{"id":294,"date":"2025-08-28T18:13:35","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T01:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cherrycreekvet.com\/blog\/?p=294"},"modified":"2025-09-03T07:18:43","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T14:18:43","slug":"protecting-your-dog-from-foxtails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cherrycreekvet.com\/blog\/protecting-your-dog-from-foxtails\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Your Dog From Foxtails\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Dog<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Summer adventures with your dog can quickly turn stressful if you\u2019re not on the lookout for one dangerous, yet unsuspecting plant: foxtails. This common summer weed might look harmless, but it can cause serious health problems for your pup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Are Foxtails?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Foxtai<\/a>ls<\/a> are the barbed seed heads of certain types of grasses, especially those that grow tall and dry out in the heat. In states like California and other parts of the West, foxtails pop up in open fields, roadsides, trails, and even in your backyard as the weather gets warmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their sharp, barbed shape helps them burrow into the soil to grow. But unfortunately for your pup, that same shape also makes them perfect for burrowing into your dog\u2019s body. Here’s what the team at Cherry Creek Veterinary Hospital<\/a> has to say about these pernicious little plants!\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Foxtails Are So Dangerous<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unlike regular grass seeds, foxtails don\u2019t just cling to your dog\u2019s fur and tangle it up. They keep moving. Once a foxtail attaches to your dog\u2019s coat or skin, it can travel deeper, piercing the skin, and even entering into tissue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foxtails have been found in dogs’ ears, eyes, noses, and paws, and in the worst cases, they can even get all the way into your pet’s lungs or other internal organs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, foxtails are terrible news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs your dog may have picked up a foxtail include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n