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Dog owner blames long grass for sick animal

BBC Sally Griffen smiling at the camera, she has grey hair and a house is in the distance behind herBBC
Ms Griffen has said she is now always anxious when walking her dog

A dog owner from Sleaford has blamed uncut grass on her estate for making her pet "dangerously ill".

Sally Griffen said she spent more than £300 on vet bills after a grass seed was found lodged in the dog's ear.

Ms Griffen wishes grass verges lining roads would be cut more regularly to avoid more dogs falling ill.

Lincolnshire County Council said it will be carrying out several cuts this year after "extreme rapid grass growth" from the weather.

Sandy the dog is gazing into the camera, she has grey eyes because she is blind. Her furr is a mixture of light and darker shades of brown.
Golden cocker spaniel Sandy needed treatment after a grass seed became stuck in her ear

Ms Griffen recalls her golden cocker spaniel dog, Sandy, which is blind and has a heart condition, being in “a lot of pain”.

She said: “We were so worried about her, when we got her home she wasn’t herself."

Ms Griffen said that she is terrified about it happening again, not only for her dog’s wellbeing but also the financial cost.

“We paid £315 in vet bills, we do not have that kind of money lying around,” she added.

Sally Griffen A grass seed which was found lodged in the ear canal of Sally's dog. It is brown and appears to be covered in blood.Sally Griffen
Sandy had to be sedated to remove the grass seed from her ear canal

The council added it "pays some district, town and parish councils to carry out more localised cuts in their areas".

North Kesteven District Council said a “growing recognition” allows some patches of grass to grow wilder and described it as a "good idea".

“It can support pollinators as well as capturing and locking in carbon,” it said.

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