I was speaking with a friend and former TPFer who recently underwent the most horrifying health emergency with her dog. Her dog was found to have large amounts of fluids in her chest cavities and it nearly killed her. She was rushed to the emergency room of a major vet school hospital, underwent all sorts of tests with inconclusive results, and was under intensive care for quite some time. Though they're not yet sure what caused the rapid build-up of chest fluid one of the possible and most likely culprits is a grass awn. Never heard of it? I hadn't either.
A grass awn is a tiny dried, barb-shaped husk around grass seed. It can catch in a dog's fur and because of its barbs eventually work its way through the skin. It can also be inhaled. It can cause a major build-up of body fluids when the dog's immune system tries to expel it. Grass awns are a frequent cause of death of hunting dogs because they often run through long grass. Grass awns can get caught in ears, tails, between toes, even on lips. They're one of the reasons hunting dogs often wear jackets, to keep awns away from their chest.
If you're going hiking or camping, or even for a stroll through a park, always take along a stiff brush and thoroughly brush your dog's coat as soon as you get home. Check the ears, between the toes, the armpits and groin, even the mouth and gums for any prickly plant matter.
There's lots of info about grass awns and their danger to dogs on the web and here are just a few helpful links. I've been a dog owner for 25 years and never heard of this until today. I was flabbergasted.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2111&aid=2964
http://www.chicagonow.com/training-the-wolf/2014/05/grass-awns/
A grass awn is a tiny dried, barb-shaped husk around grass seed. It can catch in a dog's fur and because of its barbs eventually work its way through the skin. It can also be inhaled. It can cause a major build-up of body fluids when the dog's immune system tries to expel it. Grass awns are a frequent cause of death of hunting dogs because they often run through long grass. Grass awns can get caught in ears, tails, between toes, even on lips. They're one of the reasons hunting dogs often wear jackets, to keep awns away from their chest.
If you're going hiking or camping, or even for a stroll through a park, always take along a stiff brush and thoroughly brush your dog's coat as soon as you get home. Check the ears, between the toes, the armpits and groin, even the mouth and gums for any prickly plant matter.
There's lots of info about grass awns and their danger to dogs on the web and here are just a few helpful links. I've been a dog owner for 25 years and never heard of this until today. I was flabbergasted.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2111&aid=2964
http://www.chicagonow.com/training-the-wolf/2014/05/grass-awns/