Grass Seeds:

Grass seeds may potentially lead to serious issues for your dogs and cats. Grass seeds stick to your pets' fur to be carried to a new location to spread the grass. These seeds often have sharp points that can potentially pierce their skin, penetrating deeper tissue and travelling under the skin leading to pain and infection. Once they have entered the skin, the only treatment option is surgery to remove the seed.

Seeds can also get into your pet’s eyes and ears, leading to irritation in mild cases or more serious injury to the eye or ear. Occasionally, our nosey dogs can get a seed up their nose. If you notice your dog suddenly having a sneezing fit, and you have been somewhere with grass in seed, they may need urgent veterinary attention to remove the seed. Left untreated, they may develop a bloody nose or an infection.

To prevent issues, avoid areas with large amounts of long grass in seed. Check your pet’s coat daily and remove grass seeds when you find them. Check under the feet and between the toes. If you find a seed embedded in the skin, ensure it is removed as quickly as possible to prevent serious problems. If you cannot safely and completely remove the seed, please seek veterinary attention as soon as possible.

Toes – Grass seeds will often first make contact with your dog’s feet and will frequently get stuck between their toes. If these are not located and removed, they will often begin to make their way through the skin, eventually disappearing inside completely.  This may cause a large swelling to appear between the toes, and surgery may be needed to remove the seed.  However, in some cases, the seeds will continue to work their way up the leg, causing extreme pain, swelling and infection.  Finding the seed in these situations can be very difficult, and advanced imaging, such CT scans, may even be required.

Ears – Grass seeds can travel deep into the ear canal and even penetrate through the eardrum and into the middle ear causing neurological problems.  If you notice your dog yelps and suddenly starts shaking its head, scratching its ear or holding its head to one side when out on a walk, then get to a vet.

Nose – Franting, sneezing, pawing at its nose, or a nasal discharge (clear or bloody) could be a sign of a grass seed caught up in the nasal passage.

Eyes – Grass seeds commonly get lodged beneath eyelids, causing intense inflammation and even ulcers. If your pet starts rubbing one of its eyes after a walk which then becomes red and inflamed with a profuse watery yellow discharge, then grass seed may be to blame, so get a vet to look.

Lungs – potentially the most serious area for a grass seed to get stuck is in the chest.  If your dog starts coughing and salivating persistently after a walk, then it may be that the seed is stuck in the airway, and we may need to use our bronchoscope to visualise and remove it.  Left untreated, these can lead to life-threatening chest abscesses and pneumonia.