Why Does My Dog Eat
Grass?
By Jack
Sommars
Benjamin Hart, DVM, PhD, who
has studied animal behavior for almost 50 years, says that one of the questions
he hears most frequently from pet owners is: “Why does my dog eat grass?”
Until recently, veterinarians
like Hart could only speculate on the reason. Common theories included: The pet
must be sick and needs to vomit. Or perhaps there is something wrong with his
diet.
But according to new research
by Hart and his colleagues at the University of California–Davis, neither of
these answers appears to be correct.
With support from the school’s
Center for Companion Animal Health, Hart studied 1,500 dogs that had eaten
grass at least 10 times in the past year. They found that very few — about 9% —
appeared to be ill before eating grass. And less than one in four vomited
afterward. Diet or lack of fiber also had no effect on the dogs’ desire to eat
these leafy greens.
So if most of these dogs
weren’t sick, seldom vomited, and diet wasn’t a factor, why were they eating
grass?
“We believe it’s a trait they
inherited from their wild ancestors,” Hart says. “We know that wolves and
cougars eat grass. That’s because they carry intestinal parasites. That’s just
part and parcel of being in nature. Wild animals don’t have anything like the
medicines we have for controlling worms. But by eating grass on a regular
basis, they can prevent a buildup by purging their systems of these parasites.”
Hart’s study also revealed that
younger dogs are more likely to eat grass than their adult counterparts.
“This is also true in nature,”
he says. “Younger animals have weaker immune systems, and they need all the
protein they can get in order to grow.”
So should you ever be concerned
when your dog eats grass?
“Don’t allow your pet on a lawn
that has recently been treated for pests or weeds,” Hart advises. If you are
concerned about anything your dog has eaten, you should contact your
veterinarian immediately.
Hart says that pet owners
should be alert to any changes in a pet’s behavior, such as a sudden increase
in grass eating.
“Keep in mind that 9% of the
dogs we studied showed signs of illness before eating grass. This suggests that
the dog is trying to medicate himself. Grass isn’t bad when you’re living in
nature. But your veterinarian has far more effective medications to treat the
problem.”
But What About Cats?
Cats eat grass less often than
dogs, Hart says, but they tend to eat a wider variety of plants. This can
present problems, because cats are increasingly kept indoors where the only plants
available may be houseplants, several of which are poisonous. The 17 most
common poisonous plants are listed in the table.
If your cat likes to eat
plants, Hart suggests putting out a homegrown or commercial grass garden.
“By having grass readily available,
cats will tend to avoid the other plants and will be less likely to go after
something that might be toxic,” he says.
Common symptoms that might
indicate plant poisoning are vomiting, diarrhea, excessive salivation and
irritation of the lips.
If you suspect that your pet
has eaten a poisonous plant, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison
Control Center hotline at (888) 426-4435.
This article appeared on
healthypet.com