Foxtail awns present the most insidious threat to the health of dogs in the western united states.
Foxtail grass awn.
It gets the name from the seed heads it forms which look exactly like the foxes tails.
Foxtail barley june 15 2011 by the grass awn project leave a comment we ve had a cold spring in southern wi so plants may be behind schedule here.
There are a few different varieties of foxtail yellow green and giant.
Foxtails are grasses with seed awns that are extremely dangerous to dogs.
A foxtail awn is the sharp barbed seed head of a grassy plant or type of wild barley.
Here is how to identify foxtails get them off your property and protect your dog.
Grass awns are the seed pods of certain tall grasses that grow as invasive weeds.
Each individual seed contains spikes with barbs called awns which can lodge in horses mouths and gums or even scratch an eye.
The seed heads of this grass have a needle like bristle at the tip of each seed called an awn which can be dangerous for livestock and pets because awns can work their way into the animals mouth nose eyes and digestive systems.
The foxtail barley is emerging and it s easy to spot in the roadside medians right now as the feathery tops are a very pale gold against.
Other common names for foxtail type grasses include cheatgrass speargrass bromegrass and needlegrass.
The applied nomer foxtail describes the bushy cluster of seed awns characteristic of these plants.
Foxtail awns are barbed razor sharp needles designed to burrow into the ground with the seed.
The yellow foxtail is the smallest and the most prevalent in yards and lawns.
While the immature foxtail plant has no ill effect on horses the seed heads are troublesome.
Cheatgrass is another type of grass awn known to be dangerous to dogs health.
The sharp needles on the seed heads of the foxtail plant can also work their way into any part of your dog from the nose to between the toes and inside the ears eyes and mouth.
Whether you call them awns mean seeds timothy foxtails cheat grass june grass downy brome or any other number of colloquial names to dogs they generally mean one thing and that s trouble.
These grasses can be found throughout north america and are especially prevalent in the western united states.
Common examples of these weeds include foxtail and cheatgrass.
These weedy grasses form seed pods that dry out and scatter in the summer.
Awns of destruction for western dogs.