Does your dog eat grass?

Having a munch on grass is a completely normal behaviour that most dogs seem to enjoy. A recent survey of 1500 dogs found that nearly 70% consumed grass on a regular basis.

There are 3 main reasons for eating grass:

To relieve digestive upset
Seeking nutrients not provided in diet
Just because they want to!

Before diving in, something to consider is the grass your dog is eating. Most parks and public spaces are sprayed with heavy duty chemicals like Roundup. These chemicals are linked to cancer.

If your dog is eating a lot of public grass it’s worth trying to limit this behaviour to your own home. This way you can control the chemicals they are consuming.

Grass to stop digestive upset

Dogs instinctively know that eating large amounts of grass will make them throw up. They use this to be able to clear out their belly if it isn’t feeling good. Kind of like the 2 fingers trick for humans (gross 🤮).

Dogs looking to induce vomiting will seek grass with a high level of intensity. The type of grass does not seem to matter, it’s mostly about intensely seeking and eating lots of grass. Then you will probably see your dog throw up.

As disturbing as this is, it’s a normal behaviour for dogs. If eating grass to vomit isn’t occurring often there is likely nothing to worry about. Keep in mind that less than 25% of dogs that eat grass do so to throw up so there may be other factors at play.

Grass to balance the diet

Eating grass is common in wild dogs, so it follows that your dog may also consume grass as part of their diet. Dogs are unable to select what they eat for dinner (that’s your job) so if there are nutrient gaps, foraging or scavenging is really the only option they have.

Why grass?

It can help to balance the colony of bacteria that lives in your dogs gut known as the microbiome. Grass also contains digestive enzymes which help to break down food.

The reason this is important is because most dogs eat a highly processed diet. The nutrition in processed food is not readily absorbed by the body because the high temperature and pressure destroys nutrients and enzymes. Dogs not getting enough of the nutrients they need can try to resolve it by consuming a fresh ingredient they have access to - grass.

If you are feeding a mostly processed diet (ie. kibble) then it’s a GREAT idea to add some fresh food into their diet. Sardines in spring water and blueberries are an excellent start.

And if you able to, feeding a properly formulated & high quality raw diet is the best way to be sure you are providing all of the nutrition your dog needs to live a long and healthy life.

When to worry?

If your dog is regularly eating large amounts of grass and throwing up, that’s not good. It would be a good idea to visit your vet for further investigation.

If your dog is selective about the grass they eat, don’t search it out intensely and aren’t throwing up regularly, it’s probably nothing to worry about. They might just like eating grass!