As soon as the warm days of May arrive, the grass in Madrid's vacant lots, parks and paths starts to dry out and fill up with grass awns, known in Spain as espigas and in some countries as foxtails. To us they are just weeds, but grass awns in dogs are one of the most common reasons for a vet visit in spring and early summer. They catch in the coat, slip into the ear, the nose or between the toes and, if they are not removed in time, they can travel through the body and cause serious problems. Here is where they get in, how to spot them and what you can do to avoid them.
What grass awns are and why they are so dangerous
Grass awns are the seed heads of certain wild grasses, such as the wall barley that grows on waste ground, roadsides and path edges. While green they are soft, but once dry they become hard and sharp, and they are covered in tiny backward-pointing barbs, a bit like a harpoon.
That design is what makes them dangerous: an awn can only move one way. Every movement your dog makes, whether walking, scratching, breathing or chewing, pushes it a little further in and never back out. So an awn sitting at the entrance of the ear or between two toes today may, a few days later, be deep in the ear canal or under the skin. In rare but serious cases they can reach the lungs, the chest or the abdomen and cause abscesses and infections that are hard to treat.
Any dog can be affected, but the risk is higher in dogs with long or wavy coats, dogs with floppy ears (Cocker Spaniels, Springers, Setters, Golden Retrievers), hunting dogs, and any dog that loves running and sniffing through tall grass. Outdoor cats can get them too, though less often.
Where they get in and what you will notice
Signs usually start suddenly, often during or shortly after a walk, and typically affect one side only. Depending on the location:
- Ear: the most common site. Your dog suddenly and repeatedly shakes its head, tilts it to one side, scratches at the ear, yelps when you touch it or holds it down. Over the following days there may be a bad smell or discharge, and the awn can even perforate the eardrum.
- Nose: violent, repeated sneezing that starts out of nowhere, pawing at the muzzle or rubbing it on the ground, and sometimes a little bleeding from one nostril. If left, the sneezing may settle, but a chronic one-sided nasal discharge often follows.
- Between the toes: constant licking of one paw, limping, or a small red lump or weeping sore between the toes. It is typical for it to "heal" and then break open again and again.
- Eyes: squinting or keeping one eye closed, heavy tearing, rubbing the eye, and often the third eyelid showing. Awns like to hide behind this eyelid, where you cannot see them.
- Skin: a painful swelling, an abscess or a draining tract, especially in the armpits, groin, neck or flanks. Your dog may lick or chew at the area.
- Genitals: persistent licking of the prepuce or vulva, discharge or swelling, sometimes with discomfort when urinating.
- Mouth and throat: gagging, coughing, drooling or difficulty swallowing after eating grass or chewing on seed heads.
Why you should not wait
It is tempting to think your dog will "get it out on its own", or to wait and see whether things look better tomorrow. With grass awns, that rarely works. Because they only move inwards, the sooner they are looked for, the easier they are to find and the simpler it is to remove them. A few hours after a walk, an awn in the ear or nose is usually still within reach; days later it may be surrounded by pus, lodged somewhere deep or out of sight altogether.
Treating only the symptoms does not help either. Antibiotics or ear drops may bring relief for a few days, but while the awn is still inside, the infection comes back and the awn keeps moving. Awns are plant material and do not show up on X-rays, so diagnosis relies on the history, a careful examination and often tools such as an otoscope, rhinoscopy or ultrasound.
If you notice any of these signs after a walk through dry grass, book a same-day appointment. Go to an emergency clinic if there is severe pain, a closed eye, a nosebleed, coughing or difficulty breathing, or if your dog seems lethargic or feverish.
What to do, and what not to do, at home
Things you can do:
- Remove any awns that are loose in the coat or only caught on the surface, not embedded.
- Keep your dog calm and stop it scratching or rubbing hard, as this pushes the awn further in.
- Note which side is affected and when the signs started: this is really useful for your vet.
- Get to the clinic as soon as you can, even if the symptoms seem to have eased.
Things to avoid:
- Don't try to pull out an awn lodged in the ear, nose or eye with tweezers. It is easy to snap it and leave a piece behind, or push it deeper, and your dog may move suddenly and get hurt.
- Don't put drops in the ear before a vet has looked: if the awn has perforated the eardrum, some products can damage the middle ear.
- Don't use cotton buds in the ear or try home nasal rinses.
- Don't give human medicines or leftover antibiotics: they can be toxic and only mask the problem without solving it.
At the clinic, examining a painful ear or nose in an awake dog is often not possible, so sedation is frequently needed to find and remove the awn safely and to check whether there are any more.
Prevention is the best treatment
There is no vaccine or product that protects against grass awns, but a few simple habits greatly reduce the risk during the season, which in Madrid runs roughly from late April or May well into the summer:
- Check your dog after every walk, especially after fields or waste ground: inside and outside the ears, between the toes and around the pads, armpits, groin, neck, muzzle and around the eyes. Run your hand against the lie of the coat to feel for them.
- Brush often in spring and summer, particularly long-coated dogs.
- Trim the fur on the feet (between the toes and around the pads) and around the ear openings. There is no need for a full shave; just keep those areas tidy.
- Avoid areas of tall, dry grass: vacant lots, verges, path edges and unmown parks. Choose clear paths, watered areas or short lawns instead.
- For hunting dogs or very active country dogs, ear and paw protectors can help on specific outings.
- If you have a garden, mow before the grass dries and sets seed.
Grass awns are just one of the risks of the warmer months, so it is worth knowing the basics of first aid for pets for any mishap out in the countryside.
Learn more
If you would like to see how a vet approaches these cases, our clinical quiz section includes cases on a grass awn in a dog's nose, an awn hidden in the eye and sudden lameness caused by a foot problem. They are written for professionals, but they show clearly why waiting is a bad idea.
This article is for information only and does not replace an assessment by your veterinarian. If you suspect your dog has a grass awn, see your vet as soon as possible.
