Do Dogs Eat Grass!
A lot of time owners of dogs tend to ask this question of why their dogs eat grass. It is not that grass is one of their diet. And dogs are known to be natural carnivore. However they are also a very adaptable animal as they are surviving on omnivorous diet living together with man. So why do they do it.
There has not been a single answer that all the enthusiast agreed upon. However most are saying that it is the build in instinct of animal survival that is still inherited. Just like wild animals in the jungle, how do they know which plant helps them with stomach upset or just like an elephant being able to search for salt flats or deposits.
As have said earlier that dogs are carnivorous not herbivorous, then why do they eat grass. Dogs do not have the ability to digest the grass like a cow or a goat as they lack the digestive enzymes to break down the fibers. So it makes little or no sense at all that it gives the dog any nutritional value. Some may have the idea that they are hungry that is why they eat grass. This may be a funny remark but if you are a dog owner, you would be concern too. Some even say that it is boredom and some even responded that their dogs are being mischievous. The recent opinion from some novice was that it is an obsessive compulsive disorder. This is no laughing matter as no real in-depth research been done to nail down the culprit.
Research has shown that about 80% of the dogs do this. Some observation appears to have given the idea that it is sort of a cleansing process that the dogs do in a certain period of its development. It shows that after a while of the grass eating process, they vomit it out. It seems that they were cleaning out their stomach of some sort of unwanted materials. This include the intestinal worm in the digestive system.
Another opinion from some experience enthusiastic dog lovers is that some dogs do have inflammatory condition in the stomach which points to gastric reflux. The reason put forward was that when they are out and about, they will without hesitate munch up the grass to satisfy the urge. That is why this group of enthusiast advice is to observe your dog before you let it out. And if it is restless and agitated sort of repeated swallowing motion with extended neck before you let it out to “gaze”, then you should make an appointment with your veterinarian. Gastric problem is a treatable matter with either conventional remedy or homeopathic medicine.
One thing that we have to keep in mind even though eating grass is not harmful but the grass that your dog eat may be sprayed with insecticide. So be on the look-out and not encourage your dog to eat grass just because Mr. Jones down the road did so. And also be aware that some plants are toxic in nature and could cause side effects that you may not see immediately but manifest in the later stage of your dog’s life.