I LOVE eating grass!
Blog Entry 9
Mom has noticed that I eat quite a lot of grass, more than my brother Tuffy.
She says she’s not worried about it, especially since I don’t throw up after eating it, but it made her interested in doing some research about why dogs eat grass.
Humans Ask: Are Dogs Grassivores?
I think it’s sweet that she’s interested in my habits, and I encourage it!
Here are the theories she’s found:
1. ‘No one really knows.'
2. We used to eat all of our prey, including the contents of their stomachs, which was often grass. So now we eat grass to make up for not doing that any more.
3. It’s a natural remedy for gas or an upset stomach.
4. It adds roughage to our diet which may be missing from our normal food.
5. It contains ‘essential nutrients’ whatever that means, which our regular dog food doesn’t have in it.
6. Some articles suggest growing an herb garden for us, so we don’t accidentally eat yucky, dangerous chemicals that some people put on their lawns.
7. We throw up after eating grass sometimes because it irritates our tummies. And if we were feeling bad before we ate the grass, it brings up all the bad stuff in there. Then we feel much better again. If we feel ill before we eat the grass, we are more likely to throw up after eating it.
8. We eat grass 'cos we want to and look for the right kind of grass to munch on.
Grass is a good color for me.
I dunno about the other dogs, but I eat grass because it’s there and it smells great and I’ll eat anything!
Jeeves’ Mom’s Resources:
Why Do Dogs Eat Grass? http://www.livescience.com/37796-why-do-dogs-eat-grass-vomiting.html
Why Do Dogs Eat Grass? http://www.petmd.com/dog/wellness/evr_dg_eating_grass
Why Do Dogs Eat Grass? http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/why-do-dogs-eat-grass