Shih Tzu Dog Grass Eating

If your little dog is chowing down on grass like it’s fresh chicken, you’re probably wondering what is going on with all this grass eating. Are Shih Tzus related to sheep? Why would she be eating all of that grass? If you’re concerned there is something seriously wrong with your dog’s vegetarian leanings, you can relax. Grass eating is a normal behavior for dogs.

When your dog eats grass, she is probably attempting to settle an uneasy stomach. The grass and toxins in your dog’s stomach adhere together, just as charcoal absorbs toxins in our stomachs when we ingest poisonous materials. The grass also acts as a natural vomiting agent and the grass and the toxins that your dog ingested are both removed from her stomach.

Some veterinarians think that there is a second reason that dogs eat grass. They think that they are trying to replace grasses that they would have consumed naturally when they ate herbivores, like deer, in the wild. They say that commercial dog foods are leaving a hole in your pup’s diet that grass is filling. However, other veterinarians say dogs don’t digest these types of things and they aren’t receiving any nutritional benefits from grass eating.

While grass eating is a bit odd seeming and a little annoying, especially if you have to clean up piles of undigested food and grass after your dog overindulges on the grass grazing, it is rarely dangerous. However, if you treat your lawn with chemicals or walk your dog in areas that have artificially green and weedless lawns, you should keep your dog from ingesting any greenery. Instead, you may want to offer a substitute, such as a large pot that you’ve planted untreated grass in. This way, your dog can nibble on a few blades in complete safety.