A pain in the grass

With cover at its highest at this time of year, gundogs are exposed to the health risks presented by grass seeds

- David Tomlinson

IT COMES AS A surprise to many people to learn that the biggest threat to a dog’s health in the countryside comes not from ticks, leptospirosis, adders or mad heifers but grass — or, to be more specific, grass seeds.

There are around 10,000 species of grasses worldwide, of which a mere 160 or so are native to the UK. All spread by seed. There are three principal methods of seed dispersal: wind, water and fur, and it’s the last that poses the most serious threat to the wellbeing of our dogs. These fur-specialist seeds are typically arrow-shaped and barbed, so they will readily attach themselves to passing animals and are not easily dislodged once there.

Serious problems

A few grass seeds stuck in the fur of your dog’s ears aren’t a great worry, as you can usually comb them out, but the serious problems arise when the seeds penetrate their paws, ears, tail or the canine equivalent of armpits. These seeds have a nasty habit of getting into the inner ear, for example, or up the toenails, while if they succeed in penetrating under the dog’s skin they can move or migrate to different parts of the body.

Dogs can also inhale the tiniest seeds: their usual reaction is to sneeze, which hopefully clears the problem, but it doesn’t always do so. They can also be swallowed. Once either inhaled or swallowed, they can cause painful and often serious infections. The problems get worse if the seeds aren’t removed quickly, sometimes leading to abscesses and ulcers.