Why Do Dogs Eat Grass?

Dogs love to munch on grass and many make it a part and parcel of their daily routine. However, experts feel that it is not something that is worth worrying about. So why exactly do dogs gobble up the grass in your yard?

Unlike their feline counterparts, dogs are not carnivores. They are not garden variety omnivores either. For over thousands of years, the opportunistic scavengers have feasted on anything and everything, as long as it fulfilled their dietary requirements.Modern dogs, because of domestication and evolution, are no longer like their ancestors. Back in the day, dogs used to eat their prey entirely, including all the contents in the stomach of herbivores. Nowadays, dogs volitionally seek out plant as an alternative source of food. The most common plant they eat is grass – since it is readily available – but wild dogs are known to eat berries, fruits, and other vegetable matter as well.Dogs are capable of finding their nutrition in a wide variety of plants, but that does little to explain why they vomit after eating grass.

A dog tends to seek out natural remedies for an upset or bloated stomach, and grass seems to do the trick. When they ingest it, it tickles the back of the throat and the inside of the stomach lining. This sensation induces vomiting, especially if they gulp the grass without chewing on it.Although dogs do not graze on large quantities of grass like cows do, they might nibble and chew on it for a while without throwing up (a dog that is not well will gulp down big bites of grass and throw up). This could be because they find the texture appetizing or because they need to

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Whatever the reason, a lot of experts believe that there is no danger in letting your dog eat grass. As a matter of fact, grass has essential nutrients that your dog might crave, especially if he/she is on a commercial diet. If you have noticed your dog munch away on houseplants or grass, introduce cooked vegetables or

. Dogs are not fussy like cats, but they are not very fond of raw vegetables either.Watch out for a sudden increase in the amount of grass they eat. It could point to a more serious underlying illness that your dog is trying to treat on his own and might require immediate medical assistance.While you are at it, you might want to think about buying a grass tray for your dog or start an herbal garden at home. This will offer a healthy alternative to landscaping and outdoor grass, which might contain pesticides, chemicals or herbicides that have been used to treat your yard.