Grass awns in dogs: what to watch for in summer

After walks through tall grass or along overgrown paths, take a moment to check your dog’s paws, coat and ears. Grass awns are small plant parts with barbs that can lodge in the body and cause discomfort.

The rough barbs readily catch in the coat on a meadow or in dense shrubs. Shaking or moving does not necessarily dislodge them; instead, movement can drive them deeper. Their tips may pierce the skin, enter the ear canal or injure an eye.

Signs of an awn in a limb include persistent paw licking, limping or swelling. An awn in the ear canal may cause head shaking or ear scratching and can lead to inflammation or injury to the eardrum.

In the eye, awns may cause painful conjunctivitis or damage to the cornea, often with redness, swelling or squinting.

After a walk in Berlin: check these areas

Pay particular attention to the spaces between the toes, the armpits and the fur around the ears. Carefully remove loose plant material from the coat. If your dog suddenly limps, repeatedly licks a paw, shakes its head or keeps an eye closed, have a vet examine it. Do not probe blindly with tweezers for an awn embedded deep in the tissue.

Note when and where the symptoms began and tell the team which part of the body is affected. This helps plan a focused examination. Contact our Berlin veterinary team.