Dog eats Grass

kellsum

I have a Cocker Spaniel and he is a very excitable dog as in when I go into the garden he goes mad barking and running around.

when he settles down he eats all the longer grass around the side of the walls, is this normal?

git_ireland

kellsum wrote: »

I have a Cocker Spaniel and he is a very excitable dog as in when I go into the garden he goes mad barking and running around.

when he settles down he eats all the longer grass around the side of the walls, is this normal?

Ehow explaination

kellsum

Yes..it is probably a good reason to cut the grass around the edge and not be so lazy.

faceman

Eating grass is an odd one. My fella had a really bad stomach when he was a young pup and would eat grass like it was popcorn yet he never got sick from it. Taking grass eating on its own as an indicator that the dog is sick isnt worth while.

It doesnt seem to do any harm tho IMO

chrism2007

cats eat grass to get rid of hairballs. maybe dogs do the same

Puddleduck

Yep, mine eats grass like a horse. Got her all checked out and everythings ok. I think my dog just likes eating grass. They can also do it if there is another dog in the area and they are 'tasting' the other dog.

ncmc

kellsum wrote: »

I have a Cocker Spaniel and he is a very excitable dog as in when I go into the garden he goes mad barking and running around.

when he settles down he eats all the longer grass around the side of the walls, is this normal?

My cocker is EXACTLY the same, she loves the long grass at the edge of the lawn and yes, it saves getting the strimmer out! She is wormed, eating as normal, doesn't seem to have any stomach problems so I have concluded that she just likes it! I think grass can help with their digestion, so unless he has other symptoms that might point towards stomach problems, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

babystrawberry

Eating grass generally indicates that they have a build up of bile, eating grasssomehow enables the dogs to be able to bring up the bile (similiar to humans who would have food repeating on them/acid burn/indigestions)

It is very common in Greyhounds I ahve noticed, my lurcher does it a lot now, he will eat the long grass and generally (not all the time) he will bring up bile (the grass is very visible in this also :eek:) and he's as right as rain then.

Go to a vet and they will say the exact same

faceman

babystrawberry wrote: »

Go to a vet and they will say the exact same

Eh, no they wont.

babystrawberry

faceman wrote: »

Eh, no they wont.

Why not faceman, I went with my dog and that is exactly what was told, considering the dog is happy, appears healthy after being checked over, it is nothing to worry about

My friend went with her dog (Labrador) and same response (different vet this time)

Why would you not say the vet would not say the dog was healthy after carrying out a (rigourous) health check on him, dog comes back healthy

http://www.geocities.com/petsburgh/zoo/1224/vomit.html

The above link shows that dogs that have a build up of acid (bile etc) can eat grass, as this article shows, eating grass can be an 'enjoyable pastime' for dogs rather than a sign of illness

kellsum

I kinda thought it was to settle his stomach as he is VERY excitable, I have tried to have him trained and even had him neutered thinking it would calm him but alas no.

I still adore him but is this a trait of Cockers (the excitable bit)

Mollywolly

I've got a cavalier king charles and she does it all the time, especially when we're out walking as she seems to like the longer grass at the side of the road. At first I was worried that she would be sick but it doesn't seem to be doing her any harm. I keep thinking that maybe she was a cow in a previous life

faceman

babystrawberry wrote: »

Why not faceman, I went with my dog and that is exactly what was told, considering the dog is happy, appears healthy after being checked over, it is nothing to worry about

My friend went with her dog (Labrador) and same response (different vet this time)

Why would you not say the vet would not say the dog was healthy after carrying out a (rigourous) health check on him, dog comes back healthy

http://www.geocities.com/petsburgh/zoo/1224/vomit.html

The above link shows that dogs that have a build up of acid (bile etc) can eat grass, as this article shows, eating grass can be an 'enjoyable pastime' for dogs rather than a sign of illness

Im sure if you ask your vet, he/she will tell you that the diagnosis wasnt made based on that one symptom alone.

My dog eats grass, sometimes alot of it. He never gets sick or pukes. He had a tummy problem that had to be treated with anti-biotics in his early months and he ate alot of grass then. His tummy is fine now yet he occasionally eats grass now.

Sometimes he eats grass to tease me for a chase.

My point is anyway, there isn't just one answer as to why dogs eat grass.

bernard0368

My lurcher does it all the time, vet told me some dogs love the taste of grass, after that I did notice he only ate the tips of new growth.

babystrawberry

faceman wrote: »

Im sure if you ask your vet, he/she will tell you that the diagnosis wasnt made based on that one symptom alone.

Eh there was only one symptom, eating grass with sometimes bringing up some bile, there was only one symptom faceman my dog was completely healthy other than that, did you not read the link i passed on, you will see it states that a build up of acid can lead to dogs eating grass (but this is often due to an 'enjoyable pastime' Obvioulsy if there is a build up of bile, it cannot stay inside, has to come up one end

May I ask what exatly is your one answer as to why dogs eat grass?????

babystrawberry

http://www.wisegeek.com/why-do-dogs-eat-grass.htm

faceman

babystrawberry wrote: »

Eh there was only one symptom, eating grass with sometimes bringing up some bile, there was only one symptom faceman my dog was completely healthy other than that, did you not read the link i passed on, you will see it states that a build up of acid can lead to dogs eating grass (but this is often due to an 'enjoyable pastime' Obvioulsy if there is a build up of bile, it cannot stay inside, has to come up one end

May I ask what exatly is your one answer as to why dogs eat grass?????

Sorry typo, it should have read "there isnt just one answer"

With your case, there was 2 obvious symptoms. The grass eating and the bile spewing. However the vet would have checked the dog for other symptoms too.

babystrawberry

My first post says that'generally indicates' build up of bile, not that it is the only answer....

And as I said the vet did whole health check while there, so im sure he knew himself what symptoms to look for, usual rule of thumb when dog gets health check, not just checking for one thing

http://www.wisegeek.com/why-do-dogs-eat-grass.htm

dlambirl

My dog and the next doors neighbours dog does the exact same thing. Its not a thing to be worried about.

I'm probably gonna be shot down for this but here goes:

Its an old wives tale that when a dog is eating grass its a sign of rain...