The American Beagler Forum

Ever see anything like this? I know I never have and dog (a male I had here for studding) in the pictures is lucky to be alive. I'm just glad our Vet knew exactly right off what it was and what to do. I'm curious if anyone knows what it is before I reveal it. These pictures went to quite a few field trials with no one guessing it. The hole goes clean through his side to his organs.

Was it a Bott fly?

I had a lab that had a rupture in his side like that. The vet never did tell me what it was cause he was already in rough shape so we had him put down. At the time the rupture was the least of his worries. But it looked almost identical to your pic. He would actually lay on that side so we didn't even know he had it until who knows how long into the day. I felt very bad for him. It could have been there for minutes or hours before we saw it. It bled but not very badly.

No not a Bott fly but a good guess!

wow.........is all I can say. I have no clue. Hope the dog is doing ok.

A warble? as squirrels and rabbits get.

I think it's a warble too. If not has the dog been shot? Maybe a 22 or one of those super pelet guns?

My guess is a Spider, Brown Recluse, or Black Widow bite?

I believe spider is it! Good thinking on that one.

I believe is GRASS

Inchoots, come-on tell us what it is i'm dyin to know!

Been into beagles for qite a while and have not seen that one before WOW!!!

I am going to guess that it is a flesh eating grub.

I have seen a grub that will do that in cats but have not seen it in a dog before.

Andy P is correct it's Grass to be exact Grass Awn. (He had a cheat sheet lol) Here is a link I highly reccomend http://www.essfta.org/Health_Research/grass_awn.htm To be honest I thought the vet was joking with me when she said a grass seed did that.....

The grass awn can be inhaled, digested, work their way right through the skin. They have barbs so once they get in they actually keep migrating through the body spreading bacteria as they move. I was lucky my Vet was originally from the deep south and had seen this before and knew right away. The dog in the photos is from mid/upper NY and he picked it up there somehow. The hole the bacteria made I'd guess the seed had been traveling through him for a month or 2. The only thing that saved him was luck. The awn went in then got turned around while traveling. Had it went straight I'm sure the bacteria would have shut his organs down.

The dog above did not get it from bedding but I could see how a dog could pick this up from grass based bedding.