Grass Eating
07/08/2020
At Gilbertson & Page we’re often asked about grass eating in dogs and whether it means that dogs are unwell or nutritionally deficient. A recent American study (Sueda. 2008) found that only 10% of grass eaters were unwell before they ate grass or plant matter. They found that it was younger dogs that ate grass more often but that the type of diet the dogs were fed on didn’t make any difference to whether they ate grass or not. So in most cases it is likely to be simply a learned behaviour that needs addressing rather than something to change in your dog’s diet.
It is worth stopping grass eating where possible as with some dogs it could make them sick or cause a digestive upset. Grass outside of the garden can often be sprayed with pesticides or covered in pollutants from road traffic or other chemicals so is best avoided. Trying a reward treat at key points in your walk might be one way to keep your dog’s attention with you, rather than on the tasty grass.