Chewing Problem
Does your dog chew grass?
My
dog crops grass like a cow. He eats it with gusto
whenever he encounters it, to the extent that my friends
have begun to refer to him, jokingly, as ‘The
Ruminant’. This habit of his doesn’t bother
me at all, since it seems to have no ill-effects on
him whatsoever - although, when I’m standing
outside in the cold waiting for him to relieve himself
during one of his infrequent small-hours toilet calls
(normally his timing is much more considerate), it’s
hard not to hop impatiently from foot to foot while
he enthusiastically tears out the mandatory five to
seven mouthfuls of grass, chews thoroughly, and swallows,
instead of just getting on with the task at hand.
Unless your dog’s digestion is suffering unwanted
upheavals from his grass-eating habit, it’s
not really a problem. Dogs have been eating grass
since the dawn of time (or at least, of the species)
with few ill-effects, aside from the odd bout of vomiting
- and really, this is one of those things that seems
to bother owners a lot more than their dogs; most
dogs, will simply re-ingest the vomitus and go about
their day unfazed.
Truthfully, nobody really knows why dogs eat grass.
There are a variety of theories as to why animals
that are widely regarded as carnivores would willingly
consume moderate quantities of vegetation.
One of said theories pertains to the fact that dogs
are not, actually, carnivores. They’re omnivores,
which literally means, “eat anything”.
This theory postulates that the modern-day dog eats
grass in a deliberate attempt to supplement his diet
with nutrients that are missing from his daily meals.
The main crux, thrust, and gist of this argument centers
around the idea that dogs, as omnivorous animals,
are eating too much meat and need to balance this
out with some greenery on the side, much as you or
I might crave a nice tart salad to go with our steak.
If you ask me, this is nonsense. First of all, most
of us feed our dogs primarily on kibble, which contains
the full spectrum of fully-absorbable nutrients that
dogs require (or at least, high quality kibble does;
I can’t vouch for the quality of supermarket-brand
dog food). If you’re feeding your dog on meat
alone, whether canned or fresh, there may be some
substance to this theory – dogs need a wide
range of vitamins and minerals for optimum health,
most of which are not contained within fresh meat.
It’s true that canned meat has some added nutrients;
the main problem with canned food is that it’s
too soft and jelly-like to maintain healthy teeth
and bowels. Dogs fed primarily on canned food are
far more prone to developing dental disease at a relatively
early age (not to mention an increased incidence of
constipation and flatulence, from the lack of fiber
and roughage).
As far as dog food goes, unless your dog’s
on a specific, prescribed diet, kibble should constitute
the main part of his diet – you can add a few
spoonfuls of canned meat for variety and temptation,
if you like.
Another popular theory is that dogs use grass as
a sort of natural emetic: that, since a nauseous dog
lacks the phalangeal structure necessary for the good
old ‘finger down the throat’ move, he’ll
resort to nature’s bounty as an alternative.
It’s true that grass does sometimes make dogs
vomit – those tickly stems can irritate the
stomach lining, and there have been a few occasions
when I’ve seen dogs vomit up a chunk of something
that’s proved to be indigestible, and along
with the offending article, there’s also been
a clump of grass in the vomit too.
However – and I’m sorry to pour cold
water over this one too – I have to say that
this is pure conjecture, and somewhat nonsensical
conjecture at that. Dogs are perfectly capable of
vomiting all by themselves, without the assistance
of grass; I’ve seen too many dogs enjoying a
post-prandial mouthful of mixed lawn greens, without
any regurgitational side effects, to lend the theory
any credence.
If you’re worried that eating grass is going
to hurt your dog, you can lay that concern to rest
right now. The one possible downside is that he’ll
irritate his throat or stomach lining, but this issue
will only cause him strife for a second or two at
most: he’ll either cough the problem away, or
will toss his cookies without further ado (which rarely
bothers most dogs).
Really, grass-eating is nothing to worry about –
it’s a life-long habit with many dogs, and if
yours does decide that it’s no longer in his
best interests, he’ll simply stop eating it
all by himself.
You may need to keep an eye on him around recently
treated lawns, or anywhere where nasties like pesticides,
snail bait, and rat poison could be around, since
most garden chemicals are highly toxic to dogs. Ideally,
you’d be keeping an eye on him anyway if he’s
around those substances, but grass-eaters are at higher
risk than most since they’re more likely to
ingest plant matter that herbicides and other toxic
chemicals have been sprayed onto.
In addition to this, it’s also best if he’s
kept away from those clumps of dried-out grass that
lie around on the lawn after it’s been freshly
mowed. It shouldn’t be a problem if the grass
is mowed by a push-mower; but if it’s been through
a gas-operated machine, the grass will be tainted
with petrol fumes and grease, which at best will taste
horrible and at worst can make him pretty sick. (Fortunately
for your peace of mind and your dog’s peace
of digestive tract, all but the most food-obsessed
dogs will usually spurn this smelly fare in favor
of clean, fresh grass.)
If your dog’s grass eating is really bothering
you, presumably this is out of concern for your lawn,
rather than your dog, since there’s ample evidence
that dogs suffer no adverse effects from frequent
grassy snacks. There are a couple of things you can
try doing to reduce his desire to supplement his diet
with eatables from the backyard – but, because
this is one area of dogdom that nobody really knows
that much about (scientists are frankly mystified
by the appetite of the average dog for verdure), the
success rate is more hit-and-miss than guaranteed:
Try varying his diet slightly. Unlike humans, dogs
do not need a widely varied diet to keep them “interested”
in food; they’re creatures of routine, and diet
is no exception to this rule. However, since one of
the theories that attempts to explain why dogs eat
grass is centered around a lack of nutritional variety,
you can try introducing various tasty vegetables into
his food: most dogs enjoy tomatoes, carrots (either
steamed or raw) and chopped apples. Be sure to stay
well away from grapes, raisins, and onions, since
these are toxic to dogs.
Supervise him whenever he’s around grass. This
may not be a particularly user-friendly option, especially
for off-lead walks; you’ll have to keep a real
eagle-eye on your canine walking buddy to make sure
he’s not making a dash for the greenery.
Realistically, there’s not really a lot you
can do about your dog’s grass-eating habit (aside
from deny him access to grass utterly, which wouldn’t
be fair to your dog and would make your daily dog-walking
expeditions more of an exercise in frustration than
a relaxing stroll).
The general consensus from the experts seems to be
that grass-eating, although somewhat of an enigmatic
pastime to us humans, is just ‘one of those
things’ as far as your dog is concerned. It
won’t do him any harm, and you can be sure that
if he’s eating it, he’s enjoying it –
so there’s really not a lot to be said for depriving
him of that simple pleasure.
Furthermore, and in addition to the logistics of
permitting this penchant, I’ve got to say that
watching your dog ripping up and chewing generous
mouthfuls of turf with an expression of half-lidded
bliss on his face can provide you (and passersby)
with some unexpected entertainment when the two of
you are out and about together!
For further reading …
For more information on dog psychology and general
canine behavioral traits, with a particular focus
on problematic behaviors, you’ll probably want
to take a look at Secrets To Dog Training.
It’s a complete, detailed manual for the intelligent
and responsible owner, and covers everything from
obedience training through to preventing and handling
a huge variety of common problem behaviors. Well worth
checking out!
You can visit Secrets To Dog Training
by clicking on the link below:
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