Dogs and Cheat Grass

[Customweld]

Any good tricks to keeping cheat grass out of your dogs ears? For some reason my Slovak is extremely prone to picking up cheat grass in his ears. He's been in to the vet 3 times already this year for extraction. Short of keeping him on a leash, it's damn near impossible to keep him away from it.

 

[Wheels]

Hard to do except for keeping it mowed if that’s an option.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I would keep him on a leash when ever around that nasty stuff. It can cause all sorts of problems especially if dogs eat it. One leash is cheaper than multiple vet. visits.

 

[Customweld]

I would keep him on a leash when ever around that nasty stuff. It can cause all sorts of problems especially if dogs eat it. One leash is cheaper than multiple vet. visits.

That's the whole problem, everywhere in southern Idaho is covered in cheat grass, poor guy would never be off leash . I should get a punch card from his vet. I'm pretty sure I paid for a good portion of his new building. And yes, it is nasty stuff.
@Jason Snyder , what are you doing for your pups?

 

[Johnny Tyndall]

Haven't solved it yet, but every time I take mine to the vet I think about just buying an otoscope and doing some frontier surgery.

 

[Burnsie]

What the hell is cheat grass?

 

[MuleyFever]

What the hell is cheat grass?

Google Search

 

[MuleyFever]

Seriously though. They made wraps/hats that could work.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Honestly I’ve never had an issue with it. What breed of dog? Properly formed and ears that lay well should keep most debris out. One of my dogs I do need to pluck some of the hair out of the ear canal or he gets occasional infections after water work.

I hunt cheat grass all the time and don’t do anything for ears. I do check eyes periodically, and keep a bottle of eye wash in my vet kit. Not a bad idea to keep ear wash in there as well.

 

[Customweld]

Honestly I’ve never had an issue with it. What breed of dog? Properly formed and ears that lay well should keep most debris out. One of my dogs I do need to pluck some of the hair out of the ear canal or he gets occasional infections after water work.

I hunt cheat grass all the time and don’t do anything for ears. I do check eyes periodically, and keep a bottle of eye wash in my vet kit. Not a bad idea to keep ear wash in there as well.

He is a Slovakian Wirehair. I figured if anyone was going to have cheatgrass problems, it would be you. Your pictures suggest that you have your pups out in prime CG country.

 

[Customweld]

Seriously though. They made wraps/hats that could work.

No doubt!

 

[Jason Snyder]

He is a Slovakian Wirehair. I figured if anyone was going to have cheatgrass problems, it would be you. Your pictures suggest that you have your pups out in prime CG country.

What is the hair like the ear canals? Is the cheat getting matted in there and then working down the ear?

You could try stuffing cotton down to the ear canal and see if that prevents the injury and infection

 

[Customweld]

What is the hair like the ear canals? Is the cheat getting matted in there and then working down the ear?

You could try stuffing cotton down to the ear canal and see if that prevents the injury and infection

His inner ear hair is soft and straight. I think the individual stalks are poking up under his ear flap and then the seed is coming loose and funneling down. His fur doesn't hold any burrs or cheatgrass, it just falls off of him, so I think what he is getting is just perfect guided stalks getting under his ears I like the idea of cotton. Now if he will tolerate it is a different story.

 

[IdahoFF]

Cheat grass is no joke. I won't run my dogs in it till the seeds drop. I had a pointer that underwent 6 exploratory surgeries for migrating foreign bodies (cheat/grass awns) and the associated infections. I have more problems with it entering their eyes and carry eye wash to irrigate and check them everytime they come in for water. Check out "mean seeds.com"

 

[Customweld]

Cheat grass is no joke. I won't run my dogs in it till the seeds drop. I had a pointer that underwent 6 exploratory surgeries for migrating foreign bodies (cheat/grass awns) and the associated infections. I have more problems with it entering their eyes and carry eye wash to irrigate and check them everytime they come in for water. Check out "mean seeds.com"

No doubt, its the worst. I haven't had any eye issues yet (as I knock on wood) . This year seems to be a bumper crop that didn't grow very tall

 

[Danny Hoey]

I have more problems with eyes than ears. Could be because his hair catches every god damn burr and seed before it gets inside his ear.

 

[IdahoFF]

I may be a little hypersensitive but it cost her the first 2yrs of her life. Fortunately she recovered and turned out to be my best dog and still hunted till she was 15. Had a lot of scars to show for it. It's inevitable chukar hunting, especially SW Idaho, but if it's tall and the seeds are dropping easily, I've leashed up the dogs numerous times and went to a different drainage. Just not worth it to me. Best of luck.

 

[Johnny Tyndall]

Cheat grass is no joke. I won't run my dogs in it till the seeds drop.

When is that, typically? You'd think I'd know since I'm in it all the time, but I never paid attention.

 

[30338]

Around here it is late August/early Sept. It resprouts each fall so it falls during growing season still. Never had an issue with it. Have another weed that has a spear tip and a curly tail on the seed. Those try to tunnel through my drahthaars' hide. I catch them and pull them out when found. Invasives are nasty.

 

[KurtR]

Fox tail is another that i avoid at all cost. It has cost a bunch of dogs either time away healing or killed them