Southern California has the best climate in the nation. Not too hot, not too cold. Not too much rainfall. This makes it an ideal place to live. Unfortunately it also makes it a ripe environment for wild weeds. Most of these weeds are not harmful. But one weed in particular, while being completely non-toxic is an extreme threat to your pets. While this weed can grow almost anywhere in the world, Southern California has the best habitat for it and it can grow anywhere, from the chaparral covered hills to an empty lot or your own backyard.
“Wild barley” (Hordeum murinum) is commonly called “foxtail” or “foxtail Brome grass” due to the distinctive shape of its seed cluster. During the early spring, these weeds start to populate anywhere the seeds had been carried the previous summer. While green, they pose little danger. Once the seeds mature and the plant begins to wither (around May most years), the seeds can fall off the plant, either by blowing in the wind (less common) or by sticking to the hair coat of a passing animal (more common.) These seeds are ideally suited to transmission via animals because of their shape. These seeds are in a “V” shape, with a sharp point on one end and microscopic barbs on the other. These barbs and this “V” shape allow the seed to firmly attach to the coat. Later, during grooming or running through other plants, these seeds can be knocked off and will sit in the soil until the following spring.
While this structure is a wonderful adaptation for this plant, this mechanism can cause a lot of problems for the animal “ride” it attaches to. This structure allows for the foxtail to “migrate” deeper into the coat with time. Because of those barbs, it cannot move back out again. So it just will continue to go deeper and deeper wherever it lands. This can cause a lot of problems.
Ears: Foxtails commonly get stuck on the head, as most dogs that run into the brush or weeds go head first. If a Foxtail gets up and under the ear flap (pinna) they can reach the ear canal. Then they migrate on down, deep and deeper. This is quite uncomfortable. Eventually it reaches the ear drum (tympanic membrane) and that nice pointed end allows it to rupture the eardrum and get into the middle ear. This causes severe pain and usually an ear infection as well. Signs are usually shaking the head or pawing at the ears. Whining is usually present. For most dogs, anesthesia is required to pull these out. I once removed 4 foxtails from one ear.
Eye: Again being on the receiving end of running through brush, foxtails can get trapped underneath the eyelids. This causes excruciating pain and usually a scratch (ulcer) on the cornea (clear part of the eye). Symptoms include pawing at the eye, eye redness (conjunctivitis), eye discharge, and squinting. Most dogs can have the foxtail removed with a local anesthetic. Topical antibiotics are always required. If the foxtail is not caught in time, it could cause rupture of the eye and require the eye to be removed.
Skin: In thick or long-coated breeds especially, foxtails can get caught in the fur. Eventually they work their way into the skin. All the way in. This causes a nasty sore which looks like a hole (puncture) with drainage from secondary infection. The foxtail is not usually visible because it is so far up the draining tract. In southern California foxtails are the number one cause of a non-healing draining wound. Once, I had a foxtail which had migrated a full foot distance under the skin. These lesions can be anywhere on the body, but the feet are especially prone. Symptoms include: lameness, licking (especially a single foot), or a draining sore. Treatment is removal of the foxtail and systemic (oral) antibiotics. These foxtails are covered with some especially nasty bacteria. Sometimes removal is easy, and can be performed with a local anesthetic. Usually general anesthesia (being asleep) is required. If the foxtails are in long enough, the body covers them with scar tissue, making them very difficult to find. Once in a while, these foxtails are found on a biopsy of what was though to be a tumor. Sometimes multiple procedures are required (especially if more than one foxtail was present in the wound.)
Nose: Inhaling a foxtail causes immediate unrelenting sneezing. Within a short period of time, this sneezing can become quite bloody. THIS IS A VETERINARY EMERGENCY. Not only is this a very painful condition, but if that foxtail gets high enough it could get sucked into the lung (which is very, very bad.) Removal of a foxtail in the nose requires general anesthesia and rhinoscopy (a scope to be put into the nose) to find and remove the foxtail.
Throat: If a foxtail is inhaled/ingested through the mouth, symptoms could include coughing, gagging, or retching. Sometimes dogs with a foxtail stuck in the mouth, throat, or esophagus (tube running from mouth to stomach) will eat grass, or stand in a position with the neck extended while swallowing frequently. It would feel like you would if you got a fish bone stuck. Like inhaling a foxtail through the nose, getting a foxtail in the lungs is really bad.
Chest: A foxtail which is inhaled goes down the windpipe (trachea) and into the lungs. But it doesn’t stop there. They can actually go right through the lungs and into the chest cavity where they usually get stuck between ribs or up by the spine. Besides the unpleasantness of having foreign material migrating all over the chest, these foxtails pose a huge danger from the bacteria they bring with them. There are three types of infections to be worried about. Pneumonia (lung infection), a Pyothorax (where the chest fills up with pus), or diskospondylitis (bone infection of the spine.) All of these conditions are very serious and fatalities do occur. The foxtails are especially a problem because the infections do not heal if the foxtail is not removed. The foxtails are very difficult to find, as they are small, covering with infection and scar tissue, and are completely invisible on a radiograph (X-Ray). The most expensive veterinary case that I ever witnessed was at UC Davis with a Saint Bernard that had a pyothorax from a foxtail. He had multiple open chest surgeries (thoracotomies) and was in intensive care for a month. Luckily, he lived. The owners’ bill was well over $80,000.
If these weeds are everywhere, what can you do to prevent these problems from foxtails? Plenty.
- While walking your dog, especially in rural areas or brush, keep them on the path on a short leash
- Keep your yard clear of weeds
- Do not allow your dog to walk through empty lots
- Keep your pet’s fur kept trimmed short, especially the feet and ears. Cocker spaniels are especially prone if their fur is kept long. Trimming should be done as the hills are turning brown and every 6-8 weeks until the end of September.
- Check your dog for foxtails daily and brush them daily.
- If you suspect a foxtail or see one on your pet, bring them into a veterinarian immediately. When one foxtail is found, usually others are present. One foxtail plant can have dozens of seeds just waiting for a passerby.
Hopefully this article didn’t just scare you about this danger, but will educate and help to prevent your pet from having problems from these dangerous weeds. In the last 3 weeks, we have had 6 dogs with complications from Foxtails, one of which will likely require surgery for a foxtail near the spine by a specialist. Be vigilant and use good sense and prevention to keep your dog safe.