Welcome back, readers and apologies for my absence of late.
It is that time of year again. Soon we will have a fire ban until the rains next autumn/winter. Soon we will have the beautiful green meadows turning brown and soon, we will be swamped by holidaymakers from the north. Like a lame episode of Game of Thrones…
As the grasses mature and look to procreate in their own (somewhat boring) way, we will also see the return of the grass seeds and awns sticking into our socks and into our pets. Especially if you have that fashion penchant for wearing sandals and socks in the summertime.
The grass seed (or awn) is where the grass has stockpiled its DNA to go and find a receptive mate and do the wild thing. Your socks, or your pet, are merely a handy transport mechanism to get these bundles of weed DNA together for a sexy date night.
Veterinary relevance comes because sometimes, in their excitement, these DNA parcels push beyond the dog’s fur and into the dog itself. This, then, sets up a foreign body reaction.
Grass seeds which are over-excited can implant themselves under the skin of the dog. Usually, this happens between their toes and they can migrate, bringing bacteria with them. The grass seeds can also make their way into the ears, sometimes snuffed into the nose and occasionally inhaled into the lungs.
Dogs with lots of curly fur can also have the grass seeds penetrate their skin underneath dreadlocked fur balls.
At our clinic, we have scopes to be able to remove these grass seeds from the nose, from the trachea or lungs and from the ears or between the toes. Being anti-sadists, we do these procedures under sedation or anaesthesia.
Please be on the lookout for your pet and possible grass seed affectations. Shaking the head, sneezing, coughing fits or limping/paw licking are all signs consistent with a sneaky over-sexed grass seed trying to hitch-hike its way to mate, using YOUR mate as locomotion. If you see any signs suggestive of this unsolicited transport by your pet … who ya gonna call?
So, in conclusion, enjoy the end of springtime … it’s goddamn lovely weather!
LVC – Lagos Vet Clinic
282 782 282
info@lagosvet.com
