Joann Bennett, BVetMed MRCVS Veterinary Surgeon Reviewed by Dr Jill McMaster BVM&S MBA MRCVS, Veterinary Surgeon and in-house expert at BorrowMyDoggy on Where else would your dog accidentally pick up leftover waste if not on grass?ĭiscouraging your dog from eating grass is probably in everyone’s best interest.Written by Dr. Even on your own property with other dogs, it’s a good idea to clean your yard if there is excessive urine around. If consumed, urine or fecal residue from dogs or other animals can spread disease. Some grasses could be treated with fertilizer, pesticides, or other substances that can make your dog sick. You definitely don’t want your dog helping themselves to every lawn you pass on your daily walk.įor one thing, you have no idea what’s on it. In some cases, a dog eating grass can be dangerous, unwanted behavior, or both. In the dog’s case, maybe it even tastes delicious to them. It’s just fun – maybe it looked delicious? Your dog might be ripping up grass and eating it for the same reason a toddler eats a flower. Most dogs have roughly the mentality of a three-year-old child. Many of us have seen human children eat crazy things for unknown reasons.Ī toddler could snack on fistfuls of dirt because it amuses them. We already know that dogs don’t follow human social norms. In either scenario, adding soluble or insoluble fiber to their food can benefit your dog and discourage them from turning your yard into an open buffet. Lack of fiber can also manifest itself in loose stools. Your dog could also be showing signs of straining and struggling to eliminate. If you use a bag to pick up after your dog immediately after they do their business, you might also notice it feels unusually hard. You might notice your dog’s stools are dry. How do you know if your dog’s love for a grass salad is due to a fiber deficiency? The grass is a great way for them to get extra fiber in their routine, even if the behavior is puzzling to us. You may be thinking, why is my dog suddenly eating grass? They Have a Fiber Deficiencyĭogs need fiber, too, and they could be craving fibrous substances if they lack it in their diet. These reasons are more likely than due to poisoning. Now that we’ve covered the scary stuff, we can discuss why your dog could be eating grass. Lethargy, shivering or shaking, diarrhea but otherwise fine, fever, weakness, disorientation, pale gums, and seizures are symptoms caused by ingesting common toxins. Look out for other symptoms of poisoning. The only way to try to decipher their motives is to pay attention to their behaviors, and make mental notes – or real notes, if you like – whenever the behavior repeats itself. If eating grass and vomiting afterward is a one-off incident, it won’t be easy to understand precisely what happened. Or were they feeling upset to their stomach and swallowed it on purpose? It isn’t easy to narrow down why exactly your dog threw up.ĭid your dog eat grass for an unknown reason and throw up because they swallowed too much? You probably know what happens next – and it’s messy. Longer grass blades can get caught up in their throat, or aren’t completely swallowed on the first try, triggering the dog’s gag reflex. Your dog could be eating grass for other reasons – which we will explain shortly – and they’re not chewing it properly. The action is more like them swallowing it whole without chewing it at all. However, a dog who is eating grass to make themselves throw up probably won’t actually “eat” the grass. This could be because they ate something bad already, which is causing nausea or other stomach discomforts. It is true that, in some cases, a dog may be eating grass to induce vomiting.
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