A poor little English Staffy showed up at our doors with an interesting problem a couple weeks ago. With a very sore and swollen lip, he had stopped eating and was very irritated by his mouth. His owners suspected that he may have eaten a wasp, however, after careful inspection by Dr. Kim, it was discovered that he had multiple grass seeds embedded into his gums, causing infection, inflammation and lots of pain. Grass seeds that do not get removed from the body can cause great harm to dogs and cats, and can sometimes on rare occasions, be fatal. This is because of the sharp, hook-like nature of grass seeds and their ability to embed in the body, they can then travel through the body to major organs including the lungs.
After a general anaesthetic and careful removal of those pesky seeds, he is so much happier with a mouth free from grass seeds!
For more information on grass seeds and your pets, read our article here