October 20th 2023.
Michele Wingfield and her daughter Callie are asking Kent County Council for compensation after their beloved support dog Masie had a terrifying ordeal. Masie, a Westie, had been walking through some piles of cut grass and began sneezing uncontrollably.
The Wingfield family feared the worst and took Masie to the vet, where a scan revealed she had grass seeds up her nose. It cost Michele a whopping £5,000 to have them removed. A few weeks later, more seeds were found in Masie's paws, costing Michele an additional £800.
Michele believes the council is to blame for Masie's ordeal, as they cut the grass five times a year, but don't clear it before the seed heads form. She said, "It was awful watching her - she was extremely distressed and we were terrified. We had tried to avoid the cut grass but there were cars in the road and it was all over the pavement. Wildlife like foxes can’t avoid the cut grass – and no one’s going to pay for the vet for them.”
Masie was rushed to a specialist centre to have the remaining seeds removed and the Wingfields are now trying to raise awareness of the danger which can come from grass seeds. Michele said, “Once it gets in it can move through the body and even get in to the brain, and toxins can get into the blood. That would have happened to Masie if we hadn’t had it removed. Our vets are amazing but treatment is so expensive. We’re petrified about taking the dogs out now because we can’t afford the risk of something like this happening again.”
The Wingfields have submitted a claim for £6,000 to Kent County Council. A council spokesperson said they are investigating the claim and details of how they maintain grass on highway land can be found on their website.
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