How to stop my dog eating grass

swingaloo

Thanks for reading. I seem to be having a problem with my dog wanting to eat grass every time we walk.

I was once told years ago by my mother in law that it was a sign the dog wants to be sick but this isnt the case with ours. We walk daily on the local field and he used to love to chase the ball over and over till I was tired of throwing. For the last couple of weeks he will want to carry the ball in his mouth till we get to the field and as soon as we ae there he instantly loses interest and just wants to eat the grass. He will even refuse to walk and just want to sit on the grass eating.

Ive tried taking small treats with me to encourage him to play with the ball and tried to take his attention from the grass but he is having none of it.

Ive been reading a book by Victoria Stilwell and have followed the advice about feeding him. I cook fresh for him every day. Fish, Mince, liver, heart and also give him vegetables and pasta. In addition he has a bowl of dry food and biscuits which he can eat anytime.

He has always enjoyed his walks, we go twice a day and he would have a really good run but now he is desperate to get to the field and then he is not interested in anything but eating grass. Our usual thing is to start on the field then walk down the road and round in a circle back to home. Now he is reluctant to leave the field to have the rest of the walk.

There dont seem to be any ill effects but it cant be that good for him. Anyone have any advice please?

Mojisola

swingaloo wrote: »

There dont seem to be any ill effects but it cant be that good for him.

Why not? All our dogs have eaten grass and a range of other plants. Sometimes they search quite carefully for the plant they want to eat.

Carnivores often eat the stomach of prey animals - it includes a lot of vegetable matter and beneficial bacteria. It does their digestive system good.

glentoran99

http://www.petmd.com/dog/wellness/evr_dg_eating_grass


dogs like grass, its not a big deal

swingaloo

Thank you for the replies. Ive just read the article and it was putting my mind at ease. Till I got near the end where it said that you should watch out for a sudden increase in grass eating as it could be a sign of a more serious underlying condition so I think I may speak to the vet just to be sure.

usernameisvalid

My dog is 14. Deaf, blind and only walks a couple of yards, but still grazes on the grass in the hedgerows

He seems to find a sweet area and munches away to the amusement of the cows

teddysmum

I used to have four cavaliers and watching them out on the lawn made me think of the music mnemonic 'All cows eat grass' as 'All cavs eats grass.' (They do also eat grass to make themselves sick, if they had a tummy upset.)

Teddy is 13 next month and still puts the front lawn in its place by grabbing a mouthful when going out of the door.

Fruittea

Hi I'm a dog walker - so I see quite a few dogs. It's quite natural for dogs to eat grass. They can be quite picky about it to but I notice at this time of year they seem to be more tempted by the lush, long grass. I walk 3 labs and half way around the walk - they all sit and have a bit of a chew. I wouldn't worry about it. In the winter they don't seem to do it. If your dogs stools are ok I think he/she just likes the taste.

Mistral001

My dog ate grass from time to time. He did it mostly when he was younger but still would do a bit of grass-munching is his later years.

By the way most dogs like vegetables and bread as well as meat. I used to feed my dog with canned dog food with scraps of bread and some dry mixer and I would throw in some peas, cabbage or potatoes as well that I had left over from my dinner. He lived to a grand old age, so I must assume that he got a good diet - including the grass.

swingaloo

Thank you all for the replies, seems Im not alone in this experience. I never thought about the fact that the grass was nicer at this time of year but it makes sense.

I am giving him veg with the meat and fish, he seems to like couliflower and brocolli. Whats coming out of the other end seems ok as well, no runs or constipation so Im probably worrying about nothing. Perhaps I should start packing myself a picnic so I can tuck in whilst Im waiting for him!

usernameisvalid

My lad sits by my feet when I prepping the veg. He loves raw carrot, the broccoli and cauli stalks and the cabbage hearts

Nice and cold and good for the teeth. I have to say with all his ailments his teeth are still reletively tartare free

dontone

swingaloo wrote: »

Thank you all for the replies, seems Im not alone in this experience. I never thought about the fact that the grass was nicer at this time of year but it makes sense.
!

My Hound loves eating grass at this time of year. If we'd let him, he'd probably scoff the entire lawn
My Mam's dog used to do it as well, in fact it got to a point where she asked the vet if it was bad for them and he just said that 'some dogs think they are cows' So don't worry about it, lots of dogs do it.
My dog is a big veggie fan as well, although we've banned him from having sprouts, iyswim....eeeeeeewwwwww.