3 Reasons Why Your Dog Eats Grass

Almost every dog breed is susceptible to eating grass if left alone around it. Some dogs even go further by eating other things like sticks or wood. Interestingly, vets and scientists have long tried to figure out why they do it.

Below are some reasons why your dog may eat grass:

Habit And Instinct

Domesticated dogs are not the only ones guilty of eating grass. An examination of wild dogs’ and wolves’ feces showed it contained grass 70% of the time. Some people suggest dogs eat grass to cleanse their guts of worms, but there is no scientific evidence.

Nausea

Historically, people have always thought that dogs eat grass when they are ill to make themselves vomit. A study found that 8% of the dogs that went outside to eat grass were unwell. Causes of nausea that could make your dog want to eat grass include stomach upsets, diabetes, fever, and pancreatitis.

Nutritional Deficiency

This theory claims that dogs instinctually know there’s a vitamin or mineral they need that is contained in the grass they choose to eat. The problem with this theory is that many dog parents feed their dogs a balanced diet that should provide for all their nutritional needs.

It is unlikely that grass would cause harm to your dog when they eat it. However, there are poisonous grasses, so you need to keep a close eye on your dog.