Grass seed foreign body-related disease in dogs and cats: A wide spectrum of clinical presentations

BACKGROUND: Grass seed foreign body-related disease (GSFBD) is a common entity in dogs throughout Australia, typically affecting the feet and ears. In regions such as the Riverina, in south-west New South Wales, a very high incidence of GSFBD leads to the regular occurrence of rarer forms of this disease complex.
CASE REPORTS: In this series of cases, a range of GSFBD presentations involving the thorax, vertebral column, retroperitoneal space, lower urinary tract (in cats), brain and spinal cord are presented to highlight the wide spectrum of disease features that can occur subsequent to migration of grass seeds. Diagnosis and treatment of representative cases are discussed. The literature of such conditions from other countries is then reviewed to develop an aetiopathological framework based on likely anatomical pathways for FB migration. Finally, an explanation is provided for why certain bacteria tend to be associated with these various entities.
CONCLUSION: Grass seeds as aetiological agents can produce highly varied disease presentations. Clinical suspicion should be raised in animals presenting with a disease syndrome typical of GSFBD or in any animal presented for chronic disease with a high exposure risk to grass seeds.