Lawn Mowing: Why Do Dogs Eat Grass?

Now  we don’t know about your greyhounds, but ours are tremendous lawn  mowers.  Any given opportunity, we’re leaving trails through fields like  a herd of goats have gone through…greyhounds just love to eat grass!

But is there an actual reason for it?  There are several theories and thoughts…but truly, no one really knows why they do it!

It  has long been thought that dogs eat grass to make themselves throw up.   That they’re unwell. That they’re missing something in their diet…but  for many dogs, they just seem to like eating grass and there is nothing  inherently wrong with them.

Some of the theories for lawn mowing include:

Instinctual  behaviour:  Their wild ancestors would eat their entire prey, including  stomach contents containing plant material which was a source of fibre  and other nutrients.

Nutritional  Deficiencies: One of the common thoughts about eating grass is that dogs  seek it out as a way of supplementing their diet.  But, given how many  times we’ve had to pull undigested strands of grass out of our  greyhounds bums that have gotten stuck…we are rather suspicious as to  the reality of this point…how can they get nutrition from something they  can’t breakdown and digest?

Dietary  Fibre: As mentioned above, some dogs may eat grass to aid in digestion  and bowl movements by seeking grass as an additional source of fibre.   Again…see the above point!  Surely, they can only gain the fibre if  they’re able to break the grass down?

Inducing  Vomiting:  This one does hold ground, as just about every dog owner can  attest to their hound eating grass then proceeding to cough it, and a  load of bile, back up with it!  Though whether this is coincidental, or a  genuine need, who knows!  The idea is that it helps dogs expel whatever  is causing their stomach to be upset, basically a way of  self-medicating.

Behavioural  Factors: There is also the idea that it is a behaviour brought about by  boredom of anxiety, as a way to pass time or alleviate stress.  It may  also be an attention seeking behaviour, looking to prompt a reaction  from their owner, whether positive or negative, as a means of receiving  an interaction from them.

Taste:   Some dogs are believed to just like the taste and texture of eating  grass, it’s enjoyable.  Who knows!  We believe our hounds call into this  category!  For whatever reason, they just like eating grass!

Ultimately, lawn mowing if a harmless behaviour that does not post any significant health risk.

Naturally,  you will want to avoid your hound eating grass from anywhere that could  result in the consumption of things like pesticides or other toxic  materials, or where the grass is intermixed with other plants that could  be toxic if ingested.  Though quite often they will intentionally eat  cleavers, which is a common weed found amongst long grass.  Cleavers  hold a lot of natural benefits and are often ingested by dogs as a means  of self-medication.

The only  time you really want to be concerned about your hound eating grass is if  they are eating excessive quantities of it, and are showing other  symptoms such as constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, off their food and  otherwise lethargic.  In this case, it’s worth a check in with the vet!