23/06/2023
Dreaded grass seeds!
I ve just come back from a run (no animals - way too hot!) and thought between two fingers was scratchy - pulled out this grass seed already well embedded in my skin 😬
It’s peak grass seed season now in the UK.
And dogs in particular are very prone to picking these up on walks and then the seed burrowing between the hairs of the coat then into the skin. They re shaped like arrows and the barbed tail makes it almost impossible for them to move backwards - so they keep moving forward, further and further under the skin and into it between tissues.
This triggers an inflammatory response by the body and depending whether they took bacteria or other bugs in with them, an infection too.
They can be really painful and hard to find and remove.
Symptoms your dog may develop:
Sudden on set licking or chewing a foot or body part
Head shaking or sneezing if they get into the ear or nose.
Pain. This might be lameness / not using a foot or not wanting to be touched or even marked self defence when you approach or try to touch eg growling or snapping
How to prevent them:
Avoid longer grassy areas on every walk right now. Grass is going to seed and whilst not all grass seeds are barbed like this, there will be some lurking on there somewhere, and little seeds still get in ears and eyes and trigger inflammation and infection.
If your dog has any thing other than a very short, flat coat of hair, clip or trim the hair shorter as much as possible …. Particularly around the legs and paws. This makes it harder for the grass seed to get caught (but note I don’t have hairy fingers and yet I still got one!) … shorter hair is also easier to check after a walk
Check your dog thoroughly during and after every walk … check particularly but not only, between toes and foot pads, use a light brushing action with your fingers to make sure you dislodge any dirt or plant material away from the hair.
If possible, give them a good brush over their whole body after each walk where you passed near grass.
If you suspect your dog may have a grass seed, get them checked by a vet asap …. Don’t wait!!
The longer the seed is present the further they move into the body and the harder they are to find.
Be prepared that the vet may need to sedate your dog and use ultrasound to track the path of the seed and place local anaesthetic to numb skin and tissues to make cuts to try to fish the seed out.
This can be expensive as it’s a lot of time and effort on some cases. Prevention is way preferable to cure!
This time last year I remember a Saturday I worked where I had to admit 5 dogs to sedate and track seeds and surgically remove them - 5 on one day!! (Amongst a busy day of consulting too)
Make some plans, knows the risks and take action to lower those risks.
Stay safe and enjoy the summer 😊
