Pet owners concerned about prevalence of foxtail

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on August 13, 2022.

Herald photo by Ry Clarke Dog owners avoid the Foxtails in RiverStone Dog Park Friday morning, understanding the risk the plant poses to pets health.

The City of Lethbridge is taking a proactive approach this year to the infestation of foxtail in the area.

Foxtail barley is a perennial grass that grows within the city, and although not designated by legislation as a noxious weed it can be dangerous to pets.

For this reason, the city is hoping to spread awareness to the public while also controlling the plant’s growth with mowing and spraying of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup.

“What we’ve done in the parks department is try to mow it regularly and to make sure that it doesn’t go to seed. But with our resources limited, we can’t necessarily cut it down all the time. We are trying,” said Hiroshi Okubo, parks operations manager. “In RiverStone Dog Park we do go in and cut it, we try to cut the outside of the parks on city property too. Scenic Drive Dog Run we have cut the tops of that along with in Peenaquim (Park). Along with giving tips for residents to keep their dogs away from it, I would suggest if you see lots of foxtail, don’t let your dogs play in there. Keep your dogs on a leash.”

Foxtail poses a risk to a pet’s health and can lead to an emergency visit to the vet if they become lodged in skin, mouth, nose, and eyes. If a dog digests the barbed seed head, it can cause serious illness or even death. You can protect your pet by avoiding areas where foxtail grows, keeping your dog on leash when you see them on walks, trimming the hair between your dog’s toes and around ears and belly, and checking their coats with brushing after being outdoors. Netted muzzles do offer a protection to the inhalation of the foxtail.

Residents have become more concerned with the amount they are seeing in the city. McKenzie Walser, who takes her dog Loki to the RiverStone Dog Park, stated they are a constant issue in the park.

“I’m very concerned, we come here at least two or three times a day, and I see a lot of people picking them up for their own dog’s safety. I think that there should be more done with the city, because there’s so many people that come here and say they’ve had to go to the vet and spend a tremendous amount of money and it’s just heartbreaking,” said Walser.

The City recommends that on public property the best measure is to pull the foxtail and bag it so the seeds do not spread, while noting the city does try to bag the foxtail when possible but doesn’t have the resources to bag, instead using a mulching process. The areas the City has done spraying have seen a significant decrease in foxtail.

“Last summer we built a program where we did more pre-emergent spraying, where we went into shrub beds that were really bad the year before and applied a chemical so during the summer there would be less growth,” said Okubo. “We will continue that going forward. When compared with the amount we saw this time last year I’ve been told there’s quite a bit less, probably 70 to 80 per cent less than last year.”

With regular mowing and control the City is hoping to curb the growth on foxtail in city areas, but still wants to make the public aware of the risks foxtail pose to pet safety and help avoid complications with their health.

For more information visit https://www.lethbridge.ca/living-here/my-home/Pages/Foxtail.aspx