Expers Claim That Foxtail Can Be Dangerous To Your Dogs

Most of us reading this are probably aware that there are certain types of plants that are toxic to our precious pooches. A few pet parents have been at the heartbroken end of an encounter between their canine companion and types of succulents, leading to severe illness and even death.

But did you know certain types of weeds can be dangerous too? One weed, namely Foxtail, is a grass-like weed that grows with backward-facing barbs. The direction of these barbs makes them easy to catch into our dogs’ fur, their ears, and their mouths too. Unfortunately, they can cause problems for our canine companions.

Although they are not toxic, they cause severe irritation and are usually more inclined to be caught during walks and hikes. If they get into your fur baby’s ear, you will most probably notice them pawing at their ear excessively, shaking their heads, and you may even notice a swollen ear with discharge leaking out. If these barbs get caught in your dog’s fur you may notice excessive clawing, pawing, licking, or even a swollen lump between the toes. The easiest for us to do is a check of our dogs after their walks and removing any plant pieces we see stuck to them.

Although we may not know if it is Foxtail per se, it is better to take a cautious approach then a reactive one! Our four-legged family members mean the world to us and protecting them is should be one of our highest priorities, after all, we definitely wouldn’t want to see them in a miserable state.

Feature Image Source: Pixabay