UK Pet News: July 2026

Three warnings are worth acting on this week if you walk a dog. Vets are pulling grass seeds out of paws and ears earlier than they normally would, the RSPCA has changed its advice on what to do when you spot a dog shut in a hot car, and a Berkshire practice has flagged a run of adder bites after woodland walks. Here is what changed and what it means for your routine.

Vets are seeing grass seed injuries earlier than usual

A Kent practice has warned that grass seed cases are turning up weeks ahead of the usual July peak, which it puts down to the hot, dry weather and grass being left longer between cuts. The seeds have a barbed shape that lets them catch in a coat and then work through the skin, most often around the paws, ears and eyes, and once one has burrowed in it usually needs sedation and minor surgery to find and remove. Kylie Simons of Swanley Veterinary Clinic advised owners to keep dogs out of long grass for now and stick to shorter, cut areas or woodland paths, then check paws, ears and armpits after every walk. Dogs with long or curly coats are the hardest to spot a seed on, so a proper going-over after a walk matters more than a quick glance; our guide on how often you should groom your dog covers what a good check looks like. Reported by KentOnline.

RSPCA says dial 999, not the charity, for a dog in a hot car

With the summer heat still holding, the RSPCA has repeated a point that catches a lot of people out: if you see a dog shut in a hot car and in distress, call 999 and ask for the police, not the charity. The reason is legal rather than a brush-off. Police officers have the power to force entry to a vehicle to reach an animal in danger, and the RSPCA does not, so going straight to 999 saves time that a dog in that situation does not have. The scale of the problem is not small: one large veterinary group logged 355 suspected heatstroke cases across its practices in 2025, around two thirds of them over the summer, which was up by more than a quarter on the year before. If your dog is walked by someone else, it is worth agreeing that midday walks move to cooler mornings or evenings; our guide on how to choose a dog walker covers the questions to ask about hot-weather routines. Reported by Dogs Today.

Berkshire vets flag a run of adder bites after woodland walks

A veterinary hospital covering the Reading and Bracknell area has warned local owners after treating several dogs bitten by adders on walks in forested spots such as Buckler’s Forest. Adders are the only venomous snake native to the UK and are most active in the warmer months, so late spring through midsummer tends to be the risky window, particularly in heath, woodland and long grass. The signs to watch for are sudden swelling, bruising or a colour change and lameness, most often on a leg or the face, since those are the parts a dog leads with. A bite is an emergency even if your dog seems bright afterwards, so carry them if you can to slow the venom spreading and get to a vet straight away rather than waiting to see how it develops. If you are new to an area or between practices, our guide on how to find a good vet is worth reading before you need one in a hurry. Reported by the Bracknell News.