Grass

[wizard]

hi folks not to sure if this has been posted before

i would like to know wny dogs eat grass ?

[honeychild]

I am interested in this also. I have heard that they eat it for an upset stomach? But my two have a munch every time they go outside...

[Pixie's mum]

Ours only eat the really lush grass after a good rain. There must be some kind of nutrients they need in there.

[Tapferhund]

Grass is part of their 'natural' diet as they do get a certain amount of nutrients out of it. They also eat it for medicinal reasons, ie if they are feeling a bit crook.....as the grass can irritate the side of the throat which causes them to vomit........much the same as if we were to stick our fingers down our throat.

[GreatBigPuppy]

Because it's nummy of course.

Dogs will eat coarse grass - the stick spinefex type - if they are feeling unwell - it helps them to vomit. Otherwise they just like to eat grass ocassionally because the grass is quite sweet.

Edited July 27, 2008 by GreatBigPuppy

[LuvMyCav]

Every now and then Charlie gets all uncomfortable, moving around and not settling so I put him outside because I can tell his stomach is bothering him. He goes straight to his pet grass and munches away, vomits and is fine again. Other times he just nibbles on it because he likes it and will stop and nibble on some nice lush grass when we're out on a walk.

Here's a pic of Charlie testing out the new lot before it's planted:

[Dee_al]

Sometimes grass has a water type substance in it so dogs eat it instead of drinking if there is no water around

[~*Shell*~]

I've heard it's because of the nutrients and i think it's true. Zero will also lick the dirt sometimes (for quite a while) and dig it up so he can eat it. Vet says it's normal, he just needs some specific nutrients and minerals that are found in dirt.

Apparently it happens to people too - a lot of women want to eat potting mix when they're pregnant because it's got lots of minerals in it that they are lacking in their bodies. I think it's all fascinating!

[Dee_al]

I've heard it's because of the nutrients and i think it's true. Zero will also lick the dirt sometimes (for quite a while) and dig it up so he can eat it. Vet says it's normal, he just needs some specific nutrients and minerals that are found in dirt.

Apparently it happens to people too - a lot of women want to eat potting mix when they're pregnant because it's got lots of minerals in it that they are lacking in their bodies. I think it's all fascinating!

Both our dogs eat alot of grass. At first I thoughtit was coz Kane had grown up with my horses and thought he was a horse.lol.

Off topic to the pregnancy thing- I know someone who used to crave eating dirt and sand, so bad that she used to want to lick the footpath and eating handfulls of it. The doctor told her to eat non toxic chalk so she ate chalk during her pregnancy!

[Kowai]

Only the nicest of grass will do! :D Zach prefers wide-bladed, tall grass for eating! Yum yum!

[kiwioz]

Grass is part of their 'natural' diet as they do get a certain amount of nutrients out of it. They also eat it for medicinal reasons, ie if they are feeling a bit crook.....as the grass can irritate the side of the throat which causes them to vomit........much the same as if we were to stick our fingers down our throat.

Now I get it!! I always thought the grass was making them sick, that it was a bad thing, and I could never understand why they persisted in eating it!

[Troy]

.

[*Avanti*]

Thanks Troy.

On this topic I have a bit of a dilemma about the eating of grass with one of my dogs. She is allergic to the Kikuyu lawn and I have had to fence this off from her for now. She can reach some of it in a few spots through the fence and likes to eat it.

If she has a contact allergy to the grass I am not comfortable with her eating it. I suppose my question is partly “is there a (dietary) substitute to grass?" and “Would a contact allergy be the same if something is ingested?” She still has some redness on her paws but is nowhere nearly as badly affected now she is off the lawn.