Dog owners warned after 'nightmare' find in lawn: 'Like arrowheads'

Aussies are being warned of the significant danger a common garden seed poses to dogs as vets brace themselves for an inundation of ill pets this summer.

Grass seeds known as awns can be found in yards across the country as the temperature tip-toes higher, however some pet owners may not be aware they can inflict serious injuries to animals who make contact with them.

"They're kind of barbed, so they only move in one direction. Like an arrowhead, once they get embedded in the skin, they actually kind of burrow through passive movement," SASH vet Tim Hopkins told Yahoo News Australia on Monday.

"We've had a few cases where we've ended up with animals in intensive care because the grass seeds have got into the abdomen and caused a perforation or sepsis."

Awns are stiff, hardened bristles that grow from spear and barley grasses, wild oats and cereals — with one dog owner describing them as a "nightmare" following a gardener's recent online lawn query.

As an emergency vet, Hopkins explained he treats several dogs every week who are suffering health complications from grass seeds. They often move around the dog's body, forcing vets to carry out CT scans — sometimes at great expense — to track down the foreign body and stop its path of destruction.

"The main concern is that once dogs get one of these things under their skin, the seed will migrate until they appear somewhere, and that may take months or years," he said.

"They can mimic very, very serious conditions, and they are very serious but people don't associate a grass seed with being that kind of threat... they're just really nasty".

Hopkins spoke of a police dog named Bandit who suffered from septic shock last year after grass seeds were found inside his body. After two surgeries and 24/7 monitoring, Bandit survived the ordeal but had to retire from his duties.

"He's a very spectacular example of these cases," Hopkins said.

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The best way to protect your dog from grass seeds is to minimise their chance of being in contact with one. However, as they're everywhere in the country between October and February, Hopkins recommends regular grooming and checking for any visible signs of their presence.

"It's much more likely to happen in animals that aren't being groomed and clipped so keeping their fur short is very important," he said. "Obviously checking them after walks for grass seeds is good because you can still retrieve them if they're visible."

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