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Why do dogs eat grass
It's more common than you think.
Why do dogs eat grass?
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Øyvind Skogmo Hansen
Last updated 2022-12-16
Why do dogs eat grass
Many dog owners wonder if there is something wrong with their dog when their dog eats grass. Thoughts like "Am I not giving it enough food?" or "is it sick?" commonly emerge.
But we can immediately determine that eating grass is neither dangerous nor abnormal. It is estimated that 60-70 per cent of all dogs eat grass regularly.
Still, it is an interesting question to ask: why grass?
The truth is that science has no unambiguous answer to that question. However, several plausible theories may explain this behaviour.
There may be several reasons on why dogs eat grass.
A theory is that dogs eat grass to trigger a response that causes the dog to vomit. This theory originates from observations made by dog owners. It is not at all uncommon for dogs to eat grass and then vomit shortly after. Some, therefore, claim that the dogs eat grass to make them vomit, which makes them feel better afterwards. In this article you can read more about dog vomiting.
But dogs don't always throw-up after eating grass, so that can't possibly be the whole explanation
One may just have to accept that eating grass is a natural behaviour among dogs. Both wolves and wild dogs are also known to eat grass.
They may also do so for these reasons:
- they like the taste (let's not forget that we dont know why dogs eat poop)
- they are bored and find it satisfying to chew on grass
- they feel it helps with digestion
- they get extra nutritional value, such as fibre, from eating grass
You do not have to worry.
No matter the reason for your particular dog, you can rest assured that this behaviour is normal and completely harmless. Unless your dog ingests vast amounts of grass and therefore has stomach problems, you can relax.
Read this 17 incredible things you may not know about dogs: dog facts
Source: Live Science