Dogs and Grass

While picking up some dog food at the pet store this afternoon we saw a little display at the check-out with a bunch of small containers of pet grass. Grass is something we haven’t had to think about in a while, since we moved into our house last summer, and it dawned on us then that the dogs haven’t had any to nibble on in that long.

Chip was immediately interested and stuffed his face right into it. Though he only took a few nibbles he seemed to remember exactly what it was and probably that he liked laying around on it in the sun, too!

Honey was a little more hesitant but took a few nips at it as well before wandering off.

I do wish that we had a backyard full of grass again but it’s just not practical in the desert southwest, so we’ll probably plant just a small patch sometime soon.

When we did have grass, I’d see them occasionally nibbling it. I’ve always assumed it was because they had an upset stomach and the grass would help them vomit, and though that seems to be the common thought, no one actually seems to know for sure why they do it. Some vets suggest it may be more of a dietary imbalance while others just brush it off. I lean toward the upset stomach theory, at least as far as our dogs are concerned, since any kind of discomfort they seem to be going through was usually eased with a little bit of green.

As long as your dog isn’t gorging, a little bit of grass now and then obviously won’t hurt them. But if they’re acting like mini lawnmowers a trip to the vet might not be a bad idea. And of course, make sure any grass your dog has access to hasn’t been recently treated with chemicals.