Is It Normal For Your Dog To Eat Grass?

If you own a garden or love walking dogs on lawns and grassy areas, you may have realized that sometimes your dog eats grass. This is not wrong or abnormal behavior, quite the contrary. It is not hunger that drives the animal to do this, but the fact that the herb represents a kind of natural medicine. However, there are also other reasons behind this attitude. In this article, we will find out why your dog sometimes feels the need to eat grass.

Does your dog eat grass? Don’t worry, it’s normal

Surely you have wondered, several times, what lies behind this somewhat unusual way of doing for a carnivorous animal like the dog. Does your four-legged friend really love to eat grass, as if he were a normal herbivore? What does this all depend on? First of all, there is one thing to keep in mind. Even its wildest ancestor, the wolf, retains a habit of eating grass. And, indeed, it is a practice found in its natural habitat .

There are masters who forbid and forbid the animal to eat stems and leaves. However, it should be noted that ingesting small amounts of grass serves to improve the health of the dog. If your pet vomits after a walk outdoors, you don’t need to worry. The purpose of the herbs is to cleanse the dog’s stomach.

5 reasons why dogs eat grass

While there is no definite scientific explanation, there are several theories that try to explain why dogs love to eat grass. Seeing seedlings and leaves ruminating in the garden, park or forest is something that still surprises many dog ​​owners. Here then we have decided to collect, in a small list, the 5 main reasons that lead your four-legged friend to ingest weed. Let’s see together what they are.

1. Cleansing the stomach and intestines

However polite and well trained, your dog is not able to go to the pharmacy when he feels the need. The best remedy for indigestion or gastrointestinal problems is represented by natural herbs. After all, you too, sometimes, prefer a good vegetable soup, to alleviate small problems and improve your diet.

The element they can ingest, if they have a stomach ache or have eaten something that bothers them, is the herb. After chewing and swallowing the grass, your dog will vomit or defecate, freeing up his stomach and intestines. A natural remedy that has no contraindications and that is suggested to the animal by instinct.

2. A millennial habit

As we saw earlier, wolves also eat grass quite frequently. If you see your dog chewing and eating leaves and stems, you don’t need to worry. It is a millennial behavior, inherited from the tradition of its own species. A hint of instinct in the face of practical problems relating to the health and balance of his digestive system. Something very ancient which, once again, demonstrates the bond with the wilder cousins.

3. Grass is good to eat

Who said dogs only like meat? They also like to try some new flavors from time to time. Maybe, if your dog starts eating grass, he may be feeling a little bored by a too monotonous diet. Like the one based always and only on feed and rice, for example. Canids eat vegetables because they feel better afterward. But also because they love their particular flavor. They are fresh, they moisturize.

And, as you can easily see, dogs don’t ingest any grass. They launch with their mouths open only towards the tufts they know and like. They seek out the tastiest stems of a specific herb variety. They are very intelligent animals and, when it comes to eating, they spend several minutes sniffing and checking before they start.

4. A natural snack

Herbs also serve to satiate the appetite. In addition to having a good taste, in fact, they contain a large amount of fiber. If your dog is hungry, he will look for something that will satisfy him. A fresh and easily digestible vegetable snack is the perfect solution. It’s a bit like having a snack or a snack at the bar.

5. A great supplement

The last of the theories that tries to explain the reasons why dogs eat grass, we find it in the natural need to complement their diet. If you provide your four-legged friend with a high amount of carbohydrates, the pet will seek vitamins and minerals from other foods. A monotonous diet can damage the intestinal flora and reduce the dog’s defenses. It will have less energy and be weaker than possible diseases.

So, if you see your dog eating grass, you don’t have to stop him or scold him. Secondly, use this behavior to think about the diet you are offering and make it richer and more varied.