# Aaaarghh! Grass seeds!



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I've just spent over half an hour combing grass seeds out of Poppy's coat - every time I thought I'd got them all I would find another one, and go all over her again. They are tiny - not US foxtails, but still with a nasty little spike and hooks. I remember the poodle we had when I was a child getting one deep in her ear, so am always very careful, but I do wish the season was over!


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I was grooming a pek client of mine and he had them all over his chest, he gets a lion cut and this part was shaved and I carefully removed them all, then checked him over several times. When the owner came back to pick him up I told her "When you see a bunch of little sores all over his chest.. I didn't stab him" and we shared a laugh and I told her about them.

I found a couple on Vegas while camping, but none now.. I hope I got them all. Think a flea comb would work?


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I have considered a flea comb - the slicker brush gets most, and so does the greyhound comb, but nothing seems to get them all. Ah well - we will just have to share even more "my little pony" grooming moments ... One advantage of her having a rather soft coat is that I can feel them, even if I can't see them.


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## *tina* (Jan 3, 2010)

A flea comb will help, but only after you've already brushed out the coat. We have a heck of a time with burrs and stickers and grass seeds, and I've found it easiest to go over him with a comb and the slicker making sure he's totally matt free, and then going through with the flea comb to pull out the stickers. He hates it, but I have to do it at least once a week, there is a place near our home with a lot of burrs and stickers.


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## DavidT (Apr 15, 2010)

Hi,

I've had the same problem with our Spoo Hudson getting into a certain stiky weed with little sticky "balls" in his feet pads, leg hair and everywhere else. One thing that I have used is a small "matt' comb or rake with long "teeth". This does not bring them totally out of the coat but helps bring them to the surface so you can get ahold of them with your fingers.
You might want to try that.


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## bluespoomommy (Feb 25, 2010)

oh yes i dealt with these too several weeks ago! even after removing all the grass seeds i could possibly find, some stubborn abscesses appeared and finally went away as soon as the grass seed finally decided to make its way back out. very frustrating to deal with.


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## Jelena (Aug 20, 2010)

Last night I found foxtail between Eko's toes, it already became inflamed, but it was easy to take it out with tweezers, I've applied some antibiotic cream and he had to wear my socks all night long  looked silly but he was a good boy and didn't try to remove it  . This morning the wounded place looks far much better!

I just love this "Flogocid" cream it works like magic!


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## Jelena (Aug 20, 2010)

This isn't a grass seed, it's seed of plant from Geraniaceae family,
that is the worst thing that can get in your poodle's coat!


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## Winnow (Jan 2, 2010)

hate it my spoos also collect snails in the coat :doh:


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

SNAILS! Ugh!

Jelena - those look absolutely lethal, with the corkscrew tail. Is it a wild plant, or a garden one? I will try to make sure we avoid planting it, if the latter.


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

i've been dealing with this with temperance. it's one of the main reasons (along with coat change) that i'm going to take her down short. right now i'm avoiding letting her go play in the garden because of the grass and flower seeds  so if she's shorter, it's not as big of a deal.


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## wishpoo (Sep 12, 2009)

Oh boy, Jelena, those look scary :wacko: ! The Periwinkle has terrible seeds also - tiny and with "velcro" surface :scared: - I already eradicated all of them from my garden although I adore that flower : (((.

FJM - I hope you soon will find the best method of removing them completely !!! A lot of Geranium species are garden plants also. I never thought of their seed before :wacko:

Jelena - was that seed from true Geranium or Pelargonium ??? THANKS


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

_Jelena, that looks absolutely awful! It doesn't look like anything we have up here so hopefully this is not one that we have to worry about.

I let Billy have a run one day last week and he came back with his lower coat full of stickies!!! No more runs!!!! I sat down outside on the porch with him and used my fingers to carefully pull the coat away from them and remove them. His back was covered with seeds of all sorts. I told Dianne that he looked like a walking environment. So, until the seeds have all dropped and winter is on its way, he gets to go out for a short run around the yard and back in again.

SNAILS!!!? OMG....we have them too, but thank goodness neither of them pick them up in their coats! The slime is nearly impossible to wash off. You poor thing.
_


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## wishpoo (Sep 12, 2009)

> I told Dianne that he looked like a walking environment.


ound::bump2:

That was a good one Spirit !!!!!!! Could almost "see him" : )))) Glad to hear you were able to clean him so fast and successfully !!!!

If you want to see how true Geranium looks like just google a Cranesbill. People often mix Geranium with Pelargonim , so if you google Cranesbill you will get a "real" thing : )


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## Jelena (Aug 20, 2010)

I'm not sure which exact species of Geraniaceae is it, it's not that big plant, about 10-15cm high, it's growing here mixed with grass in grass fields, it's not a decorative plant so not to worry about planting it at home  , it looks pretty with its violet little flowers. If I find out the exact species I'll let you know  . 

Dogs hate it too because it is very prickly and it's hard to get it out of the dogs coat.

PS I googled the pics as 'Geraniaceae seed' and found this that looks like what we are dealing with here, but I think it's not (plant from picture) the same species that grows here...

PS2 sorry for my bad English :doh:


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Your English is excellent, Jelena - until you mentioned it I had assumed it was your first language!

I will take a look at the various wild geraniums we have - I don't recall one with quite that seed. I have a lot of Bloody Geranium infesting my garden - a very aptly named little plant!


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

Seed and burr season seems designed to test the patience of poodle owners. I feel like a chimpanzee sometimes; I'm constantly picking at Vasco. I brush and brush, and still when I sit down with him I find stuff in his coat.

Did have to laugh last weekend though .... he got some of those big sticky burrs stuck to his legs and wouldn't let me pull them out ("I can do it MYSELF, dammit"), only to end up with them all stuck in a glob on his lips. He had a hairlip :eyebrows:.


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## Jelena (Aug 20, 2010)

*fjm* well you got me blushed, thanks. I'm not sure if I make the right order of words in a sentence, using the correct terms and I sometimes doubt my grammar... but I hope I'll get better with time 

*JE-UK* I had a huge laugh, you are hilarious!


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