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Updated by Amy Granger on Oct 21, 2021
You probably have seen that "odd" moment that a dog is eating some greens, and you are astounded to witness it. That was most likely your first time seeing such a rare occurrence, and then you begin to wonder, why on earth will a dog eat grass?
Most people are predisposed to assume that dogs are carnivores, but that's not true. Dogs, like humans, are omnivores, meaning that they require nutrients from both meat and plants to survive. With all that said, let's see why dogs eat grass.
Dogs eat grass for a variety of reasons; these reasons include:
Your dog might just find the texture and taste of grass pleasant so much that it eats of it. You can liken it to a human just wanting to eat an apple.
If you are not feeding your dog enough quality dog food, it might move to complement its nutrition by munching on some grass. Grass is an excellent source of dietary fiber that is very healthy for your dog.
Roughage assists in stimulating the intestinal tract of your dog and is an important part of their diet. A diet of prepared foods might be high in fiber but not necessarily high in roughage—found in grass.
It's quite possible that your dog is feeling bored or really lonely. If your dog is left alone in the backyard all day, they can eat grass to pass the time—it just may be a distraction at times.
Make sure your dog has plenty of treats to keep them occupied for long stretches of time. Please encourage them to get more exercise by playing with them for at least half an hour per day and taking them for long walks on a daily basis.
If you find your puppy eating grass, it might be that be doing so to induce vomiting. Some dogs eat grass to flush out their stomach and relieve themselves of a stomach upset. Dogs actually know that eating grass could cause them to vomit. You should be on the lookout if this is the case.
Although, pieces of evidence show that most dogs who eat grass aren't sick until eating it or don't seem to be sick. According to trainers, only about 10% of dogs seem to be ill before chewing grass. And grass-eating dogs rarely vomit after eating grass; only about a quarter of dogs who eat grass will vomit.
Rest assured, eating grass usually isn't harmful to your dog's health. However, make sure you keep your canine friends away from the grass that has been treated by pesticides or chemicals and never let them eat mowed grass clippings.
Although eating grass isn't usually dangerous to dogs, it can cause intestinal parasites, which can be picked up from animal excreta and stool. It's also important to remember that herbicides and pesticides used on your lawn may hurt your dog.
However, if your dog consistently turns to grass to fill nutritional voids in its diet, then it might be best to take your furry friend to your local vet for a proper checkup and screening. Eating grass consistently could indicate underlying health problems in some cases.
If you find your dogs consuming too much grass, then it is okay to take actions that can prevent them from eating grass. But before then, you have to identify WHY it is eating grass in the first place. Here are some tips you may want to try out:
More often than not, your dog eats grass because it is not getting enough food, especially because you are too busy to feed them at the right time. Why not get The iPetor Automatic Pet Feeder which provides customized meal times and portions based on your dog's age, weight, and activity?
• The LCD screen makes it simple to set the time, meals, and parts. It's possible to alert your pet the feed time by recording your voice.
• It has a 4-liter capacity with a humanized design that needs just two hands to push on both sides to open easily and quickly.
• Keeps dry kibbles fresh in the food tank with the desiccant bag, thus ensuring that your dog has fresh and tasty food at every meal.
If you observe them eating grass excessively or more frequently, be watchful of potential underlying sicknesses that your canine friend is trying to self-treat. Also, watch out for diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, blood in feces, decreased appetite, lip licking, or lethargy.
Yes, dogs do, in fact, eat grass to settle stomach upsets. Many dogs will eat grass in an attempt to relieve themselves of their stomach upset. However, some dogs may not be this fortunate, according to some studies.
Apart from relieving a stomach upset, most dogs do not eat grass because they are sick. Experts are still not sure if sickness precedes eating grass or eating grass precedes sickness in dogs. In fact, many vets agree with the latter.
When your dog eats grass on a regular basis, there's definitely nothing to worry about, even if it vomits afterward. However, you can have it screened for parasites frequently to ensure that it has not eaten poisonous grass. You also want to make sure they never come near grass that was only recently sprayed.
