Eating grass is good for dogs?

Question

Every time we go for a walk in a park nearby my dog eats grass like there is no tomorrow. He never gets sick or throws up. I know the grass is clean but I'm always wondering if it's normal. I asked a friend who also owns a dog and she told me her dog never ate grass ever.

Answer 1

From a USA Today article....


Q: Why do dogs eat grass?
A: I surfed the Internet to gather veterinarian opinion on this question and found that dogs eat grass for a variety of reasons.

"It's a normal part of their diet," says Holly Frisby, DVM, of Doctors Foster & Smith, Inc. in Wisconsin. Wild canine relatives of dogs—wolves and foxes—eat all their catch. They end up, therefore, eating grasses and plants in the intestines of these animals. Domestic dogs, eating prepared dog food, lack this roughage and so they eat grass.

"They just like it!" Frisby also says. She mentions a beagle that picks raspberries faster than his owner.

Another reason: dogs may eat grass when they have an upset stomach in order to cause vomiting. "The grass will bind with the offending material. Then the grass acts as an irritant and causes the dog to vomit, bringing up the poisonous material at the same time," says Celia Feiler, DVM, of Winston Veterinary Hospital in North Carolina.

Finally, dogs may appear to eat grass, says Feiler, when they are just running the blades through their mouth to gather information. Their sense of smell and taste may act together to detect if other animals have walked through their area or urinated on the grass.

And then there's the city dwelling dog — deprived of grass. For a mere $8 a three-ounce bottle, he can eat: Barley Dog, the "Original" Barley Grass Supplement for Dogs.

Answer 2

Here it is, plain and simple. Dogs eat grass because they like it. NO other reason. Sometime after eating grass they throw up because 1) a long stringy piece gagged them 2) the dog ate chemically treated grass and it made the dog sick to it's stomach. It is a myth that dogs eat grass because they have an upset tummy. One draw back to allowing a dog to eat grass is if another dog had been there that has worms your dog could get infected with the worms too.

Answer 3

Don't worry too much about it just so long as he is otherwise healthy, I have 2 GSD's who regularly 'graze' like cows and they are very healthy.
EDIT. Dogs don't only eat grass when they are sick they actually like it! And the grass they eat to help them throw up is a different type.

Answer 4

Did you ever think maybe he ate grass, so he doesn't get sick. Dogs eat grass when their tummy don't feel good. It helps them.

Answer 5

you should not let your dog eat grass. some grasses can get caught in your dogs throat or further down and this will mean an
expensive trip to the vets

Answer 6

Don't send him to the Vet's they cost too much money and the majority of them don't really care about the animal.

Your dog most probably eats grass because it has worms, buy a decent all in one wormer and worm him as soon as possible.

I guarantee that your dog will no longer need to eat grass because he will no longer be trying to self-purge them from his intestines.

Answer 7

My dogs dont eat grass. I'm sure its fine as long as there are no chemicals on the grass.

Answer 8

dogs normally only eat grass when they want to throw up, thats the only time my dog ever did it. maybe take him to the vet just to check.

Answer 9

My dogs have ate grass before, but they got sick after they ate it.

Answer 10

Yes actually it is proven that there are certain vitamins in grass. Its like the vegetables for dogs.