Why are grass seeds so dangerous?

6 months, more than 20 vet visits, 3 surgeries, 1 ultrasound, 1 ct scan, 1 specialised complex surgery and many thousands of dollars.

These are the numbers of 3 grass seeds that got into our dog.

I always thought that a grass seed would only become a bigger problem if I couldn’t really find it on my dog’s short coat. Obviously I would be able to see or feel it. Obviously my dog would complain and give clear signs if there was something getting into her skin, so of course, I’d be able to find it. And boy, I was wrong. Oh so wrong.

I worked as a dog groomer at the very beginning of my career in the dog industry, I brushed off uncountable grass seeds out of oodles, collies and huskies coats. Also between their toes and under their armpits.

Grass seed season arrived, let my dog run free and enjoy life and I can check after if there are any grass seeds on her. Paws checked, armpits checked, felt her coat and nothing. Great! Let’s carry on with life until a very obvious abscess appeared on her flank. First the vet thought it was only an abscess, so we did her first surgery and opened it up to drain it. As soon as the abscess closed off it came back again, just like a bubble popping out. Here we go again to the vets, they got a sample of the things coming out of her to check if it could be something more serious like cancer, results came back as a bacterial infection. We go back home with 10 days of antibiotics worth. Seemed her abscess was getting a little bit better and as soon as the antibiotics finished, the bubble popped out again. Another surgery, more specific to wash off whatever is causing that infection. A grass seed was found this time and we thought that was the end of it.

Fast forward a few weeks and guess what comes back? Yes, the bubble, surprisingly popping back out again. Scar tissue? Still infected? Well, the bubble bursted and as the liquid coming out of it another grass seed also did. Now it’s gotta be over.

No, it wasn’t over, the bubble appeared again, it has to be something else. With the help of a bunch of different vets and their recommendations for an ultrasound, they have found something tracking inside her muscles. For further investigation our dog was put into a ct scan and only then they found out another grass seed tracking inside her, almost 20cm from where the abscess is and very close to her spine.

This time a specialised and complex surgery has to be done to remove what is causing us 6 months of stress, pain and a whole lot of money.

So yes, please keep your dogs and pets away from grass seeds. If we couldn’t afford all this journey of vet visits and surgeries my heart would be completely broken.