Why Your Dog Eats Grass

And Will It Hurt Him

Most people think that dogs are carnivores, but they are really omnivores. That means that they eat anything. They may not be particularly fond of vegetables, but they will eat them. If you look at the ingredients of almost any nutritionally complete dog kibble, it will include vegetables and grains.

But the question remains, why, if your dog isn't hungry, will he go out into the back yard and eat grass?  Not only that, but will frequently vomit after eating the grass. There are some theories but no solid answer.

One theory is that he uses the grass to cause him to vomit because he has excessive bile or some other material in his stomach that he wants to get rid of. It's like he's medicating himself. On the other hand, there's the theory that he really doesn't want to vomit but the grass causes him to.

And a third theory is that he just likes to eat grass. He likes the taste and texture of it. It's there and it's something to do. It's like you having a snack even though you're not hungry. You just want to eat something.

The next question is will it hurt him. The answer to that question is "No", as long as there's no pesticides or chemical fertilizer on the grass. Ingestion of pesticides or chemical fertilizers can cause your dog some serious problems if he ingests too much of them.

So let your dog eat grass if he wants to. If he vomits, so be it. However, the stomach liquid that comes up with the grass when he vomits can leave a nasty yellow stain on your carpet if you don't clean it up thoroughly and quickly.

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