Grass Awn In Dogs Foot

Grass seeds have little barbs at one end which if not removed can literally bore into your dog s tender skin between its toes.

Grass awn in dogs foot. Thursday june 22 2017 if you have a spaniel retriever or similar dog and your dog takes walks anywhere where there is long grass the chances are it may have grass seeds between its toes. Patrick mahaney of california the symptoms of a plant awn imbedding in the skin include inflammation redness irritation and draining sores which have a clear or purulent pus discharge. Grass awns have been known to migrate through the body wall and migrate to the chest and abdominal cavities. 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.

Breeds with short bristly hairs in between their toes are the most likely to develop this type of abscess since the short hairs are often forced backward as the dog walks resulting in ingrown hairs and a bacterial infection. According to veterinarian dr. The dog s paw may be swollen or sore if the grass seed has moved into the foot. The most common presentation is a draining tract between the toes.

There is a red painful. There s often also a small hole and sometimes the tip of the grass seed may be visible. Some examples include foxtails speargrass feathergrass and buzzard grass. When a grass awn is embedded the body responds with inflammation.

Dogs pick up loads of cheat grass in their feet and ears. If your dog has grass seeds lodged in the skin between the toes however you may see a red raised boil that the dog has been licking for a day or two. It gets into the hair between their toes and penetrates right through the skin eventually making an abscess. These seeds or grass awns can become lodged in pet ears between toes and under the skin.

The barb on the end of the seed allows it to get caught in a pet s fur and also to penetrate the skin. A dog might also excessively rub its nose. Also known as grass awns these backward pointing barbs typically fall off long wild grass barley and rye and embed themselves in a dog s paws ears armpits tail or skin sometimes causing painful wounds and infections. They may also become embedded in the body.

In rare cases grass awns have also been known to burrow under the skin and travel to other parts of the body.