It’s always a pleasure to watch your dog tearing around in the fields and meadows, full of the joys of spring, but danger lurks within. Grass seeds are shaped like darts and have multiple sharp little fronds poking out of them. This shape is incredibly efficient at driving the seeds in one direction only. If ever you hold a grass seed and work it through your fingers you’ll see exactly how impossible it is to move it in the ‘wrong’ direction. This is all very well for the grass seed getting planted into soil or undergrowth, but it can be a nightmare for our dogs.

When dogs run through grass, the seeds become very easily lodged into their fur and then, through their pointy design, start edging deeper wherever they are. The two most common places that grass seeds cause issues is in the ears and feet. Dogs with floppy, furry ears, such as spaniels, and dogs with medium or long fur on their legs and feet, are prime candidates for this.

When a grass seed becomes lodged in your dog’s ear canal, it will very quickly start to wriggle its way down. This is incredibly uncomfortable and your dog will usually show very obvious signs of head-shaking and scratching at their ear. If you see this shortly after a walk, always check their ears or get to the vet as soon as you can. If left, the grass seeds will eventually work their way straight through the eardrum and cause a lot of damage.

Grass seeds are so unidirectional that they can even break skin and start migrating deeper into the body. Getting lodged between the toes is a common scenario. The seeds puncture the skin and start to work their way in. You can imagine how uncomfortable this will be for your dog. You’ll notice that they’ll spend a lot of time licking the area the seed is embedded in. Their paw will become swollen, inflamed and often infected, and your dog may start limping.