Mabel the Rescue Dog

3 min read (Articles narrated by Mabel)

I’m sure almost every pet parent has caught their dog eating grass at one point or another. It might seem weird for an animal that usually prefers meat to munch on grass, but there are actually many different reasons as to why your dog might be doing this.

I used to eat grass often when I was extra hungry, but once my food portions were slightly increased, I no longer had an interest in grass. My brother, Taco, always tries to eat grass right away in the morning, but after he eats breakfast, he has no interest in it anymore.

It is a weird habit that dogs develop, but it’s actually much more common than you might think.

Unfortunately, there is not just one clear answer to this question. Each dog does it for different reasons and some dogs will react differently to grass than others.

Is Eating Grass Unhealthy?

Luckily, eating grass is not harmful for dogs. It might be annoying if you dog constantly stops to eat grass while walking, but luckily, it will not actually hurt them. However, it does not provide any nutritional benefits either.

Dogs are actually considered omnivores. Therefore, even though it is important for them to eat plenty of meat, they also need some plants in their diet. Some dogs might just eat grass to add to that diet or simply because it tastes good to them.

The only reason you should be concerned about your dog eating grass is because it could have pesticide and other chemicals in it. For this reason, you might not want your dog just eating random grass. Therefore, you might want to provide them with your own grass, plants, or vegetables at home to help satisfy their need for greens.

Does Eating Grass Lead to Vomiting?

Many dog lovers just assume that grass leads to vomiting, but this is actually not always the case. Most of the time, dogs will eat grass and still be perfectly fine afterwards. However, it is possible for some dogs to throw up if the grass tickles their neck and stomach.

However, some believe that dogs purposely eat grass in order to throw up. If they aren’t feeling well or have an upset stomach, they might eat it specifically to throw up and get it out of their system. However, it’s not really clear if this is true or not. I know that I’ve never considered purposely making myself throw up.

If your dog is continually eating grass and experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, or weight loss along with it, you will want to visit your vet. It is always possible that your dog could have an underlying issue that is causing them to eat grass. Vets will be able to run different tests to see what’s causing this behavior.

How Can You Prevent Your Dog from Eating Grass?

Most commonly, dogs will just eat grass because they’re bored or because it’s tasty. However, some pet parents might still want their dog to stop just to be safe, which is perfectly fine.

If you make changes to their diet, this could help them to stop eating grass. For example, you might need to feed them more vegetables or larger portions. However, if you are unsure what to change, your vet can give you a better idea.

If that doesn’t work, dogs can simply be trained not to eat grass as they would with any other behavior. If they stop eating it when you tell them to, you should reward their good behavior. Hopefully, they will be able to pick up on this in no time. Plus, a treat is definitely more exciting than a blade of grass!

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