Grass Awns In Dogs Ear

One of the most common minor emergencies we see during the summer in the mid southare grass awn foreign bodies.

Grass awns in dogs ear.

Grass awns may get caught in a dog s paws nostrils face and ears. These seeds or grass awns can become lodged in pet ears between toes and under the skin. Grass awns can be inhaled become lodged in the ears swallowed or even just imbedded in the coat or skin. Pretty much any contact a dog has with grass awns is potentially hazardous.

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. The most common presentation is a draining tract between the toes. It is when they are not quickly removed by the owner or expelled by the animal that they become problematic.

When a grass awn is embedded the body responds with inflammation. No infections or abscesses matted hair only ear canal. The dog shakes the head scratches or rubs the ears holds his head at a slightly tilted angle between the eye eyelid.