photo: Dredrk aka Mr Sky
Whenever Rodrigo is feeling a little punky, he’ll pace around the room, then come to me and bark once. This is his signal that he needs to go outside and usually he’ll frantically run out, head to a batch of tall grass and start chomping down until he vomits. While he’s doing that, I go over his diet over the past few hours to identify what has upset his stomach. Rodrigo eats grass for one of many things, like…
- Peanuts. He loves peanut butter and he gets a little with his joint care supplements
, but peanuts themselves tend to upset his stomach (mine too if I eat too many).
- Raw Bones. We used to give our dogs raw bones (you can find them in the fridge of some pet food stores). I’m not certain what about the bones upset his tummy, but Sydney experiences the same thing so we no longer feed them the bones.
Please keep in mind that these are Rodrigo’s triggers alone. I’m not implying that all dogs have issues with peanuts and raw bones.
He doesn’t eat grass to vomit all the time; in fact, it’s very rare. I’ve noticed him doing this probably two times this year (2012). So when he does feel the need to eat grass, I give him one of two things to make him feel better: Nature’s Variety Frozen SweetSpots
or canned pumpkin
.
or canned pumpkin.
Whenever I have a question, I’ve found Dr. Becker to be a fantastic source of information and here’s a video where she answers every dog owner’s question: Why Do Dogs Eat Grass?
October 3, 2012 at 4:33 pm
Dr. Becker is great! She has a great way of speaking clear and to the point! Sherman is defintley the #2 type of dog who eats grass. He likes to pick at long grass on our walks and in our backyard. He reminds me of a cow grazing! He’s never vomited up grass. Great article!
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Jen recently published..Wordless Wednesday. A Leaf for Sherman
October 3, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Our dogs are like that at on our walks; but there have been times when Rodrigo will give me his “I have to potty” bark and immediately go outside and mow the lawn. I feel awful, because I know his tummy is bothering him. Marrow in raw bones makes our dogs feel punky.
Thanks for stopping by, Jen
Twitter: thefurmom
October 4, 2012 at 12:22 am
There are many theories on why dogs do that; and I believe there is certainly more than one reason.
Jasmine will eat grass when her belly is upset, but both Jasmine and JD will munch of fresh young grass likely just because it’s there.
Neither of them even threw up after doing that. Bruin would, though, every time.
According to my dog nutrition course, dogs also eat grass to satisfy their need for chlorophyll. So if a dog seems to crave grass all the time, adding some wheat grass or parsley to their food might be a good idea.
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Jana Rade recently published..Great (Or Not So Great) Expectations with Femoral Head Osteotomy (FHO) Part (II)
Twitter: DawgBlogger
October 4, 2012 at 6:59 am
Thank you for always adding such valuable and easy to follow information. It’s so great to have you stop by!
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
October 4, 2012 at 11:40 am
My dog has always enjoyed eating grass. Some days she does more than others but it’s something she just seems to like. Never once has she been sick or thrown up as a result. Her favourite is the freshly cut chunks of grass after we mow the lawn. When she gets into super grazing mode, I tease her and call her Bessie the Cow.
I’ve asked several vets about it and they say if it doesn’t make her sick then we shouldn’t worry. I chaulked it up to her being a stray and having to find her own food but perhaps Jana is right and it has more to do with a need for chlorophyll? Maybe I’ll pick up some parsley and see if she likes that too.
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Kristine recently published..How to Prepare for Visitors When You Have a Crazy Dog
Twitter: shivathedog
October 5, 2012 at 1:10 pm
I’m going to look into getting something as a treat for our dogs to see if they like it. They’ve been munching on grass like crazy this week, but out of enjoyment. Funny dogs
Twitter: thefurmom
February 11, 2013 at 4:19 pm
My dog keeps eating grass but then throws up,I feel sad for my dog. What should I do?
February 11, 2013 at 6:56 pm
That’s actually a good thing. But our dogs occassionally do this when they have an upset tummy. What I do is give them doggy frozen yogurt, I like Nature’s Variety Sweet Spots (http://www.naturesvariety.com/products/treats/SS). If I don’t have their yogurt on hand, then I give them pumpkin pie filling – you can find it on store shelves.
If your dog is doing it all the time, I’d suggest speaking to your vet, because it may be serious.
Twitter: thefurmom