Why Does My Dog Eat Grass Instead Of His Favorite Pet Food?

Dogs are natural self healers so it is in their instinctive nature to know what weeds or grass to eat and when.

Unlike herbivorous animals like the rabbits, dogs, which are meat eaters, do not have enzymes in their stomach to break down any ingested grass. The dog will have to ‘bring back up’ the ingested grass from its stomach thus clearing its stomach and any unpleasant objects in the stomach in the process, thus making the dog to feel better.

Grass contains enzymes, vitamins, minerals and amino acids which are helpful in relieving pain, treating infections, ulcers, skin diseases. Another big benefit for dog to eat grass is the presence of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll helps to fight infection, enrich fur coat and can even relieve pain as in joint aches.

There are mainly two situations that induce a dog to look for and eat grass:

• To help him to induce vomiting for the purpose of expelling unpleasant or poisonous things which he have eaten.
• To aid his digestion process.

To Induce Vomiting

One reason why dog eats grass is to induce vomiting to expel unpleasant or poisonous things that he had eaten.

It’s an adaptive behaviour that protects a dog against indigestion and food poisoning, as the grass will bind with the offending material. The grass will then act as an irritant and causes the dog to vomit, bringing up the poisonous material at the same time.

To Aid Digestion

Another reason why dog eats grass, like wheat grass, is for digestive aid.

Grass is like an herbal medicine or an internal cleanser to the dog since it will help him to expel excess mucus, bile and other impurities. It can aid his bowels and expel worms.

So it is not a bad problem if you see your dog eating weeds or grass. However, it is imperative to ensure that the area where he looks for his grass supply is not sprayed with chemicals that are harmful to him.

In fact, there is a growing trend among dog owners who will grow their own weeds and grasses for their dog consumption. Some even go to the extent of freezing grass harvested in summer for consumption during the winter season.

So the next time if you see a dog eating grass, don’t panic, as he is doing something helpful to his well being and health.

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