PUnfortunately, the warm season for us coincides with the warm season for them: i forasack in fact, they flower and ripen between April and October. It’s about the ears of a particular type of wild grasses and they can represent potential danger to animals, especially dogs.
(Getty Images) A Golden Retriever in a cornfield.
What are forasacks
These grasses are defined as “weeds” because they do not have functions considered useful, but rather damage existing plants by competing with them. They spread in the fields, but even in parks, city green areas or roadsides. The problem is the characteristic pointed shape of the forasacks: as they are extremely resistant, they run the risk of pierce the skin of our four-legged friends.
The insidious part of the plant has a particular shape: a sort of down on the surface which, like many small thorns, penetrates the skin layer, with the risk of even very far away from the entry point. In addition to the risk of any internal perforations, the damage that these ears can cause can also derive from any carried pathogens.
Tips to protect dogs in spring and summer
So here are the tips Santéveta company specializing in health insurance for dogs and cats, to protect our animal friends from forasacks and how to act in case of need.
1. First, remember that animals more predisposed it’s mostly those long-haired or with hanging ears. The most common entry sites are in fact the interdigital spaces, the ears and the nose, as well as the chest area or the ventral part of the body, especially in long-haired dogs.
2. Inspect always the animals after walks and always keep the fur tidy and well brushed.
3. Recognize the main ones symptoms related to contact with forasacks, symptoms that vary according to the site of entry. If he tilts he also violently shakes his head (ear). Sneezes compulsively, with unilateral nasal discharge and unstoppable cough (nose). If he licks and limps (paws).
The risks of forasacks for dogs and how to remove them (at the vet)
«In the event of suspected contact, the animal must be taken immediately to the veterinariansince the permanence of the forasack can, among other things, give rise to abscesses», comments Valentina Di Dio, Veterinary Affairs Delegate of Santévet. «The process of removing these ears must only be carried out by a veterinary surgeon for avoid possible breakage or that they are pushed even deeper, causing infection or serious damage internal organs”.
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