Grass seeds in dogs: spotting them, removing them, preventing them
A grass seed is the spike of a wild grass: once it catches, it only ever moves forward and never backs out. If it is clearly visible and sitting on the surface, caught in the coat, you can pull it out by hand. In an ear, an eye, the nose, or buried under the skin: off to the vet.
Spotting a grass seed
Ear
- He shakes his head non-stop, scratches at one ear, rubs his head along the ground.
- A discharge or a smell appears on one side only, often after a walk through long grass.
- Head tilt or loss of balance: this is no longer an early sign, the seed has gone deep, vet straight away.
Eye
- He blinks hard, keeps the eye half closed, the eye waters.
- Redness, a swollen eyelid, he paws at his face.
- A painful eye gets worse in hours, not days: see the vet the same day.
Nose
- Violent, repeated sneezing, often in bursts, right after the walk.
- Sometimes bleeding from one nostril only, and he rubs his muzzle.
- An inhaled grass seed never comes back out on its own, and it can travel down into the airways: off to the vet.
Skin and between the toes
- He licks or nibbles endlessly at the same gap between two toes.
- A small red swelling appears, sometimes a weeping spot: the seed has migrated under the skin.
- Limping, or an abscess that keeps coming back in the same place: off to the vet, the seed is almost certainly still under the skin.
Breathing
- Coughing or laboured breathing after an outing in long grass.
- It could be a grass seed that has travelled down into the lungs: have him checked.
Removing a surface grass seed
Only if the seed is clearly visible, sitting on the skin or caught in the coat, and it is not in the ear, the eye or the nose.
Settle your dog somewhere calm
On the floor, on a stable surface, with a few treats. A relaxed dog lets you look him over without you having to hold him down.
Check the area
Run your hand against the lie of the coat: the spike shows up far better that way, especially between the toes, where it slips in most often. Look under the armpits and around the ears too. You are looking for a golden spike shaped like a little paintbrush: most often it is wall barley, a grass that grows everywhere in summer.
Pull it out gently
If it is on the surface, take hold of it with your fingers or with fine tweezers and pull with one slow, steady movement, without snapping the spike.
Check it came out whole
A broken grass seed can leave a fragment behind that keeps travelling. If in doubt, assume a piece has stayed in.
Keep an eye on the area over the following days
If redness, swelling, weeping or persistent licking appear in the days that follow, book an appointment with your vet.
STOP line: as soon as it is deep, in the ear, the eye or the nose, as soon as it bleeds, swells, hurts, or the seed is out of reach, stop and call your vet. In a sensitive area, removal happens at the practice, often under sedation.
When to see the vet, and when to rush
From the mildest early sign to the real alarm bell.
Keep an eye on it
- Shakes his head, scratches at one ear
- Licks one gap between the toes
- Sneezes once or twice after the walk, with no other sign
See the vet soon
- Red, weeping swelling, abscess
- Eye closed, watering, painful
- Violent, repeated sneezing in bursts, with or without a trickle of blood
- Clear limping
Emergency
- Head tilt, loss of balance, the dog circles
- Difficulty breathing
- Listlessness with a fever
Head tilt and loss of balance, laboured breathing, or a listless, feverish dog after an outing in long grass: do not try anything more yourself.
Do this right now
- Keep the dog calm, without trying to remove the grass seed
- Call the vet or the emergency clinic and tell them you are on your way
The assistant never replaces a vet. When in doubt, call.
Prevention: the after-walk routine
After every outing in grass, go over:
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Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my dog has a grass seed?
Look for new behaviour right after a walk in long grass: he shakes his head, scratches at one ear, sneezes over and over, licks endlessly at one gap between the toes, or holds an eye shut. Then check the paws, the ears, the muzzle and the coat.
How do I remove a grass seed from my dog?
Only if it is clearly visible and on the surface, in the coat or sitting on the skin: take hold of it with your fingers or with fine tweezers and pull gently, in one steady movement. If it is in an ear, an eye, the nose, or buried under the skin, leave it alone, this one is for the vet.
How do I get a grass seed out of my dog's paw?
Spread the toes calmly and reward with a "yes!": if the spike is visible between the pads, take it out carefully with tweezers. But a small weeping swelling, limping, or a seed already buried mean it has migrated under the skin, and only the vet can go and get it there.
My dog is shaking his head after the walk, is it a grass seed in the ear?
It is one of the most typical causes, especially in summer and on one side only. The seed works its way along the ear canal and never comes back out on its own. Do not go fishing for it deep in the ear: off to the vet quickly, before an abscess or a damaged eardrum.
My dog has been sneezing a lot since the walk, what should I do?
Violent sneezing in bursts, sometimes from one nostril only or with a trickle of blood, points to a grass seed inhaled through the nose. It will not go away on its own and it can travel down towards the airways: call the vet straight away.
What time of year should I watch out for grass seeds?
From May to September, when the grasses run to seed. Avoid long grass, favour open ground, keep the hair short between the toes and around the ears, and check your dog over after every outing. It is the routine that saves you the consultation.
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