Have any of you had an experience with grass seeds?   My dog had one in her paw last year and after three operations and several different antibiotics the thing decided to pop out of it's own accord.....much to the relieve of my poor dog, myself and the vet, who said that he would have been very reluctant to operate again.  It's made me very concerned about taking the dogs in fields when there are a lot of grass seeds about. Who would have thought that such a small thing could cause to much misery and discomfort!

They are horrible - my dog had one a few years ago that went in and came out the other side of her foot -left like a hole for a while.  She's getting older now, and her toes don't seem to be tight together, so this year I have to check after every walk, and guaranteed there will always be about 3 grass seeds at least between her toes!  Sometimes she also gets smaller ones in her eyes, which I flush out with a syringe with water.
  Hilda

A couple of years ago a dog we had bred was training to be a passive sniffer dog when he developed an abcess in his mouth. It was treated with antibiotics etc. He wes okay for a bit then collapsed. He had septic shock and had to have all his cheek drained and a grass seed was found. He was minutes from death. He took some time to recover but unfortunately when he went back to prison life could not cope and began to suffer anxiety separation. Consequently he had to leave the service. He now lives in a fantastic home wiith friends of mine

I am having the exact same problem now with these grass seeds. My dog has been under the vet for the past 10 days 2 in one foot and 2 in the other. had one op already and is now on antibiotics but they can't get the other one out it has worked right up in his paw somewhere and they can't find it. His foot is all swollen and he has got to back again to vets in a few more days, and they will see whether they will need to op again. One of my other dogs had to have an op on her nose a couple of years ago as she had one stuck in her nose and it wouldn't cone out. Awful things

My dog needed a general anaesthetic last year to remove one from his ear.  He went for a walk one lovely summers evening and when I got him home I thought he had had a stroke as his head was all on one side and he was very distressed.  He could only walk in circles and his balance was severely affected.  I was a little relieved to find that the vet could see the grass seed although slightly annoyed at the size of the bill!

It's hard to imagine anything so seemingly harmless can cause such a problem.  I have been reluctant to walk in grassy fields with my crew too but it's hard to avoid at the moment where I live.

We are plagued every year with our dogs.
This year so far its been, 2 with grass seeds in their ears which resulted in surgery to remove.
I with a grass seed in her paw which went in so far it reguired surgery and 5 follow up appointments to heal the wound.
I with one in his paw which we were able to remove.
Oh how vets must love this time of year, this must send their profits up.
Sandie.

We had one round the back of Phoebe's eye (ouch!) - luckily the vet got it out before it had time to do any damage, but the thought of it penetrating any further........

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

Sounds like the same problem as I had with my dog.    On the second operation they put a drain in her paw and kept her in over night for observation hoping that they could flush is out....to not avail.     She had the drain in for several days (it did look awful) but she was very good.   I know she must have been in pain because she wouldn't put any weight on her foot and it was very swollen.     Hope that your dog will have better luck and that it will come out soon. 

Sorry that last reply was to Paxo.    I'll get this right on day!!

Terrible things. I always try to brush my dogs when they've been near them, especially those sharp pointy ones that look like miniature Barley (sorry, not really into breeds of grass!). Years ago we had a L/C GSD. She developed an abcess on her flank, had to go in for an op. & came out with a huge 8 inch scar. All because of a grass seed which had travelled really deeply into her body.

I know bloody grass seeds!! My dog got one in her paw and thankfully it didnt cause that much dammage. She did get an infection from it but that cleared up quite quickly.

sarah xxxx

yes Jackie I don't think this is going to be the last visit to the vets for us. His foot is still very swollen and it is still very sore even though it isn't as messy now and seems to be healing slightly. The vet says they want to see him again next week after he has finished his course of tablets and then decide if they are going to op again. They can't seem to get this last seed out and say it is working further into his foot. I will know more next week.
       paxo

Please keep in touch I would like know how he gets on.    With luck it could have made it's way out without you noticing.    With my dog it took two and a half months and when it did pop out I rushed to vets to show him.    He was as pleased as I was (and without saying so was my poor dog).

I will let you know Jackie how things proceed . My vet says that they are getting around 14-20 dogs a week coming in withthese blessed spikey grass seeds at the moment, and a lot of them are very difficult to remove as they are unable to pin point exactly where they are.I think this one my dog has left is going to be one of those. Could go on for months!!!!

                          paxo

Well - I have a very thick coated 12 month old afghan hound who is going through a coat change - as a result I am bathing every 4 days (as she cannot be groomed with a dry coat)  Whenever I come across a large matt there is always a tiny grass seed in the middle of it!!  When Lana is wet I can groom her from head to toe with a pin-brush and a bottle of 'outrage' - I always check between her toes and around her ears as I am very worried about grass seeds.  We dont go into fields that have long grass, but inevitably we still pick some up...Its exhausting work grooming every 4 day's but I am able to check her regularly as a result, when her adult coat comes through I wont have to groom as often - but I am now very aware of the dangers of grass seeds (after our first summer together :D)
Sarah

Another one succumbed to grass seed syndrome here!

After watching Millie limp last night I awoke this morning and discovered the cause - a big swollen pussy lump on the front of her back leg just above her paw.    Well we think its a grass seed anyway, but she's going in tomorrow morning.  My poor baby having her first anaesthetic! :-(  LOL

I took her for a walk to the local 'gardens' on Monday night, and on walking back across the grass I did notice suddenly we were in a patch full of 'flea darts' growing everywhere.  Had to go through it to get out of it, but she didn't start limping until 6pm the following night so it must have been hidden and worked its way in overnight and during the day.  Grrrr.

A few months back on a discussion about pet insurance, I said how I was thinking of starting a 'Millie fund' instead to fund any treatment as pet insurances are so often a con, but at the end of July, I decided to get insured for a year, mainly because I think she will need allergy testing in the future so it seemed like a good idea.  How lucky that was, in the month that we've had insurance, she's had gastroenteritis and needed a weekend appointment for injection and antibiotics and now this - PHEW!

Hope your dog doesn't have the problems mine had!!

I had no idea that the problems from these things were so prevalent.  Is it any dog that can succumb to getting the seeds trapped in the paw?  Our dog is walked 3 times daily in the park and there are lots of grass seeds.  I am getting worried now.  I know that some dogs have hairless paws, are they more at risk.  How do they get into the skin/paw? 

From what I understand, it is the dogs with hairy feet (spaniels etc) which are more at risk. My dalmatians have never had any problems, partly because it is so easy to see things like that on their short, smooth coats, so they can be removed. If the seeds get caught in the coat their barbs make them work their way ever closer to the skin, and then into it. :( Once in the body they can keep going - it's not uncommon for them to enter the foot and be removed at the shoulder.

Thanks Jackie, I hope so too!  Hope yours is all better soon if not already!

Millie has a hairy foot if that helps, especially because of the skirts.

Finding at the moment that I have brush my longer haired bc everytime we come back from a walk and he is always covered in them.  Just better to be safe than sorry!

Claire

Oh, the wait for the phonecall from the vets is horrible!!

Hope that you have good news.    Keeping my fingers crossed for you......I know what it is like waiting!   Let us know the result.

They didn't find anything!  Said they have opened the abscess right up so hopefully with a course of antibiotics it will work its way out.

Doesn't actually look any different to me, I expected her to hobble out in a big bandage and a collar having had stitches lol, instead she come flying out into the waiting room to see what dogs there were to play with, and she still has the big abscess thingy which looks much the same....

Sorry that they didn't find anything.    They had to put a collar on my dog (Sophie) because she had two tubes stiched into her paw.  If yours can lick her paw that could encourage the grass seed to come out.    Hope it will.   They can't wait to see the back of Sophie when she's in for an op because she hates being there and barks the place down.   They said that as soon as comes out of the anaesthetic she is scratching the cage to get out!!

You can always try silica in tablet form. This makes foreign objects come out. It is homeopathic so causes no harm to the dog or human if they take it.:)

She can lick her paw, and they told me not to let her do this if I can - I explained that Millie is an aggravated paw licker at the best of times!!! So they asked if I would like a collar to which I said 'yes please'.  I haven't put it on her yet, and she has been licking it - I have been using it as an experiment to see how well I can reason with her and suprisingly quite well!  If I keep telling her no, she will actually stop and doesn't start again until at least 2 minutes after my back is turned ;-)

Lol I'm exaggerating of course.  But now I don't feel so bad about the fact she has been licking it!

Thanks for the tip jumbuck, I will look into that.

I've not heard of silica tablets either.    The trouble with grass seeds are the shape of them (they can only travel one way).    I found with my dog that even when the stitches were removed she still had an open wound in her foot but that was where the seed came out eventually.   The vet said at the time that the licking could have helped to bring it to the surface.  Of course when the stitches are in there is the possibility that they will pull them out so they have to be watched all the time.

Ah, that would explain why they didn't put any stitches in and why they hope Millie's will work its way out of the wound.  I thought they were being sloppy but they may in fact have been wise ;-)

Paxo.     How is your dogs paw.      Hope that is has improved.

when my dog was a pup,she had a limp the vet could see a entrance wound but nothing eles one week later the pup got a abcess the vet pressed and out came a grass seed most likey from the foot injury. last year my leo got one stuck up her nose cost over £100 to get it removed!!!!

Hi Jackie M
               His foot is improving now as the seed has worked all the way through from the front and eventually  has came out through the back of his foot. It was a bit messy at first until it came out but is healing nicely now and he can walk again. much to both our reliefs.
Just keeping a check on it daily now. thank god.
                                   
                            paxo
                   

So pleased to hear your good news.   

I think our Max (springer/cocker/ckc) has the same problem, I noticed brown hair between toes, looked and found what sounds like an abcess on top side of middle toe, trimmed hair off and squeezed out puss them dabbed with Hydrogen Peroxide, top of abcess turned white, done this a few times and was less puss today but he licks it a lot and me while I am dealing with it, does not appear to have any pain even when I squeeze it and fully active no sign of any limp. I use Tea Tree Oil a lot myself and he hates the smell certainly won't lick it but noticed on a forum it is toxic to dogs (is it?) and Hydrogen Peroxide was recommended (use it also if I clip claw too short on black ones, was told to use it by vets over 30 years ago).
Am I doing the right thing? What is best antiseptic to keep handy for little problems like this with dogs?
As he goes in fields and woods a lot I need to build up a doggy first aid kit I think, wife took him picking brambles last week and that was maybe when it started. I feel his ears for little balls and between his toes when OK but was in bed ill last week.
If I feel it is hurting him or gets worse he will have to visit vet but as his owner I like to think I can help him also.

|you need to go to the vets if it is a grass seed it needs removing.

Yes, take him to the vets.  My cocker had a similar swelling a couple of months ago - there wasn't a seed in there, so we think it just passed straight through.  But he was given oral antibiotics and anti-inflammatories - I don't think dabbing it with antiseptic is going to be enough.  Obviously if there is a seed in there, it can't stay.

Worth getting the vet to check if you think it might be a grass seed. Mine have all them in the ears over the years, thought Henry had been struck down with SM as he suddenly started yelping and screaming when touched anywhere near the head on a walk. I was quite relieved to find it was 'only' a grass seed. Ellie had hers for 8 days because the emergency vet (trust her to get one on the vet's half day) couldn't see it and gave me ear drops, and she did stop walking lopsided after a day, but was clearly not quite right, so after a week I took her back to the normal vet and insisted they sedated her to look properly as she wouldn't let them fish around with forceps while awake. Luckily the ear drops had lubricated the seed enough to stop it perforating the ear drum. I also groomed a Cavalier a few weeks back who had at least a dozen stuck under her paws and in her throat, luckily none had penetrated more than the barest tip, but I explained the danger to the owners and told them to keep an eye out in case there were more that had penetrated so I couldn't see them.

Yes I had this with my cocker only the seed was next to his eardrum so we had to have him sedated to get the seed out. Then drops for his ears - cost a fortune, Im so careful now but he attracts seeds like a magnet. Im into a comb in every car, office, home and out walking to try and stop it happening again. Our BC has no problems in that area at all!

Last year my dog got a grass seed in his ear.  The vet had to heavily sedate him to locate and get it out, which took 45 minutes.  The very next day I was back at the vets with the other dog; same problem, same ear!!  Fortunately my vet only charged for the anaesthetic (EUR15 each dog).  After that I stopped walking the dogs in that area during the grass seed season!

If the seed can't be found & removed, it is worth bathing the paw in a solution of Epsom Salts (1 teasp. to a pint of warm water.) I would make it as hot as poss without being really uncomfortable for the dog and keep the paw in it for 5 mins, several times a day. This should draw out any object.

Monday eve took Max in car to shops he started limping did not want to get out car when got home, went off food even treats, just curled up in his cage, I bathed paw again with salt water and put a sock on for night, in morning abcess very messy, bathed with warm salt water again and rang vets, apponitment at 3pm today Tuesday. Max suddenly wanted walks and started jumping around again, Vet pulled dead skin off top of abcess with his fingernails and found a grass seed in it, said bathing it had helped stop it going further in, he gave Max an antibiotic jab and 4 days of antibiotic tablets, said keep bathing with either Hydrogen Peroxide solution or warm salt water as I had been doing, Max never flinched through it all, vet said OK to use Tea Tree Oil as he knows of no problem and do shampoos with it in, Max bouncing like normal, ate dish of dinner and been for walks after vets and tonight, I will keep bathing with salt water as instructed. Will make a note of soaking in Epsom Salts solution just in case it happens again as many old simple remedies are can be good, thanks for the suggestions all are greatly appreciated, I don't like paying for vets but hurts me more to see Max in pain than paying the vets bill does. Vet bill for examination and antibiotics was £42 which I think is reasonable, used this vet for 5 years now and was very understanding.
What do they call our 3 in 1 spaniel mix, one vet said he's a Spangle and someone collecting their spaniel said he's a sprocket.

> Vet bill for examination and antibiotics was £42 which I think is reasonable

I think it's more than reasonable!  I'm impressed.  Consultation at my surgery is £37 before drugs etc. 

My BCs don't seem to suffer with grass seeds but I too use Homeopathic Silicea for any difficult to dislodge 'foreign body' like splinters. I'd also use a few drops of Calendula (mother tincture) for its antibacterial and healing properties, or maybe Hypercal (mother tincture) particularly if its in a nerve rich area like pads or mouth. A few drops of tincture in a small bowl of cooled, boiled water, applied liberally to the site to keep the area of entry clean. As they are Homeopathic Remedies, it doesn't matter if the dog licks at the site after its been bathed as Calendula and/or Hypericum work internally as well.Then i'd maybe use Arnica 30c tablets to relieve potential discomfort from swelling and bruising. For me if an injury is noticed immediately and can be relieved naturally then it's preferable to a course of antibiotics. (The thing that worries me about antibiotics is that it takes a year for the body's "internal flora" to return to normal levels)

Hi my westie had a grass seed stuck under the skin of his paw last week. He kept licking his paw and made it sore and bleed so took him to a local PDSA vets (I dont like them personally but my parents were looking after him at the time) and they gave him some antibiotics to clear it up then he went back 2 days later to have a check up they done an x-ray totally  at random and found the seed so he had an op to remove it. He is just getting over it now.

we had the same this summer.

fortunately it had worked its way out but we had to go down the satellite dish and antibiotics route

I understand where your coming from mind you our dog hasn't had seeds in her foot or ears etc. We have a young boxer and the grass seeds tend to irritate her undercarrage. I have tried everything to stop her scratching, taken her to the vets and they gave her cream and prednisone tabs to take. I would perfer not to give her steriods but nothing else stops her. Her undercarrage and her feet are red and sores appearing on the areas. Has anyone else got some natural suggestions. We live in NZ and just want her to be comfortable again.