NEWS
Why do dogs eat grass?
It's more common than you think.
Dog eating grass?
Many dog owners wonder if there is something wrong with their dog when it 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.
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.
But dogs don't always puke after consuming 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 many dogs also eat faeces)
- 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.
Source: Live Science