Granny in the dog: How to protect your four-legged friend from the invisible danger

Summer is the most beautiful time of year for us and our four-legged friends. We enjoy long walks in nature, balmy evenings and trips into the countryside. But as soon as the meadows are tall and the grain dries on the fields, an often completely underestimated, invisible danger lurks in the tall grass: foxtails!

What means merely a little prick in the calf for us humans can become a real medical emergency for our animal companions. Foxtails in dogs are a massive potential danger that responsible dog owners should absolutely know about and never underestimate.

In our detailed blog post, you will find out in detail what exactly these treacherous plant parts are, why they can bore through the dog's body like little arrows, what symptoms indicate that your dog is affected, and what simple but effective tips you can use to protect them from them.

To defeat the enemy, you must know it. Foxtails are basically tiny, often prickly plant parts (the so-called awns) that enclose the seed in many plant families. They are found mainly in the large grass family (Poaceae), which includes agricultural crops such as wheat, barley, rye and oats.

The absolutely treacherous thing about these small plant parts is their anatomical structure. Foxtails have tiny, microscopic bristles and barbs. Because of this arrow-like structure, they have a fatal property: they can only move in one direction – forward! As soon as they get caught in our four-legged friends' fur, they move inexorably deeper toward the skin with every movement the dog makes.

The classic foxtail season begins as early as late spring (May/June) and extends throughout the whole of summer into late summer and early autumn.

It becomes particularly dangerous when temperatures rise, the plant parts on the fields and meadows dry out and eventually fall off the plant or become easily brushed off. When dogs now joyfully run across stubble fields or through tall grass, a brief brush is enough for a foxtail to get caught in their fur.

An important misconception: Many dog owners think that foxtails are only a problem on rural grain fields. This is wrong! They lurk in the middle of the city too. So-called foxtail barley grows as a persistent weed on almost every urban roadside, out of cracks in the pavement or along fences, and contains extremely aggressive foxtails.

The problem with foxtails in dogs is not just getting caught externally in the fur. The real danger begins when they reach the surface of the skin. With their sharp tip and barbs, they relentlessly bore through intact skin into the dog's tissue. Once they have penetrated, they cannot fall out on their own.

They practically travel through the body! On their way under the skin, they carry a large amount of dirt and bacteria with them. The consequences are serious: extremely painful inflammation, purulent infections, deep-seated abscesses and fistulas develop.

It becomes even more dangerous when the foxtails enter not the skin, but body openings such as the ears, nose, eyes or even the respiratory tract (while panting in the field). If a foxtail gets into the lung or is swallowed, it can lead to severe organ damage or injure the gastrointestinal tract. If your dog already has a sensitive stomach, you should absolutely avoid such irritations. Read about this too: What do dogs eat? What you should absolutely pay attention to!

1. Symptoms: Foxtail in the paw

The paws, more precisely the soft spaces between the toes (webbing), are the absolute foxtail magnet number one.

• Continuous, almost manic licking and chewing at the paw

• Sudden limping or lameness after the walk

• Obvious redness and a hard, hot swelling (often like a small lump) between the toes

• The dog reacts extremely sensitively to pain when you palpate the paw

2. Symptoms: Foxtail in the ear

Dogs with floppy ears (like spaniels or retrievers) are particularly at risk here, as the foxtails slide into the earlobe like through a funnel.

• Sudden, extremely violent and continuous head shaking

• The dog holds its head cocked (the affected side tilts downwards)

• Panicked scratching at the ear, often accompanied by whining

• Strong sensitivity to pain when touched

• In an advanced stage: Discharge from the ear or balance disorders (if the eardrum is damaged)

3. Symptoms: Foxtail in the nose

While sniffing extensively at the roadside, a foxtail is sucked in lightning-fast like through a vacuum cleaner.

• Sudden, extremely violent and non-stop sneezing (often the dog slaps its nose on the ground while doing so)

• Heavy panting and rattling breathing

• The dog rubs its nose continuously with its paws

• One-sided, initially watery, later often bloody nasal discharge

• Strong coughing or gagging (if the foxtail migrates into the throat)

4. Symptoms: Foxtail in the eye

This is not only extremely painful, but can quickly lead to blindness if left untreated, as the foxtail scratches the cornea.

• Sudden, strong squinting of the eye (eyelid spasm)

• The eye waters extremely heavily and is strongly reddened

• The dog constantly rubs its paw over the eye

• Strong swelling of the eyelid margin

• Yellowish or purulent eye discharge

If you notice the above symptoms for foxtails in dogs, quick action is required.

ATTENTION: If the foxtail is still completely loose and only superficially caught in the fur, you can easily pull it out with your fingers, a fine comb or tweezers.

But if the foxtail is already in the skin, ear, eye or nose, there is an absolute ban on doing it yourself! Never try to pull a firmly seated foxtail out of the ear canal or nose yourself with tweezers. Because of the barbs, the foxtail breaks off extremely easily when pulled back. The rest remains stuck deep in the tissue and the inflammation becomes dramatically worse.

In such a case, go immediately to the vet! The vet has special tools (otoscope, fine forceps) and can often give the dog a mild local anesthetic to remove the foreign body painlessly and completely.

Avoiding foxtails early is the very best medicine. With these 5 simple measures, you enormously reduce the risk of a painful foxtail injury for your four-legged friend in summer:

1. Walk Foresightfully: During the high season (June to August), avoid walking through unmown, dry grain fields or knee-high, parched grass. Stay on mown paths and even in the city, give overgrown foxtail grass along the roadside a wide berth.

2. The Daily Body Check Routine: Make it an absolute habit to carefully feel over your dog after every summer walk. Run your hands through the fur, check the armpits, belly, and especially the area around the neck.

3. Don't Forget the Paw Check: After walking the dog, gently spread the toes apart and take a close look into the fine spaces between the toes as well as under the pads. This is where 90% of foxtails hide!

4. Trim the Fur: Keep your dog's fur short at the vulnerable areas during the summer months. Regularly trim the fur between the toes and pads. The hair on the inside of the ear flaps should also be kept short so that foxtails have less surface area to latch onto.

5. Check the Ears: After a walk, flip the ears over once and take a quick look inside. Foxtails often hang in the ear canal entrance before shaking deep into the ear canal.

The warm season should be fun and not defined by constant worry! While foxtails in dogs are a real and potentially dangerous problem, most dramas can be wonderfully prevented if you are attentive.

Avoid dry fields, routinely reach for the brush after a walk, and check your pet's paws and ears especially carefully. If your dog still suddenly sneezes, limps, or shakes its head, do not hesitate to visit the vet. With a little caution and the right grooming, absolutely nothing stands in the way of your carefree, relaxed summer adventures!