All I can remember playing in the garden as a child was my parents shouting “don’t let the dog eat the grass, DON’T LET THE DOG EAT THE GRASS”. At first I thought the panic in their voice meant that the dog was going to be harmed from their nicely kept lawn. Little did I know it was actually because the dog would graze for a while and casually trot into the house to find a nice quiet area. To vomit up the grass.
Dogs vomit grass after consumption because they lack the enzymes that give them the capability of breaking it down for digestion. Excessive swallowing, salivating and diarrhoea are signs that you should take your pooch to the vets to check it’s nothing more serious.
Having discussed this with many dog-owning friends and colleagues, I still don’t know the real reason why they eat it. Apparently, not one expert has a definitive answer, but we do know that this behaviour differs on a dog-by-dog basis.
Here are the most common reasons given from experts:
Boredom
Just letting your dog out into the garden isn’t always enough to keep them from boredom. Try maintaining that your dog is mentally and physically stimulated with toys, games and walking.
So. Bored. Source
Stomach problems
Some vets believe that a stomach irritation may cause a feeling of distress and nausea, so grass consumption acts as a temporary solution to the feeling of the initial irritation.
Taste
Our furry friends will hoover up anything under the table. The smallest morsel, crumb, fluff – you name it, they’ll eat it. It’s no surprise then, if they’re happy hoovering up fluff, they’re going to eat grass! Dogs are programmed to scavenge and hunt for as much nutrition they can get, and it’s quite possible that your dog may actually like the flavour and/ or texture of it.
Is this a familiar scene at your dinner time? Source
Evolution
Some theorists believe that grass eating behaviour has evolved from dogs trying to hide their scent from predators as they continue to hunt and forage for their young in their pack.
Dogs eating grass is natural
Dogs eating grass is completely natural, so try not to worry too much. If your furry friend starts eating it in an obsessive compulsive way, or, starts salivating, swallowing a lot or suffers from diarrhoea then book an appointment with your vet.
Is your dog a picky grass-nibbler or do they like like to wolf down as much as they can in one go? Let us know in the comments below.