Many dog owners often wonder why their pet dog eats grass during walk time or when they’re playing in the garden. Dogs are carnivores, so often; the witnessing of them eating grass leads their owners into confusion as it’s not considered to be a typical food type for a dog. There are many reasons as to why your dog is eating grass and there isn’t always a need to be concerned. Listed below are several reasons why your dog is behaving this way. As with any health related concern, you should always seek veterinary advice if you are at all concerned.
- If your dog is still in its puppy stage, they may be eating grass because they’re bored or they’re being playful. If your puppy is eating grass during walk or playtime, you should try distracting them and entertaining them in other ways to see if this stops this habit.
- Gastrointestinal upset. Often if your dog has an upset tummy, they will eat grass to enable them to purge and relieve the symptoms from their stomach. In this instance, your dog will eat large amounts of grass and then attempt to throw it all back up. This is also coupled with them licking their lips as they feel nauseous at this point. Often, when they exhibit this kind of behaviour it tends to be rather frantic for both the dog and owner. Most likely this is nothing to worry about and it is in your dog’s best interest to vomit to relive their symptoms of something that could potentially have been toxic or causing them to feel unwell.
- Are they suffering from Intestinal worms? If your dog is constantly eating grass and purging heavily after, this could be an indicator that your dog has worms. There would be lots of other symptoms alongside this and if you are at all concerned you must take your dog to the vets for a professional opinion.
- Lacking nutrition. It maybe that your dog is lacking some form of nutrition and they resort to eating grass to fulfil this. You should assess your dog’s diet and check whether they are receiving enough fibre. It’s always worth seeking professional advice on your dog’s diet and only feed them food of high nutritional value that can be purchased directly from your vets or through a professional pet dog food company.
- Another reason as to why your dog is constantly eating grass could well be the enjoyment side of it. There are some dog breeds that enjoy eating grass and do it to simply pass time.
Actions to take if your dog eats grass often
As previously mentioned, dogs tend to eat grass when they’re feeling unwell and need to vomit. That being said, if your dog is constantly eating grass, then you maybe need to take further action and seek professional advice. You should start by revaluating their diet and see if the food you are feeding them is causing them digestive discomfort. As well as consulting your vet, you could also seek advice from a holistic veterinarian, who will be able to advise you on various diets that may suit your dog’s digestive gut. There are also probiotics and digestive enzymes that you can feed your dog. Again, you must seek professional advice before changing your dog’s diet or giving them any form of supplemen.
Should you stop your dog from eating grass?
Ideally, you shouldn’t stop your dog from eating grass as this is normal behaviour. Your dog is eating grass to ease their digestion and eating small amounts of grass can provide various benefits when consumed. You should only ever intervene, if the grass they are eating has been treated with any form of chemical or contains slugs or snails. You should always be looking for any kind of patterns when your dog is eating grass and even if they’re not being sick, you should try and find out why they’re eating grass. Whilst this behaviour may seemly slightly odd, it’s generally no cause for concern.
Can eating grass be dangerous for dogs?
Your dog has the capabilities and knowledge to eat the grass it needs and will know what to avoid. However, you should be mindful of them eating grass that has been treated with pesticides or other chemicals. You should also check that they’re not eating grass with slugs or snails as this can cause severe health complications if digested.
