs called “awns”. These can lodge into your pets mouths and gums, or even scratch an eye,paws etc. They can also work their way through the tissue, causing lesions and infections. It would be wise to not let pets near Foxtail, with seed heads. This information and image is from NC State University.

The Collar Region

Pull a leaf away from the stem and examine the area where they meet (this is called the collar region). You may want to use a magnifying glass or hand lens. On a timothy plant, you will see a tall membrane come away from the stem and stand upright. On a foxtail plant, you will see a fringe of hairs instead of a tall membrane. The leaves of a foxtail plant may have some hairs as well.

Left image: Timothy: Tall membrane (ligule) at collar. Image is from Ohio State University   Right image: Foxtail: Fringe of fine hairs at collar. Image is from Cornell University

Pet owners should learn how to tell the difference between foxtail and timothy grasses. In a severe infestation, eradicating the foxtail may be difficult and can take several years.

Questions And Answers

Can you flush a foxtail out of a dog’s or Cat’s nose?

No, you should not try to flush a foxtail out of a dog’s or cat’s nose at home. Pouring liquid into your dog’s nose can cause them to inhale the fluid or push the barbed plant seed much further up the nasal passage.

Why Home Flushing is Dangerous

• Barbed design: Foxtails have sharp barbs that only move forward, meaning water or improper poking will drive them deeper into the tissue.
• Aspiration risk: Forcing liquids up a nostril can cause your dog to choke or breathe water into their lungs.
• Hidden fragments: Tweezers or DIY tools often break the foxtail apart, leaving tiny pieces behind to cause severe infection. 
• Watch for signs: Symptoms like violent sneezing, bloody discharge, or pawing at the face mean the object is actively irritating the lining and needs professional care. 

Take your dog to a veterinary clinic immediately. Vets use specialized tools like tiny endoscopes and alligator forceps to safely grab and pull out the seed. Safe removal usually requires sedation or brief anesthesia so the dog stays completely still during the delicate nasal search.

Can a dog survive with a foxtail?

Yes, a dog can survive a foxtail encounter, but it is a medical emergency. Because foxtail awns have microscopic backward barbs, they do not back out; instead, they continuously burrow deeper into tissue, skin, or organs. If left untreated, migrating foxtails can cause severe infections, deep abscesses, punctured lungs, or damage to vital organs that can be fatal

Will a foxtail go away on its own?

No, an embedded foxtail will not go away or work its way out on its own. Because foxtail grass awns feature microscopic backward-facing barbs, they act like a fishhook, moving exclusively forward into skin, ears, eyes, nose, or tissue. A pet’s body cannot dissolve plant material, so unremoved foxtails burrow deeper, causing severe infections or abscesses. 

• One-way travel: Muscle movement, breathing, and walking push the barbed seed further inward.
• Deep migration: They can travel from paws up into legs, or through the nose and ears into the brain, lungs, or spine.
• No natural breakdown: The body tries to wall off the foreign object rather than absorb it, creating painful cysts or chronic draining wounds. 

How to draw out a foxtail from a dog paw?

If the foxtail is completely visible and resting loosely on the surface or webbed fur of the paw, use clean blunt-tipped tweezers to grip the base. Pull it straight out in one smooth motion without twisting. Never probe, squeeze, or dig blindly into a swollen or puncture hole if the seed is already buried under the skin.

You can remove at home if, The foxtail is entirely on the outside, caught in the fur or just barely touching the surface.Your dog is calm and lets you gently spread the toes to look between the webbing. You can clearly see the whole seed and grab it securely by the base with clean tweezers.

If the foxtail has already punctured the skin, or you see a small red swelling, draining tract, or closed lump between the toes. Your dog is in severe pain, constantly licking the spot, or refusing to put weight on the leg If you tried to pull a piece out, but it broke off inside. Foxtails have sharp barbs and migrate deep into tissue, which can cause severe abscesses or organ damage if left trapped. Vets have proper sedation, magnification, and specialized tools to flush and extract them completely. 

Will a foxtail dissolve in a dog or cat?

No, a foxtail will not dissolve inside a dog or cat. A dog’s body cannot break down or absorb plant awns. Because of their sharp barbs and tough structure, embedded or ingested foxtails continue to move forward through tissue or cause internal damage instead of disappearing. 
No biological breakdown: Plant material remains intact inside skin, airways, or the digestive tract. One-way barbs: Microscopic hooks force the seed to migrate deeper into tissue rather than working its way back out. Severe migration: They can travel from the nose, ears, or skin into the lungs, chest cavity, or spine, causing heavy infections and abscesses. 

References : UC Davis , Ohio State University, Cornell University, Fremont Animal clinic