It’s grass seed season!

Last night one of the dogs in my Methwold class came in with a wound from grass seed removal. The seed had entered his paw and reached up his keg and the cost of removal was over £700 let alone the pain and discomfort for the dog.

These grass seeds (foxtails- see photo below) are sneaky, they hide in long or wirey coats and then burrow under skin.

The seeds have very sharp ends, so although they're tiny, if they become trapped in your dog's fur, they can burrow down and pierce their skin. They can also get stuck in your dog's paws, ears, eyes or nose. If your dog becomes injured by a grass seed, it can be very painful.

This time of year is particularly bad for them so I would suggest:

1. Avoid areas where this grass grows- there’s very little in the forest especially if you are walking under the trees.

2. Check your dog for seeds after every walk.

3. Trim long hair between paws, in and around ears and on legs.

Enjoy your walks but take care of your dog - I know of a dog that inhaled one of these seeds and it eventually came out from his lungs/chest cavity between his ribs.

I have just spotted the product in the photo - it’s called a foxtail guard and might be worth trying if your spaniel constantly suffers from grass seeds in his ears.