The age old question - why DO dogs eat grass?

Question

I've heard everything from "it's like a salad" to "it makes them vomit." Does anyone REALLY know why dogs eat grass?

Answer 1

"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 of an animal when they catch it. They end up, therefore, eating grasses and plants in the intestines of these animals. Domestic dogs, eating prepared dog food, lack this part of their diet 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.

Answer 2

Question Do dogs eat grass because they need to vomit, or do they vomit simply because they eat grass?

Answer The cause and effect relationship in animals of eating grass and then vomiting is often questioned. No one has ever proven that dogs are intelligent enough to use grass as a medicinal herb, so those in the medical profession generally believe that dogs eat grass simply because they like the taste of it and that the vomiting just follows.

Therefore, it's unlikely that a dog will eat grass or other plants in the hopes that they will settle its stomach. Be aware, however, that some plants, or grass that has been treated with fertilizer or herbicide, can cause stomach upset or other problems, some of which may be severe. See Prevent Poisonings for a list of toxic plants.

The Companion Animal Behavior Program at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine is currently conducting a study of grass and plant eating behavior in dogs (and cats). Many theories as to why dogs eat plants have been proposed. However, this is the first scientific study to investigate this common behavior.

Answer 3

Some dogs will just graze because they like the taste, but if your puppies are doing it continually and bringing it up after, you should check their diet and be sure you are feeding a nutritionally balanced dog food.

The other thing to watch out for ...
Keep an eye on them, dogs have a tendency to eat grass when something is upsetting their stomaches, as it will bind the item that bothers them, and help them to bring it up after.

Answer 4

Every time I have seen a dog eat grass they have vomited. They could be trying to tell their lazy owner to cut the grass.

Answer 5

Dogs eat grass for many reasons.. One for they dont know what it is and want to taste it. But most of the tieme they eat it if there stomach is upset. If it is they will eat it and then they will puke it back up. If makes them feel better. Just like when you are sick but you can't throw up you can make your self throw up. That is wat they do. Also you can buy grass that is okay for dogs to eat. ((not saying that the grass outside is bad)) Good luck. <3

Answer 6

When their stomach is upset dogs eat grass to make them throw up so they can feel better.

Answer 7

i'm Vet Tech student so i'm no longer an authority yet I had few pets in the previous like that, eating grass from the nowhere and It change into undesirable digestion or disillusioned abdomen. yet definitively come across a 2d opinion from yet another vet if you're not from now on satisfied and your gut is telling you there is something else happening.

Answer 8

It has nutrients they need. Usually a dog will only eat grass before a storm is coming.

Answer 9

my dog eats grass all the time and it does make him vomit

Answer 10

Its simple. Dogs eat grass because it has fiber. It cleans them out. Just like humans. If we dont eat enough fiber, we get digestive problems.