Our furry friends are no match for foxtails

UF Health Podcasts

When we call out certain plants for being hazardous to pets, we’re usually talking about toxicity. But with foxtails, it’s all about physical contact.

Foxtails are seemingly innocuous seed pods that arise from all sorts of grasses across the U.S. Their salient features are long, sticky fronds that attach to an animal’s fur. From there, pieces of the seed pod can work their way into an animal’s skin, eyes, ears or nose — sometimes much deeper.

Foxtails are especially prone to burrow between a pet’s toes, where they often cause painful inflammation. Paw chewing, eye discharge, coughing or sneezing and head shaking and are all signs to check for these sinister seed pods. Left unchecked, they can cause serious problems.