Grass seeds and your pet a.ka. the foxtail

While living in Sonoma county can be a beautiful life it isn’t always so fun for your pet. Grass seeds grow abundant here and just love to find their way into your pets toes, skin, ears, and nose. 
Varieties of grass weeds here are Foxtail Grass: The most common culprit, known for its spiky, arrow-shaped seed heads that can lodge in various parts of a dog's body. 
Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum): A native grass with sharp seeds
Other Grass Seeds: Some other grass seeds, like those from wheatgrass or certain pasture grasses, can also be a concern, especially if they are treated with toxic chemicals

Another seed that can be a problem is the Erodium cicutarium, commonly known as redstem filaree or stork's-bill. It starts out as a small fern like plant with pretty violet flowers. The seed pod is long and green resembling a stork bill. Once it dries out and bursts open the seed is attached to a spiral. They get caught in the coat of your pet and the tiny sharp seed can become embedded. 

how will i know?

How to know if your pet has a seed in their body? The signs commonly are sneezing, head shaking, licking, chewing, or limping. Since dogs rarely groom themselves, if you see your pet licking or chewing an area it could be they have a seed trying to burrow in and sometimes you can safely pull it out on your own

When to call the vet

If you see swelling, redness, excessive sneezing, or repeated head shaking, it is time for the vet. Hopefully they can easily extract the seed without surgery. Ignoring the problem can cause the seed to burrow further in requiring surgery or worse your pet could die from the seed entering the bloodstream. 

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