Why Dog's Want To Eat Grass

According to the VCA (Veterinary Centers of America), the seemingly simple question, why do dogs eat grass?, has a very complex answer. The answer comes more from people observing their domestic dogs than from any veterinarian or scientist, or what have you, giving a direct, factual reason why a dog will start eating grass.  What many people are noticing is that eating grass does not necessarily help dogs self medicate and neither does it make dogs sick, per se. But even this answer is debatable. In a scholarly article written at the University of New England, it is stated that dogs do not have the right kind of stomach (like a cow) to digest grass. Their stomachs and stomachs enzymes are not designed to take in grass for nutritional value. Yet, plenty of people find dogs eating and digesting grass without a problem. What most people find to be true, whether or not they are researchers, is that while dogs are able to eat grass in moderation,  grass is not the main source of nutrition a dog needs to be healthy and strong. Just like their wolf ancestors, dogs are omnivores and need both meat and plants in their diet!

Some people, on the other hand, have observed that when a dog eats grass it causes them to throw up. So even though eating grass may be a part of their genetic history, some dogs do throw up after consuming it.  Furthermore, it is said by many dog owners that their dog(s), don't have health problems before they begin eating the grass and the majority of them do not have health problems after eating grass.Think of it this way, some people are allergic to peanuts and others are not. While all humans have the capacity to consume peanuts, it depends on how the individual humans body type reacts to the peanut. They 'may' eat grass for certain bodily needs, but this is just theory until it can be proven as fact. In other words, dogs don't actually need to eat grass. They just eat the grass. However the dog reacts after eating the grass is dependent on each and every dog. 

While it is true that there is currently no clear scientific reason why dogs need  or need not  eat grass, there are  many people who are beginning to realize and agree upon that there are reasonable explanations as to why some dog's may want to eat grass. Essentially, it has been agreed upon that dogs will eat grass under certain circumstances that may or may not be for health reasons. In fact, according to the Science Direct 2008 journal article "Characterization of Plant Eating in Dog", it has been found that about 79% of domestic dogs will eat grass. Dogs might need roughage (basically edible fiber found in fruits veggies, nuts, seeds and plants) in their diet to help them digest food. Since most of the dogs studied and observed under this question of dogs eating grass are domestic, this article will answer the question just for them.  Even if most domestic dogs are eating veterinary approved dog foods, sometimes they are not getting enough of the dietary supplements they need for healthy digestion and to have healthy stool. Because dogs ancestry is traced back to wild dogs or wolves, it would make sense that dog's go to eat grass when they are in the backyard or on a walk. It is part of their ancestry to be grass eaters! 

To sum it all up, let the dog eat the grass. It is not harmful to the dog, neither should you be concerned that your dog has some illness that requires the dog to eat grass. All three of my dogs, and the dogs of my friends and relatives, have lived long healthy lives while nibbling on some grass.