Grass Seeds

The lovely spring weather is encouraging people to take their dogs for a walk. And wherever you go, at this stage you’ll see a lot of grass seeds around. Now, these grass seeds can penetrate your pet’s skin, causing grassy abscesses that require surgery to remove those grass seeds.

So what can you do to prevent grass seed abscesses in your pet? Number one is to make sure your pet’s coat is short as possible from now to December. That’s the period where we are going to encounter grass seeds. The other thing is every time you take your pet for a walk, run your fingers through the coat and make sure you don’t feel any grass seeds inside that coat. Take particular attention in between the toes, the ears, the armpits, and the under part of the body. That’s usually where those grass seeds will get stuck.

How will you know if your pet has a grass seed problem? If a grass seed got into your dog’s ear, your dog would be shaking their head, tilting the head towards the ear that is affected or scratching the ear. If it’s between the toes, your dog will be licking that foot. If it’s in the nose, your dog will be sneezing a lot. In any of these cases, you need veterinary advice and veterinary help. So enjoy spring, but keep an eye out for grass seeds.

We hope these tips have helped you become more aware of the dangers of Grass Seeds. If you ever need a vet in the Fremantle area, Hilton Vet is here for you!