Why is my dog eating grass?
Often it looks a little crazy: dogs who throw themselves wholeheartedly into a piece of grass and eat it as if we never feed them... Many dog owners therefore worry when they see their faithful four-legged friend "grazing. After all, why does a dog actually eat grass? We'll tell you more about it in the blog below.
Eating grass is normal dog behavior
No matter what breed your dog is, every dog takes a bite of grass from time to time. However, what the exact reason is behind grass eating is not known. However, we can say that it is fairly normal dog behavior because it is instinctive. The ancestors of our dogs ate plants with regularity, and grass is also often found in the feces of wolves. Wild dogs eat grass as protection against intestinal parasites. Dogs as we know them do not suffer from these parasites, but may thus have inherited the predisposition to eat grass from their ancestors.
So eating grass is normal dog behavior and not an immediate cause for serious concern.
Why do dogs eat grass?
Although a lot of research has been done on the thinking behind dogs eating grass, no exact reason is known why dogs do it. However, there are several causes that could be related to the fact that your dog does eat grass:
- Dogs may eat grass out of boredom
Is your dog regularly left alone in the yard for long periods of time? Then he may be bored. Out of curiosity, your dog may pull long stalks from the lawn and then chew on them.
- Dogs find grass tasty
Many dogs like to eat grass. Especially in the spring and summer months, when the new grass is fresh and full of sugars, many dogs see a nice tuft of grass as a tasty snack. This is because the high sugar content makes fresh grass taste very sweet and this is something that dogs -just like us humans- love. In addition to sugars, fresh grass also contains a large amount of plant Omega-3 fatty acids.
For most dogs, eating grass occasionally does not cause any problems. However, it is very important to make sure that the grass has not recently been treated with toxic pesticides or fertilizers and that you deworm your dog on time and regularly.
Is your dog suddenly eating a lot more grass than he normally does? That may be a sign that something more than just innocent grass eating is going on because he is bored or that he just likes it. If you notice these kinds of changes, it is recommended that you have your dog examined by a veterinarian to rule out any gastrointestinal diseases.
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