Why do my dogs what to eat this weed?

bluecherry74

My dogs have discovered several patches of this weed over the weekend and it must be very tasty because I have to drag them off it!!

Does anyone know if it's harmful? I mostly walk them on lead so it's easy enough to move them away from it, but it seems to be all over the place and they usually manage to grab a mouthful before I spot it.

What would make them eat it? They both love summer grass but never bother with it much in the winter, or with any other plants for that matter.



Blurry close up:

123MEE

It's a 'sticky-back' as we used to call it as kids, my dog loves it he'll sniff it out amongst other weeds. Not sure why its so attractive but its never done him any harm.

Alun

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galium_aparine

Apparently it's edible for humans and can be eaten as a vegetable, never knew that!

bluecherry74

Thanks! After some further Googling, now that I know the name, it seems to be safe enough. They can have the odd mouthful if it means that much to them. It's curious though, as they've never seemed interested in it before.

Alun wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galium_aparine

Apparently it's edible for humans and can be eaten as a vegetable, never knew that!

I think I'll just take Wikipedia's word for it. I can't imagine that prickly sticky texture going down too smoothly!

Alun

bluecherry74 wrote: »

I think I'll just take Wikipedia's word for it. I can't imagine that prickly sticky texture going down too smoothly!

Yes, it doesn't sound too appetizing does it? On the other hand, nettle soup is really nice, and you can even eat the very young leaves as a salad vegetable, so you never know, it might be delicious!

juniord

that is sold in herb shops as cleavers or clivers herb supposed to be very good for the digestive system

tk123

God the buds off that thing drive me MAD!! Bailey gets covered in them! :mad:

jimf

i have 5 springers of which 4 will actively seek out this particular weed i would love to know what is the attraction

but having said that my father who kept greyhounds all his life used to boil nettles and soak the dogs food in the water he maintained it was brilliant for their blood and coats so did the older generation know better than us

juniord

http://www.livestrong.com/article/143210-benefits-cleavers-herb/

Tails142

jimf wrote: »

i have 5 springers of which 4 will actively seek out this particular weed i would love to know what is the attraction

but having said that my father who kept greyhounds all his life used to boil nettles and soak the dogs food in the water he maintained it was brilliant for their blood and coats so did the older generation know better than us

Asbestos, lead paint, smoking... :pac:

Just remember pet's have intolerances to completely different things to humans, i.e. chocolate so I would err on the side of caution and not let the dogs near it if I was you.

jimf

juniord wrote: »

http://www.livestrong.com/article/143210-benefits-cleavers-herb/

thank you for this link maybe dogs know better than us

jimf

Tails142 wrote: »

Asbestos, lead paint, smoking... :pac:

Just remember pet's have intolerances to completely different things to humans, i.e. chocolate so I would err on the side of caution and not let the dogs near it if I was you.

yes i can see your point and thank you for this post

but they have been eating it for years without any problems and for some reason its only the very new growth that they cant seem to resist at this time of year

Dingle_berry

Tails142 wrote: »

Asbestos, lead paint, smoking... :pac:

Just remember pet's have intolerances to completely different things to humans, i.e. chocolate so I would err on the side of caution and not let the dogs near it if I was you.

And some things can build up in their bodies over time before producing a harmful effect. Which can make pin pointing the cause much more difficult. And dogs don't always know better - if they get a taste of chocolate they will generally go beg for more.
You may think that a plant should be ok, especially if its ok for us, but things like avocado are toxic to dogs, birds, etc.

jimf

Dingle_berry wrote: »

And some things can build up in their bodies over time before producing a harmful effect. Which can make pin pointing the cause much more difficult. And dogs don't always know better - if they get a taste of chocolate they will generally go beg for more.
You may think that a plant should be ok, especially if its ok for us, but things like avocado are toxic to dogs, birds, etc.

do you know are bananas and apples safe i have 1 who will knock you down for both and i give her a little as a treat from time to time

and yes im well aware of the dangers of chocolate but not avocados

Dingle_berry

I have no idea what's safe and what's not. We have a Papillion cross that seems to want to be a vegan. He would go through you for any fruit or veg, especially apple, grape or carrot. But I don't know what's safe for him so he only gets what falls on the floor before I can pick it up.
When we got our Parrot we did a little research and found out about avocados and I've been wary since. Members of the onion/garlic family aren't supposed to be good for them either.

ISDW

jimf wrote: »

do you know are bananas and apples safe i have 1 who will knock you down for both and i give her a little as a treat from time to time

and yes im well aware of the dangers of chocolate but not avocados

Apples are okay apparently, but not the pips.

Dingle_berry wrote: »

I have no idea what's safe and what's not. We have a Papillion cross that seems to want to be a vegan. He would go through you for any fruit or veg, especially apple, grape or carrot. But I don't know what's safe for him so he only gets what falls on the floor before I can pick it up.
When we got our Parrot we did a little research and found out about avocados and I've been wary since. Members of the onion/garlic family aren't supposed to be good for them either.

Grapes are highly toxic to dogs, please stop letting your dog eat them.

mymo

One of mine has eaten entire bag of frozen broccoli, baby spinach, and striped my pea plants of every pod several times, he loves veggies.I just cook a bit extra and give him a bit on his dinner now.

I have that weed in garden and never seen them near it.

Anyone know if butternut squash is ok for dogs and cats?
All mine love the soup and dogs will eat it raw (although it is funny watching them trying to get a grip on a whole one to steal it out of the shopping bag )

Maudi

juniord wrote: »

that is sold in herb shops as cleavers or clivers herb supposed to be very good for the digestive system

id know it as cleavers too.its a little known herb but an excellent all round spring tonic.slight 'earthy/spinach'taste..

123MEE

This is from my 'Food For Free' book

SillyMangoX

mymo wrote: »

One of mine has eaten entire bag of frozen broccoli, baby spinach, and striped my pea plants of every pod several times, he loves veggies.I just cook a bit extra and give him a bit on his dinner now.

I have that weed in garden and never seen them near it.

Anyone know if butternut squash is ok for dogs and cats?
All mine love the soup and dogs will eat it raw (although it is funny watching them trying to get a grip on a whole one to steal it out of the shopping bag )

I think squash is okay, pumpkin Is used in some foods and they are the same family! My cats love Halloween when in carving the pumpkin, they eat all the goo and have love orange faces! Cream also steals the lid, runs away with it and licks it to death!

bluecherry74

mymo wrote: »

One of mine has eaten entire bag of frozen broccoli, baby spinach, and striped my pea plants of every pod several times, he loves veggies.I just cook a bit extra and give him a bit on his dinner now.

My dogs had to share a space with the cabbage patch for a few weeks last year while I was sorting out their dog run. All that was left by the end were the stalks.

mymo wrote: »

Anyone know if butternut squash is ok for dogs and cats?
All mine love the soup and dogs will eat it raw (although it is funny watching them trying to get a grip on a whole one to steal it out of the shopping bag )

Butternut squash is fine, mine love it too. A poster suggested it for runny poos a while back and it works a treat for that, but I give it to them every once in a while regardless, cooked and mashed with some spuds and whatever other veg I happen to have.

bluecherry74

Thanks to everyone who replied.

I've done a fair bit of research since finding out the name of the plant and it appears to be perfectly safe for dogs. Several homeopathic websites recommend it for the treatment of inflammation and urinary disorders in dogs.

http://theanimalherbalist.com/?page_id=276

I'm not one to blindly believe everything I read on the Internet, but I haven't found a source yet that says it's toxic or cautions against it's use with dogs.

So while I'm not going to let them scoff an entire field full of it, I'm happy that it's not going to do them any harm if they have the odd munch.

anniehoo

Mod hint. This is my "go to" bible of toxicology do's and don'ts.

Merck Veterinary Manual

It is VERY HEAVY going veterinary terminology wise, but for those of you who understand the basics it is an excellent bookmark to have as a knowledge base.

This is updated fairly regularly and on point with current veterinary medical advice,but it is NO substitute for seeing your actual vet.