Calgary vet warns dog owners to be aware of harmful effects of foxtail

As more people and their pets spend time outdoors, Calgary veterinarians are once again warning about the potentially harmful effects of foxtail grass. 

The sharp, barbed seeds can drive forward into the tissue, becoming lodged in a dog’s paws, ears, throat and skin.

“The risks of foxtails really depend on where they enter the body and where they migrate to,” said Dr. Shelby Kimura, a veterinarian at Healthy Paws Forward Veterinary Hospital.  

“Much like when you’re trying to remove a sliver, sometimes the more you try, the deeper it goes. This can cause irritation in any of the orifices because we can’t really see what’s going on, we can only see that our dog is not well.”  

Kimura said she mostly treats dogs who have eaten foxtails.

“They’ll be swallowing really hard, gulping, maybe drooling a little bit, obsessively eating grass or licking the floors or on the walls or even themselves,” she told CTV News.

Dogs that get foxtail in their ear may paw at or shake their head excessively. While dogs that get them in their eyes will often have redness and other irritation, according to Kimura.

She said any of these signs warrant a visit to the vet.

The most severe cases are when foxtail gets into the respiratory tract and into the chest.

“They can form an abscess in the lungs, but they can also cause immediate and emergent signs where you would need to go to the vet. You might see that they have trouble breathing, they’re coughing a lot, just a general overall malaise.”

Dogs that get foxtail in their ear may paw at or shake their head excessively, while dogs that get them in their eyes will often have redness and other irritation, according to Kimura.

Megan Stride knows the dangers of Foxtail all too well.

A few years ago, she took her Bichon Shih Tzu Lily-Belle out to a field. When they got home, she began”reverse sneezing” and coughing after a foxtail got lodged in her nose.

“I kind of felt bad that I brought her in that field in the first place,” Stride said.

“Didn’t feel great and it hurts to see her not feeling well, so it was a bit scary.”

A small procedure was required to take it out, but it came with a price tag of about $500.

“I’m very thankful that she’s okay,” Stride said.

Kimura said treatment in cases involving foxtail can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on if they need to see a specialist or require surgery.

Some dog owners who haven’t had to deal with this worry one day they’ll have to.

“That is a concern and I’m being more watchful about where those foxtails are,” said Sharon Maxwell, who has a two-year-old mixed breed rescue dog named Echo.

Carol Worrall has a six-year-old Belgian Shepherd named Jagger and says she is also being extra careful.

“That would be a lot painful for him and I’d have to take him to the vet to see what they can do.”

Kimura said owners should educate themselves on what areas have foxtail and other dangerous plants, and to always keep an eye on their dog.

“Watch what your dog is doing. If they’re off-leash, if there are any concerns in the area, keep them on leash, keep them close so that you know what goes into their mouth,” she said.

“Avoid the access. That is absolutely the best and only way to definitively make sure that these dogs do not get exposed to foxtails.”