Grass

[BittyMooPeeb]

My dog eats grass, and I cant work out why (ie is his diet deficient?). His diet is:

Morning: chicken neck or lamb bone

Evening: 'Mix' that I make consiting basically of minced chicken carcass, juiced fruit and pulp, parsely or spinach chopped, pumpkin, honey, wheatgerm.

Snacks: the cats dry food - science diet adult (I know ... but he will only eat dry food out of the cats bowls)

He is quite persistent when eating grass and can pause for 10 minutes during a walk to eat the blades of grass from a desirable clump. He will even go out in the wet to eat grass if he wants it, so I assume his need is real.

Does anyone have any ideas?

[wagsalot]

i always thought dogs ate grass to induce vomitting.

not sure how correct this is though, but im sure someone else will have some good answers.

[BrunoBella]

Bella eats grass when she wants to throw up. I think it just helps with digestion.

A friend's dog eats pretty flowers

[Lablover]

Fresh grass eating, plain and simply, I think is normal for dogs. All my dogs over the years have eaten certain types of grass. I have not worried about it at all, except when it comes out the other end and aggravates them!!! Labradors should at least try and chew the damm grass not swallow it LONG.

[MumOf2LabBoys]

Lablover, i so hear you on that one!

Ralphy has taken to being very selective on what blade of grass he will swallow whole....sometimes taking up to 2-3 min to choose.

Not good on cold frosty mornings..LOL

[Netti]

My dogs also eat grass. I just see it as them supplementing their diets and they know what is good for them.

Very occasionally they eat grass to induce vomitting(sp) but usually they munch away happily and it comes through as undigested fibre at the other end. They also like to have a chew on raw carrots and cabbage with much the same result. Hope this helps.

Cheers Netti

[Tilly]

Our GSD grazes almost constantly and never throws up.

If he is laying on the back lawn while I am gardening (or should I just say weeding) he will just pick at the lawn until there is a hole down to the dirt. He is in perfect health with a well balanced diet. I think it is more of a habit thing for him.

[Mooper]

Hmm, Peeb, Peeb ... where have I heard a dog of that name who eats the cat's dry food ...

Jack eats grass all the time. I've always assumed it's normal. He'll graze in the backyard. And when doing zoomies around the yard, no clump of grass is safe from his jaws

[MumOf2LabBoys]

Did somebody say grass?

yummmmm i loves grass.

Ralphy_047.JPE

[pebbles]

Mine loved their grass nibble but with the drought the last couple of years there wasn't much around. There's been some rain lately so the grass is showing it's head around the place. The dogs have spent quite a lot of time grazing around the yard - hope they keep it up, might save mowing later on

[Em & Taco]

I have this problem with taco aswell. He will just go and munch on some grass and then he throws up.

[White Shepherd mom]

Here's a thought, don't know how much merit it has but anyway:)

In the wild, our dogs would eat dead animals, stomach contents and all. Some of those animals would be grazers and so dogs would eat grass through them. Maybe it's just something they need to eat. One of mine eats grass more than the other and she doesn't always throw up afterwards.

[hopenfox]

Of my 3 dogs, one will only eat grass to throw up and the other 2 graze often, but only rarely throw up...Sometimes their droppings look like pure grass. That must clean the system out really well!

[katetk]

Not to hijack. :D

But does anyone have a dog that doesn't eat grass.. i honestly can not recall seeing harvey do it.. He probably has once or twice (to throw up) but i cant ever remember seeing him do it , within the last year or so..again he more than likely has a chew when i am not around but i never see him just stop to have a munch..

is this a bad thing? Not being a grass eating dog? Everyone else seem to do it

Edited July 8, 2005 by katetk

[Kirra_Bomber_Zeus]

is this a bad thing? Not being a grass eating dog? Everyone else seem to do it

;)

One of my dogs eats grass all the time, and the other doesnt The cat eats more grass than food I think :D

Im not sure why they do or dont do it. It's funny, both of my dogs get exactly the same dinners so if it was a nutrition thing for them you would think they would both do it :D

Although I must admit - maybe Bomber just doesnt eat grass when Im around

Jen

[BittyMooPeeb]

Thanks all for your feedback. I guess I can stop feeling like a bad mother now! Peebs will be glad too - because of the grass eating I was worried his dinners didn't contain enough 'greens' so in the last batch I added an entire bunch of spinach: his face said it all ...

The little girls next door pick bunches of grass to feed him through the fence so I guess they will be happy too!

[Kirra_Bomber_Zeus]

Peebs will be glad too - because of the grass eating I was worried his dinners didn't contain enough 'greens' so in the last batch I added an entire bunch of spinach: his face said it all ...

:D

Love it

[White Shepherd mom]

in the last batch I added an entire bunch of spinach: his face said it all ...

BittyMooPeeb, I often add some spinach or bok choy or anything similar to the dogs' food when I cook a batch. If I have nothing fresh on hand, I use a couple of blocks of frozen spinach (I buy the bags with small individual portions in them) - I figure since they eat grass, then some greens in their meal can't harm.

[Kirra_Bomber_Zeus]

I give mine greens as well - but LOL at the look on their face

There are some veggies they like and some that are just not on. I had some broccoli left over one night and decided to give it to them. The look on Bomber's face was priceless - and all night he was spitting out these little green balls everywhere! :D

Jen

[dogcop]

Well I'd love to see a dog spitting green balls LOL. I know they eat veggies some more than others so its not unatural. They know what is good for them by their natural instincts we just have to be smart enough to interpret why they do it. I was going to be smart and suggest maybe starting up a doggydairy or think of entering the melbourne cup you never know. BUT I WONT !! LOL