- If you live in an area where foxtails grow, remove weeds from your yard.
- Keep your dog away from grassy weeds when walking, hiking or hunting. Or, have them wear protective footwear.
- Discourage your dogs from chewing on grasses.
- If your pet has been outdoors in an area possibly infested with foxtails…
- Examine your pet daily. Carefully brush its hair, while feeling for any raised areas on its skin. Check inside and under its ears; check between the toes, under the armpits and in the groin area. Keep long haired and thick coated pets especially well-groomed.
If you see a foxtail seed sticking in your pet’s skin, carefully pull it straight out, making sure not to break it off in the process.
IMPORTANT
If you think a seed might already embedded in the skin, in a paw, in an eye or an ear, or if a pet who has been eating grass seems to have a throat problem, get it to a veterinarian as soon as possible! Waiting can only make it harder to find, allow it to migrate and become more dangerous, and make treatment more difficult.