My 13 year old dog is recovering from pyopneumothorax resulting from a
grass seed that started when it embedded in his coat, penetrated his skin,
threaded through his muscles, and partially collapsed his lung.

He has a heavy coat, and the only reason we knew something was wrong, was
because he did not play basketball with my puppy. When he refused to move
and preferred to watch. He seemed bright and very alert, just reluctant to
move.I picked up the phone and called the vet and asked if I could get him
in for a checkup. His surgery was scheduled the next morning (Thursday)

We are now day three post surgery.
Here he is:

http://shell2.lomag.net/~moosedog/surgery/


Danny seems to be recovering uneventfully. He's very stiff and sore, but
he's tough.
I found this on the web. and grass seeds are NOT to be taken lightly. They
can kill, and nearly killed my own dog.

http://www.braggcreekanihosp.com/tales/grass_awns.htm
Grass Awns & Foxtails

It's grass awn season again! (Grass awns, you say? What are
grass awns?)

Firstly, we aren't going hunting for them out in the wild,
and, secondly, we aren't looking to cook them! Grass awns are the dry seed
coats of ripened grasses such as foxtails, spear grass,or barley. They
cause a host of problems in our pets. These vegetative objects can in fact
kill your dog. They act a little bit like porcupine quills as they stick
into things and migrate deeper and deeper.

Dogs like to run in fields and like to chew grass. Up until
this time, the wild grasses have been succulent and moist. Now that they
are ripe and dry, they latch on and hold tight. If swallowed, they stick in
to the throat, especially in the tonsillar region and create inflammation
and infection.
Symptoms would be gulping and swallowing with coughing,
retching, and gagging typical symptoms of a sore throat. Sometimes we can
visualize the barbs in the throat, but usually we have to give an
anesthetic to completely relax the throat muscles. They have to be asleep
for us to grasp the awns and remove them.

Other locations that we commonly find grass awns are between
the toes, in the ears, and in "armpits" and in the groin. Between the toes
we find a lump that forms with a discharge. The dog licks at it
compulsively. Sometimes we are lucky to have a co-operative patient and a
simple exploration with a hemostat will find the culprit. Otherwise, we
have to open up the swelling to get a complete look. Once the awn is
removed, healing is usually uneventful.

When lodged in other parts of the body, the awns can be more
dangerous. I have seen them go through the skin of the chest and migrate
into the lung. There it sets up an abscess which can be life threatening.
Recently, a dog came in with a draining sore over its abdominal spine. We
followed the trail where the drainage was originating into the chest cavity
under the armpit before we found the foxtail. Grass awns have also lodged
into bones of the spine causing arthritic problems in the back. Part of the
problem with these things is that they carry bacteria and soil fungi with
them on their journey. Sometimes it is these organisms that cause serious
illness more than the presence of the plant material itself.

What can you do to help? Keep your long coated breeds well
groomed. Daily inspection while grooming will often allow you to remove
unwanted objects. After a run outside, or a hunting trip, carefully inspect
between your dog's toes, in the armpits and groin, and look into his ears.
Try to discourage him from chewing the grasses late in the
summer and into fall. If you see a seed or barb stuck into the skin,
carefully pull it out making sure not to break it off. If you wait until
you can get the dog in to your vet, it may already have migrated under the
skin from the dog's movement. If you suspect that your dog has been eating
grass and has a problem in its throat, don't play "wait and see". It only
gets worse with time and harder to find them all. Get to your veterinarian
as soon as possible. For more information about this problem, give us a
call!

DR. BRUCE A. RODGER, DVM

and then this (has some illustrations on the web page.)

http://rbcm1.rbcm.gov.bc.ca/nh_paper.../menacing.html
Natural History Menacing Hitchhikers -Heather
Stewart, Botanist- Royal British Columbia Museum

As a dog owner I have noticed that small hitchhikers
of the plant kind seem determined to attach themselves to my dog's various
body parts, like paws or the soft inner snout. Some of these hitchhikers
are merely a nuisance, dropping onto floors and furniture, but others can
create serious health problems and even surgery.

I'm talking about the grass sometimes called
"Speargrass". There are many types of grass that could fit into this
general category.
These grasses share similar characteristics,
particularly the long awns. An awn is a long, stiff, sometimes-barbed,
projection at the top end of the grass seed. The part of the grass seed
that accomplishes the initial hook can either be the awn or the "callus" --
a hard projection at the base of the grass floret that attaches the grass
seed to the stem. The long, narrow grass seeds are dispersed by snagging on
a moving object. This may sound harmless enough, except that if snagged on
an animal and not detected, the seed moves along the hair toward the skin
and the callus can cause a lesion and work its way into the soft tissue:
once there, the grass can cause infection in the animal and may have to be
removed surgically.

The species of Speargrass encountered largely depends
on the region in which it is found. In the Interior of British Columbia,
Speargrass can refer to Needle-and-Thread grasses (Stipa comata),
Squirreltail Grass (Elymus elymoides) and Three-awn Grass (Aristida
longiseta). Needle-and-Thread Grass has long, twisted awns that may reach
up to 15 cm long. Three-awn Grass is as formidable as it sounds: the awn
splits into three long points, and it has a hard dartlike callus.
Squirreltail has a very dense inflorescence due to a doubling of the number
of seeds at each node. These native grasses are usually found on dry, rocky
grassland sites at low to mid-elevations. Interior First Nation's children
played games with Needle-and-Thread Grass, throwing them as darts.

Elsewhere in British Columbia, Speargrass is most
likely to be one of two types: low-growing long-awned Bromes (Bromus
tectorum, Bromus rigidus or Bromus sterilis) or Wild barley. All three of
the Bromes have a droopy, long-awned, but not dense inflorescence, and are
weedy, introduced species common in Southern British Columbia. The low
Brome grasses grow along the edges of fields, in disturbed sites or along
beach and lake edges. Wild Barley or Foxtail (Hordeum brachyantherum or
Hordeum jubatum) are weedy native species with a dense, bristly
inflorescence. The long-barbed bristles originate at the base of the grass
seed and are in addition to the long awns on the seed cover and hard
callus. It is a very prickly-looking grass seed. When mature Barley is
picked, the stem often falls apart and the grass seeds look like feathery
darts (some people call them "flea darts"). The Barleys grow in a wide
range of sites from moist meadows, ditches and marsh edges to disturbed
urban settings.


For veterinarians, long-awned grasses are a common
problem, especially when they are in seed. What can pet owners do to
prevent problems? In the late summer when grass seeds "head up" or appear
ripe, it is wise to refrain from walking in long grass. Stick to the trails
and walk with your pet on a leash. A good rule of thumb is, if you have
grass seed in your socks after a walk your dog likely has seed on/in its
coat. Check your pet's paws regularly from August to November for signs of
lesions or infection; and keep "feathering" short. If you do notice a
swelling or cystlike lump on your pet's body, I recommend you take your pet
to the vet at once.

Although this is something that deserves your
attention as a pet owner, if you follow the advice above this should not
deter you from enjoying the outdoors with your pet!

***
And then there is this snippet.. regarding recovery. Makes me wonder if
Danny is REALLY out of the woods.. or not.

http://www.vetsurg.com/Newsletter2000.html

The thoracic form of infection occurs when a grass awn migrates via the
lung tissue into the thoracic cavity. Dogs may present with a dry,
non-productive cough, or simply be presented for exercise
intolerance. Symptoms may be gradual in onset, especially in highly
trained, athletic dogs. Chest radiographs may demonstrate fluid within the
chest cavity (pyothorax) with a mass or masses within the lung
lobe(s). Recently, I have seen two cases with a diffuse
bronchointerstitial pneumonia rather than a mass lesion and
pyothorax. Thoracocentesis in cases with pyothorax demonstrates a
consistently foul-smelling, "tomato soup-like" fluid which is usually a
greyish-yellow to reddish-brown in color. Granules may be noted in the
fluid. When submitting cultures, be sure to notify the lab you are looking
specifically for Actino/Nocardia infection as special culture media and a
prolonged culture duration is required. Thoracotomy is usually indicated,
with aggressive surgical debridement plus/minus lobectomy. Mortality rates
of approximately 50% may be expected. Conservative treatment is not
effective.

The cutaneous form is the other frequent manifestation
of disease that we see. It may be characterized by a draining tract on the
extremities, but more often we see a large abscess-type lesion on the
thoracic wall, or just caudal to the last rib on the abdominal
wall. Draining the abscess rarely results in a cure. Surgical exploration
with aggressive debridement is needed. Identification of a foreign body
markedly improves the odds of success, with success rates of 90% expected
if a foreign body is found.

Recurrent infection, or persistent low-grade infection
may be noted. Aggressive, long-term antimicrobial therapy is
needed. Since the organisms are difficult to culture, treatment many times
must be done in the absence of a definitive culture and sensitivity
finding. Combination therapy with penicillin/amoxicillin plus
sulfa-trimethroprim for one month is suggested. Alternatively, 11 mg/kg
clindamycin BID, used for 30 days, is appropriate based upon recent
communication with a veterinary microbiologist. Cost or side effects may
dictate antibiotic choice.

Awareness, early detection, and aggressive treatment
of these infections improves success rates dramatically. Hopefully, this
will serve to heighten the suspicion and recognition of Actinomyces and
Nocardia infection.
(Danny's fluids were cultured and sent to a lab to confirm this, and his
awn WAS recovered) Doc also did aggressive debridement of the area (I told
you he removed over a pound) So I feel really good about this. Danny's
spirits are MUCH better than they were before the surgery, before I knew
something was wrong. Jeff knew he was off. but thought it was his
combination of old age + broken shoulder. It sounds as if my vet read this
before doing his surgery, but in fact, He didn't know what we had until he
got into and found the tomato soupy stinky stuff. Danny WAS breathing
funny, but we thought it was the heat/old age factor. We both expected him
to improve when we got him to the mountains in 4 weeks.
(Jeff was angry because he had NOT taken an xray before doing surgery.
Danny had xrays of his chest taken in May, we thought going in, that he was
having complications from his broken shoulder bone splinter. Xrays weren't
necessary and it was a cost saving effort on my already over strained
budget. Guess it was a short cut we should have not taken, except I doubt
it would have turned out differently.)

******
NICE illustration and description
http://www.vet.purdue.edu/depts/addl/toxic/plant01.htm