Mean Seeds: Grass Kills
Two things you must know – first, grass can kill your dog. Hard to believe, isn’t it? But the barbed (awned) seeds from some species of grass, likely inhaled, travel through your dog’s body and create infection from bacteria they bring in with them, or pick up from places like the oral cavity as they enter.
Second, you are your dog’s best defense against this danger. Learn to recognize threats and avoid them, and carefully observe and know your dog. Recognizing subtle changes early may make a huge difference in successful treatment should your dog fall prey to a grass awn infection.
The most common grass threats to our dogs:
• Foxtail barley if you live, train and/or compete in the western United States or Alaska, especially, but foxtail is spreading throughout the U.S.
• Cheatgrass – a known threat in the Rocky Mountain states. Residents know that this becomes a problem when the grass begins to dry and drop its seeds, sometime around July, through the first freeze or snow. Also an expanding threat.
•Canada wild rye – unlike the above, this dangerous grass is actively cultivated as an effective cover crop for other, slower to establish grasses. It features a particularly aggressive awn. Popular with state and federal conservation authorities, and bird and habitat preservation organizations due to its low cost, it has become widespread through the Midwest and Mideastern states over the past ten years.
Find a full list of known problem grass species at http://www.meanseeds.com
Grass awn infections can manifest in multiple symptom patterns (or combinations thereof): pyothorax (an infection in the chest cavity), pneumonia, and/or body wall or internal abscesses. Based on my experience and the case histories I am gathering, many infections show up as an acute illness. The dog seemed fine two hours ago/yesterday, but now s/he has an elevated temperature, is lethargic, and has no interest in food.
The symptoms of a grass awn infection overlap those of other fairly common threats, such as tickborne disease. Your powers of observation may be key in making an accurate diagnosis quickly. If you have reason to suspect that your dog has been exposed to a problem grass, make your veterinarian aware of that fact and the likely manifestations. Veterinarians that do not see many working dogs in their practice may not consider the grass awn possibility in their early workup.
Treatment in most cases is costly. Even “medical management” of a pyothorax is most times not a matter of simply giving some pills. With my own dogs, treatment costs have ranged from approximately $1,000 to $12,000. In this tough economy, many of us may be forced to make a choice as to whether we can afford to attempt treatment. That’s a heartbreaking state of affairs when the life of our best friend and hunting companion hangs in the balance. If you believe your dog is at risk, pet insurance may be a wise investment.
The AKC/Canine Health Foundation (www.akcchf.org) is supporting a research project to gather evidence of the correlation of planting of Canada wild rye with dog illness. This evidence would be useful in lobbying efforts to reduce planting of Canada and Virginia wild rye grasses.
Stop in at your local FSA office and let the folks there know you are concerned about the risks Canada rye pose to dogs, and be sure to advocate against further planting by any conservation groups you belong to.
Sadly, the threat of grass awn infection appears to be rising. You are your dog’s best defense.
Please help the project by filing a case history report for any affected dog that you own! Submit online or download a report form at http://www.meanseeds.com.
