I wasn't particularly aware of the real danger around grass seeds and dogs but that was until my own dog Luna got one stuck up her nose. Trust a beagle to sniff up a grass seed and get it stuck.
The day started out like every other day, we met our friends at the park in the morning and Luna was happily running around with her doggy friends. Shortly into our walk, Luna somehow lost her collar, this alone was stressing me out as she was running around naked. As we carried on our walk, my friend said that Luna was sneezing a lot. I went over to her and she was sneezing every second, her face was all distorted and she was clearly in some pain or discomfort. I cupped her nose, as I thought she was doing her normal beagle reverse sneeze. As I took my hand away from her nose, it was covered in blood. I filled with panic; I scooped her up and began walking down to my car. Luckily my friend who is a dog walker was with me and she phoned my vets to let me know I was rushing Luna in, my vets is 5 minutes from the park so that was a relief. My vet saw me straight away and he took a quick look up her nose and couldn't see anything. He told me that he'd have to put her under to have a proper look and hopefully remove whatever was stuck up there. I was crying my eyes out, I think the shock of it all had got to me and seeing Luna look so uncomfortable. They whisked Luna straight into surgery and then it was the dreaded waiting game. Thankfully the operation went well and the vet managed to remove the grass seed from her nostril. The grass seed was around 4cm in length, I am just so glad I took her to the vet as I know some people would wait to see if the sneezing stops or if it would get better on its own.
Why Are Grass Seeds Dangerous?
Grass seeds can be a real problem for our dogs, they can get trapped in their fur, stuck in their paw or burrow into their skin. Grass seeds can be so tiny that you may struggle to see it but if it does manage to travel around the dog’s body then it can be fatal.
How Can I Tell If My Dog Has A Grass Seed Stuck? A tell tale sign that your dog has a grass seed stuck somewhere can be a constant headshake, as if they were shaking to get something out. They may lick their paws, or they may look uncomfortable when walking. In Luna's case, she couldn't stop sneezing. Can I Prevent This?
It's difficult to completely dodge the problem in the summer months but if you are at all worried then try to keep your dog away from long grass, especially Foxtail grass. Get into the habit of checking your dog after every walk, and if you feel that they may have a grass seed stuck somewhere then take them to the vet immediately
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