Dogs love to roll over and play on a vast green yard, but apparently, they love to gobble on it too. Technically, there is a term called “Pica” which describes a disorder involving eating non-food items. It might be caused by diet imbalance or simply boredom, especially for puppies. It is a question that baffles a lot of dog owners and veterinarians, but until now, there is no hard definitive answer on why does my dog eat grass?
1. Out of Boredom
Sometimes your dog might simply be bored and have nothing else to do to kill time. This is the case for humans as well; remember how much we like to chew on gums to pass the time? To prevent this, give your dogs a chew toy and spend more time playing with them.
2. Instinctive
While our beloved canines have already been domesticated for thousands of years, their ancestors — the wild canines like wolves and foxes are considered as opportunistic scavengers and will eat almost anything under the sun as long as it fulfills their basic nutritional needs. In fact, stool samples from wolves showed that 11-47% of them eat grass.
Thus, it is safe to assume that the reason why Dogs Eat Grass as well is that it is dictated by instinct.
3. It tastes yummy
No matter how pricey the kind of dog food we give to our adorable dogs, sometimes they are just weird curious creatures that find grass delicious. And that’s not really surprising, isn’t it? Stinky socks, anyone?
To alleviate this problem, some dog owners reported a change in behavior after switching to high-fiber dog food. But before doing so, make sure to ask your veterinarian first about diet changes.
Is it safe for my dog to eat grass?
Dogs love to chew. In fact, it is quite common for dogs to chew on weird items like slippers, tennis balls, and even, dirty socks. But, how about grass? Why does my dog eat grass and is it safe?
If this behavior is making you worried and thinks that your dog might be sick, you are not alone. It is a common myth that the reason why dogs eat grass is that they are sick and want to induce vomiting. However, as one study conducted by Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, it is pointed out that there is no scientific reason why dogs eat grass and as far as it concerns, it poses no troubling risk to them.
Experts have warned however that you should always monitor your dog if you notice a sudden surge in grass-eating as this could be a sign of an underlying gastrointestinal disease and a hint that you should visit your vet.
Another risk is accidental chemical poisoning that you use to get rid of fleas in your yard. To avoid this, make sure that you only use safe pesticides for dogs or you can also buy a separate pot of grass for them to specifically chew on.
To sum it up, there is no 100% answer to why dogs eat grass. It can be a variety of answers. As for your dog’s safety, you can mention this behavior to your next vet visit to eliminate any possibility of underlying illness.
The post Why Does My Dog Eat Grass? appeared first on What Do Animals Eat?.
