DOG walkers whose pets have been injured by barbed grass seeds met yesterday in their campaign to tackle the offending lawns.

They gathered at Hove Lagoon – a sharp seed hotspot – to talk about the problem.

One dog owner said she has had to pay more than £1,000 in vet fees after surgeons removed seeds lodged in her pet’s ear.

According to the dog walkers, the problem is widespread. Many of them said they have had to pay £60 a time to have the seeds removed.

Poodle owner Liz Morgan said: “Dogs’ coats are like Velcro. I’ve had to remove dozens of seeds from my poodle’s fur. I’m lucky though. A friend of mine had a dog who inhaled one of these seeds and had to go under the knife. It was badly wounded – I don’t think it survived.

“We need to be able to walk our dogs where they’re safe. But where else can we go? The park is full of children and footballers. Something needs to be done here by the Lagoon.”

Councillor Robert Nemeth, who organised the meeting yesterday morning, said he had been contacted by more than 20 dog owners experiencing the same problem.

He said: “The grass used to be cut every two weeks. Now we’re having to beg for it to be cut. We want it to be regularly maintained, or replaced with a different species of grass which is not harmful to dogs.”

The offending species – foxtail grass – is often chosen for its hardiness. But it also produced dart-shaped seeds which burrow into the dogs’ skin and can cause painful injuries and serious infections.

Lucy Hartwell MRCVS, surgeon at Wilbury Vets in Hove, said: “We see one or two dogs each day with grass seeds in their paws or ears. Spaniels are the worst affected breed because of their fur. We once had a dog with 30 seeds in its coat.

“Today I’ve removed six seeds from a single dog. It had two in each ear, and one seed lodged right down by the eardrum. The seeds penetrate the skin and burrow in – this dog had several wounds.

“The last two years have been particularly bad. It’s a summertime problem and we see a surge in cases between July and September. I’m not convinced how much it has to do with cutting the grass. I think dog owners just need to be vigilant.”

She said: “Clip the fur between your dogs’ toes, keep it as short as possible, and make sure you’re giving your dog a regular grooming after walks, removing visible seeds, and washing its paws.”