A: In a recent question to Paw Nation, a user asked me if dogs eat grass to settle their stomachs or, since her dog often throws up after eating the green stuff, if it's the grass that actually upsets their stomachs.
But first let's answer the question, why do dogs and cats eat grass?
Some dogs and cats inherited their taste for grass from their ancestors, others chomp it just to have something to do, and some do indeed munch on grass to settle an upset stomach or another gastrointestinal-related problem. Eating grass will often cause vomiting, sometimes because the grass itself upsets your dog's or cat's stomach, or simply because they ate too much.
If your dog or cat is eating grass and vomiting every morning, I would advise bringing it to a vet for an exam.
Grass has no nutritional value for dogs or cats, but it won't harm them if they like to eat it once in a while. Just be sure to watch your pet's behavior and keep your eye on the type of grass he eats. Grass that has been sprayed with pesticides could potentially be toxic. If a dog or cat consumes grass that has been treated with chemicals for a long period of time, there could easily be harmful effects.
Also keep in mind that, like humans, dogs and cats can have behavioral issues. Constant grass eating could be a sign that your pet is obsessive-compulsive.
Do you have a question for Dr. Cooper? Send it to pawnation@aol.com.
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my dog always eats grass when she feels bad.
all of my dogs and cats eat grass now and then. they are fed a very primeum food. i don't waste any money on their diets. my husband often says they eat better than we do. but, hey, that's what being a mom is all about.
I understand the concept of grass eating by dogs, but why does my boston terrier love to eat the clumps of wet cut grass from the lawn mower. He goes behind me while i'm cutting the lawn and starts eating like a cow. He is weird.
Eating grass is perfectly normal for dogs. It serves a couple of functions. First is that it initiates peristalsis, and this seems to help them eliminate promptly. I usually only see this behavior in the morning, and all four of my dogs do it. I strongly suspect that a second effect is to cause them to regurgitate partially-digested food, as in feeding a litter of pups. Of course the pups can ignore the grass! Try hiding a bad-tasting pill in your dogs' food. It will be there after the food is gone.
I don't worry much about why my dogs do certain things, if it doesn't appear to be harmful. Just because I haven't yet figured it out doesn't mean that it is anything wrong.
Bob K
MY POMERIAN WOULD OFTEN EAT GRASS. I FIGURED HE WAS MISSING SOME SORT OF GREEN VEGETABLE IN HIS
DIET. SINCE I STARTED INCLUDING GREEN PEAS, OR GREEN BEANS ETC. IN HIS FOOD, HE VERY SELDOM EATS GRASS.