Awns? What is that?
They are the stubborn, nasty little spikes that grow around the seeds and grains of grasses or grains.
The bristly plant particles found on the ears of grains, for example, have small barbs that attach themselves to dog or cat fur, as well as clothing, on contact. During ripening, or harvesting, the awns often come loose and get onto pathways where they can become dangerous to animals.
Due to their barbs, the plant parts can get stuck in various parts of the animal's body or even get INTO THE animal as a foreign body. There they can cause inflammation and damage.
Not only can awns get caught in the ears, they even burrow under the skin where the skin is somewhat thinner. In the area between the toes on the paws, in the nose, but also under the armpits and groin.
Awns penetrate very quickly and are then no longer visible from the outside.
Even awns that are inhaled are quickly no longer visible to the naked eye and often form purulent abscesses.
Does your pet suddenly sneeze frequently or limp and lick its paw? Does your pet scratch its eyes or ears intensively? Does your four-legged friend shake himself constantly or scratch his ear?
Then awns could be responsible.
You should have them removed immediately by a veterinarian, otherwise they can move further up in the tissue and cause great damage through inflammation.
From March to October, pay attention to the above-mentioned behavior after walks and free walks and check the mentioned places regularly, so you save your loved ones a lot of suffering!
More valuable expertise for animal lovers can be found here: