02/10/2023
* Grass Seeds 🤦♀️ *
Flowers are blooming, baby birds are hatching, and .... grass seeds are a-plenty! *Yuck!
But what's so bad about grass seeds?? Well, at this time of year, they're one of the main hitchhikers to show up in your dog's coat, paws, ears, or even nose and eyes 😱 Poor things!
Here's a little article on grass seeds, their risks, and how to check for them:
"An often overlooked problem for our pets is the dangers of grass seeds. Grass seeds commonly migrate under the skin and burrow their way between a pet’s toes, in their ears, nostrils, and eyes causing infection, pain, and tissue damage."1
But how?!
"(Grass) Awns are stiff, sharp bristles that grow from grasses such as spear grass, barley grass, wild oats, brome grass and cereals (including rye, wheat and barley). They are equipped with many small barbs pointing backwards, which enable the awns to attach themselves to a dog’s fur and which only allow movement in one direction – inwards, towards the animal’s body.
Having anchored themselves to the coat, the awns work their way deeper into the fur every time the dog moves."2
"Locating a grass seed on a pet can be difficult, especially if it has made its way under the skin. Depending on how deep the grass seed has burrowed, your pet may require sedation or an anaesthetic to successfully remove it.
Signs of of (possibly) embedded grass seeds:
Pets may react differently depending upon the location and size of the seed.
Hair – If large seeds are in the hair behind the ears of a dog, there may be no sign of a problem other than matting.
Ear – A seed in the ear canal may cause your pet to shake their head, scratch at the ear, rub their ear on the floor, or tilt their head.
Eye – A seed between the eye and the eyelid may cause the eye to become red and inflamed, sometimes with discharge or tears. An ulcer of the cornea could result and possibly lead to vision loss.
Nose – A seed in the nose may cause your pet to sneeze, paw at their nose, and may result in some nasal discharge.
Skin – A pet may chew at an area where seeds have become attached to the skin, and as a result, the seed may burrow deeper or become attached the inside of your pet’s mouth.
What can I do to protect my pet?
Pets that spend more time outside, especially those living on acreage or farmland, are at most risk. Unfortunately, there is no simple way to protect your pet against grass seeds, but keeping their coat short and minimising their adventures in long, dry grassy areas will help.
If your pet does happen to frolic on lawns or parklands where seeded grass is present, physically check them over by running your fingers through their fur and checking in between the toes, inside the ears, mouth, and eyes."3
If you are concerned that your pup has a grass seed issue, please get in touch with your trusted vet
