Grass seedSpud is a 13 month old Schnoodle who visited us in November with some painful lumps on his side which he had been trying to lick. Spud had recently been to the groomer, who noticed that he had lots of grass seeds hiding in his coat. We placed Spud on antibiotics in the hope that the grass seeds would be ejected by the body. However, once the antibiotics were finished and Spud was reassessed, it was noted that one of the lumps had burst and was draining. It became apparent that Spud would require surgical exploration of his wound under a general anaesthetic to get to the bottom of it.

Grass seed woundWhilst under general anaesthetic, Spud was found to have a large grass seed stuck in the scar tissue, which was 10cm from its original site! Spud's wound was cleaned, sutured and a drain was placed. Five days later Spud is well and truely on the way to recovery and his owners are pleased he is now feeling much better.

This time of year grass seeds are setting and can be a real problem for dogs of all breeds. This is especially the case for long and course haired dogs. Common lodgement sites are between the toes, in the ears and sometimes in the mouth. They move very aggressively through tissue due to their shape and sharpness. It is important to keep up with the grooming of long coated dogs (especially around the feet area) and when they have come in from a romp through the park to check them over for seeds that may have stuck to their coat. Getting long haired dogs clipped for summer is a great idea because of the heat but it can also help reduce the number of grass seeds they pick up. Our furry friends usually let us know by licking at the region or exhibiting other signs of pain. These grass seed searches can be quite difficult and frustrating. We advise that our clients consider pet insurance, as this is an excellant example of where it would come in handy!

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