Why Does The Dog Eat Grass?

Does your dog eat grass as often as he gets the chance? Do not worry. Trust his instincts!

It is an attitude inherited from his ancestor, the wolf. Although humans still wonder why dogs ingest it, this is not a good reason to stop our 4-legged friend from doing so.

The dog has always eaten grass

The fact that dogs eat grass should be considered a completely normal fact, as long as it is not a compulsive action that indicates some behavioral problem or that makes the dog vomit daily.

Maybe they do it only because they like it, even if in our eyes it seems not very credible and hardly attributable to carnivorous beings.

Yet wolves, like other predators living in the wild, eat grass. So, if it is true that it is a habit that dogs keep in their genetic memory, why stop it?

The dog has always eaten grass, just like its wolf ancestor. It is a natural habit which, within the limits of normality, must not be repressed.

Eating weed to throw up

On some occasions you have certainly observed that your dog vomits after eating grass.

In these cases, its ingestion may be due to an attempt to cause vomiting to expel substances or elements – a piece of ball, a stone, remnants of garbage – that are causing digestive discomfort.  

In fact, the herb acts as an irritant of the stomach walls, increasing the secretion of acids and causing vomiting.

Obviously, if the action of eating it and throwing up – or having retching – lasts for several days, it will be necessary to contact a veterinarian,  because evidently the animal is unable to solve its problem.

Grass as part of the dog’s diet

While the grass your dog eats helps add some important nutrients, minerals and fiber to his diet, that doesn’t mean his  diet is unbalanced.

Although we cannot discard the hypothesis that, instinctively, the animal is taking substances necessary for its organism, which the human being ignores and which should be part of its usual diet.

Remember: nature is wise. Human beings don’t always.

Beware of toxic plants

At the same time,  check that your four-legged friend does not eat plants that are toxic to dogs, such as tomatoes, including green fruits. If it does, see a veterinarian immediately.

Keep in mind that the main symptoms of poisoning in dogs from eating tomato plants are:

• He retched
• Diarrhea
• Tremors
• Convulsions
• Stomach ache
• Respiratory problems
• Dilation of the pupils
• Cardiac arrhythmias

Beware of fertilizers and other chemicals

Care must also be taken to prevent the dog from becoming intoxicated with:

• Fertilizers
• Pesticides
• Insecticides
• Other chemicals

Keep in mind that although you have full control over your garden or land,  you cannot be sure of the substances that have been used in other places, whether public or private. 

We repeat: if your dog has any kind of persistent discomfort after ingesting weed, take him to the vet immediately. 

When to worry about weed ingestion

If your dog compulsively eats grass, this could be a symptom of some behavioral problem.

Again, contact your veterinarian and explain the situation. Perhaps your four-legged friend is stressed or anxious, and obsessively ingesting weed serves as a palliative for his malaise.

Furthermore, do not reject a priori the hypothesis that your dog’s diet may be inadequate to its characteristics, and contact a specialist to review it together.

Let him do it

So don’t worry if your dog eats grass within normal limits.

Don’t blame him and don’t punish him. This is a habit these animals have always had.