Dog Ate Foxtails – What to Do Next

Plants like foxtails may appear harmless but they do have the potential to make dogs sick if they are ingested. How dangerous it is will depend on a number of factors like the type of foxtail and the number of foxtails the dog ate.

What happens when a dog eats foxtail?

Foxtails may cause irritation in the dog’s gastrointestinal tract. For example, they may get embedded in the dog’s mouth and throat. The irritation from this would then cause the dog to retch, cough, and gag a lot. The dog may also salivate a lot more than usual. The sharp, pointy tips make it easy for a foxtail plant to embed itself into the dog’s body.

It can get worse if the foxtail is to make its way deeper into the dog’s digestive tract. A dog, for example, could suffer from symptoms like vomiting and a loss of appetite if the foxtails get embedded in vital organs like the stomach and intestines. The sharp edges may even cause perforation. This can then lead to serious infections.

What to do if your dog ate foxtails

Call the vet immediately, even if the dog ate a small part of the foxtail. This isn’t a time to assume your dog will be safe, even if he acts normal after eating a foxtail. If your dog gets lucky, the foxtail may not have made it far and the vet should be able to extract it from the dog’s mouth. Sedation or anesthesia might be needed if the foxtail edges are embedded deeper inside the dog’s body.

Don’t ever try to induce vomiting on your own. This may make the situation worse and increases the chances of the foxtail edges getting stuck somewhere in the dog’s gastrointestinal tract.