Why does my dog eat grass?

Why do dogs eat grass?  Because it tastes good!  Ok, wheat grass shots are nasty – but if all you get is dry processed dog food, you start hankering for some salad.  The sweet dogs we share our lives with are no longer very similar to their ancestor carnivores.  Domesticated dogs are considered omnivores, or opportunistic scavenger omnivores.   Even wolves eat fruit, berries and vegetables.  Our dogs nibble on grass because they crave greens and roughage.  It can help if you cook for them a variety of herbs and veggies.  Dogs tend to like the most popular kid friendly veggies, like carrots, peas, green beans, sweet potato and green leaf salad.  All dogs benefit from these, but especially if your dog is a grazer.  Vegetables and greens offer a large variety of nutrients that can help ward off cancer, early ageing and a host of GI diseases. Now lets talk about the grass gobblers!  Do you have a dog that goes out back, gobbles grass, and then vomits it all up?  That is a different scenario for grass eating.  Dogs know if they eat large amounts of grass quickly it will tickle the throat and stomach and induce vomiting.  The occasional gassy stomach benefits from this practice.  If your pet often does this, please take him to the vet to be examined.  Chronic and sudden stomach issues can be serious or even life threatening.

Eating grass is healthy and normal for most dogs and cats.  Please be sure your lawn is free of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers before you allow a taste test.  And watch out for the lawn mushrooms!  That’s another post…