Grass seeds cause trouble out of proportion to their size because of their shape: the pointed tip and backward-facing barbs mean a seed that lodges in fur tends to work inward rather than fall out. Dry, long grass on verges, meadows, and field edges is the classic setting, and the problem typically starts within hours of the walk. The key recognition skill is linking a sudden, focused change, one paw, one ear, one eye, to that recent walk, because a dog who was comfortable at lunchtime and is frantically licking one foot by evening is telling you exactly where to look.
Paw, ear and eye: the signs to look for
In a paw, look for persistent licking or chewing at one foot, limping that starts during or soon after the walk, swelling or a small sore spot between the toes, and reluctance to put weight down on grass. In an ear, the picture is repeated head shaking, scratching at one ear, holding the head tilted to that side, and yelping if the ear is touched. In an eye, expect squinting or holding the eye partly closed, watering, pawing at the face, and redness of the white of the eye. Any of these appearing suddenly after time in long grass deserves to be treated as a possible seed until a proper look proves otherwise.
What to do at home, and what not to do
After walks through seeding grass, run a routine check while the walk is fresh in your mind: part the fur between every toe, look under the ear flap, and watch both eyes open and blink normally. A loose seed sitting in the coat can be brushed or picked away, but stop there. Do not dig at anything embedded in skin, do not push anything deeper into an ear canal trying to fish it out, and do not press on or attempt to open a painful squinting eye. Keep him from rubbing and chewing the area, using a protective collar if you have one, because self-trauma worsens the injury while you arrange help.
When this becomes a same-day vet problem
Contact your vet the same day if you suspect a seed is embedded anywhere, if an eye is involved at all, if head shaking is persistent, or if paw swelling or pain is increasing rather than settling. Eye involvement should be treated as urgent, since a seed trapped under an eyelid scratches the surface with every blink. Tell the vet where you walked and which site is affected, and bring him in rather than waiting to see whether it works itself out; seeds migrate, and removal is simpler the earlier it happens. On future walks in seed season, favor shorter grass and paths, and keep that post-walk check as a habit.
A two-minute check after the right kind of walk prevents most of the misery here, because seeds caught in the coat never get the chance to start travelling. When one does get through, your clear account of timing and place genuinely shortens the vet's search. Recording suspect walks, the site affected, and what the vet found and removed in KinsLe's Pet Passport builds a useful pattern over a season, showing which routes cause trouble for your dog so you can steer around them next time.