grass seed

[ips]

Have read and heard a lot about grass seads and how dangerous they can be. Is it a particular plant / type of sead and if so how do you identify it and presumably avoid it.

[Stacia]

Hope it is ok to copy this and paste here?

"An awn is a hairy, or bristle-like, appendage growing from the ear or flower of barley, rye, and many types of widely growing grasses. These spikes and sharp edges serve a purpose—to stick and hold fast to surfaces so that they can propagate and spread their seeds to surrounding areas.

While part of the purpose of awns is to have them attach to passing animals and be distributed to other areas, this relationship is by no means symbiotic. These sharp ends can allow the awn to act like the barb on the quill of a porcupine, moving it ever forward into the skin and tissues of a dog.

How Do Grass Awns Injure Dogs?

Pretty much any contact a dog has with grass awns can be potentially hazardous. Grass awns can be inhaled, become lodged in the ears, swallowed, or even just imbedded in the coat or skin. It is when they are not quickly removed by the owner, or expelled by the animal, that they become problematic".

It is best to check your dog after each walk ips, as once these awns stick into the dog, they can only travel one way!

[ips]

Many thanks jelinga, she has short coat and is brushed daily. Don't like the inhaled bit though, how would you even know until its to late. ??

[Dawnrazor]

My mate lost a dog he ran in the championship at Dornells to a grass seed, went in between the toes and in the end it got lodged in and went septic. I don't think this is uncommon?

[Stacia]

I used to be a veterinary nurse and have seen many awns which have entered a paw travelling well up the leg. Takes quite a lot of finding while operating. Nasty when in the ear. I haven't personally known of a death, but am sure it could happen as it did to Dawnrazor's mate, but I would think unusual as normally a problem could possibly be seen before it gets infected to that degree. Very sad.

[Naj]

I don't think you can do a great deal to prevent this. It's a natural hazard that every dog faces every time it steps out but it's only a very small minority that are affected. It's a case of relative risk and the risk is low. It might have dire consequences for a minority of the minority unlucky enough to pick one up but I wouldn't go losing any sleep over it.

Naj

[Stacia]

Only keep away from grass at this time of year Just be vigilant and check paws and ears when you get home after walk/training.

[munstyman]

I check `hairy feet' on a regular post walk routine during grass seed season, you can still miss one, but the dog usually starts to pay attention to a particular paw, so when I see that we do a thorough search and usually get it before it disappears. A sudden onset of eye irritation means ones in there, my lad had two go under the third eyelid, my vet gave me instant referral to an eye specialist colleague who got them out on each occasion, in a matter of minutes ( apparently its all about confidence, eye drops and a pair of tweezers )

[ips]

Thanks for replies. Had a walk through a field of barley or summat (public foitpath) got into it and came across some grass type stuff with seads that were smooth one way and rough the other and with a sort of spike on em. I assumed this was the stuff I had read about and got a bit worried. Thorough brush and check when we got home. Hence the post. Not going there again.

[Judy]

Some dogs seem prone some don't, you can't worry about everything otherwise the dog would be living in a cage.