Dog Eating Grass Problem
Is your dog becoming desperate to eat lots of grass and weeds all of a sudden and you think he won’t stop eating weeds if you don’t find a way of stopping him?
Are you wondering what you can do to stop your dog from eating grass frantically or if you should let him continue gulping weeds like goats? Relax!
Could this be a Sign of Poor Diet or Health Problem?
There is a lot of confusion regarding the fact that dogs eat grass because of an unbalanced diet.
Some say that due to the lack of some nutrients in the dogs’ diet, they get the urge to eat grass.
But then, there are cases where dogs munch on the grass even when they have a balanced diet.
Even some well-fed dog breeds like a Border collie, Dachshund, Doberman, German shepherd, greyhound, golden retriever, Jack Russell, and Weimaraner are spotted eating grasses.
Many times, we can spot dogs chewing on grass when they feel sick. So, one assumes that grass help with the dog’s stomach upset.
But what is the real reason behind this strange appetite of dogs eating grasses?
Dogs trying to be their Physicians
When dogs feel a little sick or have upset in the stomach, their natural tendency is to eat grass which will urge them to vomit.
By vomiting out, all the undigested food leaves the body which makes the dog feel relaxed and healthy again.
Dogs going by ‘Variety is the spice of life quote
But there are times when dogs go out and eat grass even when they are feeling fine. This is because dogs might simply like the taste of grass.
A vet friend had had a series of complaints about whippet, Havanese, beagle, Maltese, husky, poodle, and even bulldog eating grasses, so your pet is not left alone in this act.
Dogs by nature eat both plants and meat. So they tend to include grass in their diet.
This will make them feel that they are having a wholesome diet.
Even in the cases where the dogs are only meat-eaters, they tend to taste the plants that are found inside the prey’s stomach.
So overall, dogs are adjusted to eating plants one way or the other.
Dogs tend to look for a variety in their food and consuming grass will bring a difference in taste in the dog’s diet which they like.
This can be one other reason for the grass-eating behavior. But many suggest that the primary reason for consuming grass is for rectifying health issues.
Dogs tend to pick on grass when they have a gassy stomach. Consuming grass will rub down the throat, which will induce vomit.
When should you get Worried about your Dog?
However, if your dog eats grass and starts coughing, vomiting, or becoming sick thereafter, you may want to call your vet’s attention to this.
If your dog is vomiting yellow bile, clear liquid, white foamy substance, and having diarrhea at the same time, with bright red blood in his stool, kindly call the veterinarian immediately.
If the dog has diarrhea and vomiting for 3 days, he would lose much weight, and most times, the dog will even stop eating food.
This may be because the dog has taken chemicals with the grass or germs.
However, if the dog is only vomiting and acting normal, this may stop after a few hours and if it doesn’t stop for the whole day, you can as well call your doctor attention.
Home remedy to avoiding ugly situations
If you’re not able to get the vet’s attention right away, you can give the best food to the dog, chicken broth, cooked white rice, and boiled white chicken without bone.
You can also try home remedies by getting some over-the-counter drugs like Imodium if it’s a large dog and not a puppy.
Pepto-Bismol can also work in this regard. Kindly follow the instructions on the leaflets in the drug’s pack.
Calling the vet when your dog suddenly becomes serious about plant-eating is important.
This may be a sign of a health issue.
Informing the doctor early would enable him to start taking the necessary tests.
He can examine if there are any long-running intestinal issues. This might sometimes be related to inflammation too.
When there is a weight loss witnessed in your dog or if there is constant diarrhea, then the indigestion issues might be a bit serious. So checking up with a vet is a good option.
Could this Weed eating Habit be in their Bloodline?
In ancient times, dogs were supposed to find food for themselves.
This left them in a situation where they have to hunt for food.
Only by consuming healthy and fulfilling food, will the dogs be able to transfer the nutrients to the younger ones.
So to make the hunting easy, dogs eat grass before taking on a hunt. This will help them in covering up their scent.
The prey will not be able to sense the dog’s presence as the grass smell will subside the dog’s scent.
This technique would have been running in the bloodline which urges dogs to pick on the grass at times.
There are also dog experts who opined that when a dog is hungry, it tries to fill its stomach by eating grass.
Also, when the nutrition is deficient given, they eat grass to balance the diet.
If you find your dog looking for grass frequently then what you can do to stop the dog from eating grass is to change the food. This will solve the problem in most cases.
By choosing a better dog food that has all the essential nutrients, the diet will be balanced.
In most cases, eating grass will not cause any trouble for dogs. But there are times when the grass would have pesticides in it.
This might be poisonous to dogs. Hence, removing the toxic grass found in your house is a good precaution to take.
