Dubbeltjies and Grass Seeds: The Small Things That Wreck South African Paws

The usual suspects

Dubbeltjies (devil’s thorns) puncture pads and lodge between toes; blackjacks mat into coats; and sharp grass awns are the sneakiest of all — barbed seeds that work through skin between the toes, into ears, up noses and under eyelids, then keep migrating. A grass seed that goes in never works its way back out.

The classic signs: sudden limping on a walk, obsessive licking of one paw in the days after, a swelling between the toes that looks like an abscess, violent head-shaking after a run through long grass, or explosive sneezing fits.

The sixty-second after-walk check

After walks in veld or long grass, run your fingers through the coat and check: between every toe (spread them — seeds hide deep in the fur there), the armpits and groin, inside the ear flaps, and around the eyes. Long-coated and feathery-footed dogs, spaniels especially, need the most attention; trimming the fur between the toes in summer removes the trap the seeds catch in.

A thorn you can see in the pad you can remove with tweezers. A swelling between the toes, anything in the ear, or a seed near the eye is a vet job — digging for a migrating awn at home usually pushes it deeper.

When limping does not settle

A limp that persists past a day, or a toe-swelling that bursts and re-forms, almost always means something is still in there. It will not resolve on its own; book the vet visit.