Dogs Grass Awn

If you re a dog owner who takes pride in a beautiful lawn it can be frustrating to look at your yard and see dead grass where your dog has peed.

Dogs grass awn. Pieces of plant material typically the awn seed penetrate the skin or are inhaled or ingested as the dog runs through cover. Grass awns can be inhaled become lodged in the ears swallowed or even just imbedded in the coat or skin. The most common presentation is a draining tract between the toes. Grass awns are grass seeds which are sharp sometimes barbed and have the capability to burrow into the skin of our dogs.

How do grass awns injure dogs. Diagnosis can be difficult if the grass seed has already penetrated the skin and begun to migrate into the. Not only can these burrow into the skin but these seeds have the. However grass awns can also cause much more serious health problems when they enter through the mouth or nose of a dog and migrate through the respiratory or gastrointestinal tract.

Grass seeds and awns in dogs symptoms signs. The eyes of the dog get inflamed. The dog shakes the head scratches or rubs the ears holds his head at a slightly tilted angle between the eye eyelid. Dog urine can create unsightly brown or yellow spots of dead grass.

February 5 2013 by the grass awn project 5 comments name. Pretty much any contact a dog has with grass awns is potentially hazardous. The awns of the most problematic grasses are barbed which allows the awn to ratchet itself along through the tissue. Pinecroft taylor s big boy xl breed.

These seeds or grass awns can become lodged in pet ears between toes and under the skin. Compared with the total hospital population there was an increased prevalence of grass awn problems in the springer spaniel golden retriever brittany spaniel and airedale terrier but a decreased prevalence in german shepherd dogs miniature poodles and dachshunds. No infections or abscesses matted hair only ear canal. It is when they are not quickly removed by the owner or expelled by the animal that they become problematic.

Some dog owners believe that it s just part of living with dogs but this doesn t have to be the case. Signs of foxtail or cheatgrass problems in dogs lethargy loss of appetite swelling or lump puncture hole discharge or bleeding licking chewing or pawing at the affected area limping if legs paws affected shaking head if ears affected. When grass seeds. Depending on where the grass awn get stuck contact symptoms can vary accordingly.