Grass Awn Vs Foxtail
If hay is made off a field that is contaminated with foxtail grass it increases the chance that the animal may contact the grass awn at any point that the hay is fed.
Grass awn vs foxtail. The species of grass awn varies across the united states with hordeum common in the west stipaand seteria in the south and avena reported in parts of europe. An oral grass awn foreign. Also known as grass awns the foxtail weed can be hazardous to your lawn as well as your pets. Grass family poaceae reasons for concern.
Foxtail plants can be risky for your dog. This is why foxtail is typically a problem for the second hay. Foxtail is an annual grass that germinates in the spring when soil temperature averages 65 degrees for three consecutive days. Cheatgrass is another type of grass awn known to be dangerous to dogs health.
Alexander county soil temperature data from 2009 to 2018 shows 65 f three day average soil temperature occurred between april 22 and may 9. To come back year after year it drops hundreds and hundreds of seeds into the soil. An awn is a hairy or bristle like appendage growing from the ear or flower of barley rye and many types of widely growing grasses. Foxtail barley foxtail scientific name.
Foxtail seeds can also separate from the pod and become embedded. The foxtail season is here. 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. Every spring brings lovely weather new plant life cycle wildflowers and foxtail seeds.
The barbed seed heads of the foxtail plant can work their way into any part of your dog or cat from the nose to between the toes and inside the ears eyes and mouth they can even simply dig themselves directly into a patch of skin. Foxtails are the common name for the grass awns seen in the western united states. Foxtail is a summer annual grass meaning it grows from seed in the spring and dies in the fall. Movement from the dog allows the grass awn to pierce the dog s skin becoming embedded due to the barbs.
The foxtail plant is a grass like weed. 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.