Why does the dog eat grass? About herbs and digestion of dogs

Owners who have the first dog in the house often ask why dogs eat grass. It seems strange to them that their pet chooses vegetarian food for themselves, although all sources say that the best diet for a dog is meat. And they choose the most rigid and tasteless, from the human point of view, grass - wheat grass, avoiding the famous vitamin herbs - dandelion or lobster. Let's see why dogs eat grass.

Digestion in dogs. Why do we need grass?

Indeed, the ancestors of dogs are meat-eaters. Their digestive tract is adapted to digest meat products, but along with it the dog often gets wool, feathers, remains of bones that could not be digested. Some of these objects themselves irritate the stomach of the dog, causing vomiting, and thus are removed from it, and some are able to stay there for a long time. Among the irritants are feathers and bristles.

The presence of undigested residues in the stomach of the dog disrupts normal digestion, and can also cause damage to mucous membranes. Therefore, it is useful for dogs to periodically spit up, getting rid of them. Here lies the answer to the question of why dogs eat grass. Grass is needed as a means to induce vomiting. And that's why dogs choose wheatgrass - it's hard and perfectly fulfills its main function - irritation of the walls of the digestive tract and stimulation of the vomiting reflex.

Gag reflex - protection of dog life

A vomitive reflex is a protective reaction of the body to getting into the stomach not only solid foreign bodies. It is essentially designed for the rapid removal from the digestive system of any potentially dangerous substances - including poisons. Therefore, it is very important for the dog, and the medicines that quench it are used for dogs only as a last resort - with exhausting vomiting.

The main reason why a dog eats grass and burps is the presence of indigestible objects in its stomach, which you need to get rid of. Surprisingly, the dog is able to replace the grass with other options available for eating - for example, with plastic bags or coarse threads. However, all the substitutes are very dangerous for your pet's stomach, since they can cause a twist or other mechanical damage to the intestine. Therefore, it is better to give the dog to find herbs herself, rather than wait until she starts looking for a way to solve the problem by detours.

Medicinal herbs in the diet of dogs - are all natural skills lost?

Some breeds of dogs, not spoiled by long factory breeding, know a lot about medicinal herbs. Such specimens are found among the wolfhounds, Yakut hawks, Samoyed workers, malamutes and other breeds. They find the roots of valerian, dig out and eat Jerusalem artichoke, tear off the heads of the clover and eat them. These dogs deliberately avoid poisonous plants, determining them by smell. They also know a lot about the fruits of trees, berries and nuts - the genes of free ancestors tell them useful plants.

However, during the walking of your puppy, you should know that there are also poisonous plants that should not fall into his mouth. These are all kinds of buttercup: a prickly pear, an anemone, goose paws, cleansers. And from indoor plants: monsters, diffenbachia, oleanders. Eating these plants can also cause vomiting in the puppy, however such vomiting is a symptom of poisoning and is associated with the purification of the stomach and intestines. Why young dogs eat grass that harms their health is not an easy matter. Probably the usual puppy curiosity works.

We eat or just break off? Gaming behavior

Not always destroyed plants are eaten by dogs. Therefore, before asking why the dog eats grass, make sure that the ragged tops do not wallow nearby. Often dogs, having fun, cut off the tops of tulips and daffodils, break down decorative pads, dig up what the owners have just planted, and gnaw.

This is the case when the dog itself is looking for entertainment, and the plants replace it with toys. The habit of destroying a landing is often the reason for the summer keeping of a dog in an enclosure or in a fenced area. Accidentally hitting in the treasured territory, the dog selflessly drags carrots from baskets, cuts off tomatoes and valerian heads, gnaws zucchini. This case, strictly speaking, does not entirely relate to the answer to the question why the dog is eating grass, but it is important to understand that in this case the motivation of your pet is different.

Dog and grass - we understand the reasons for eating and destroying plants

So, there are several reasons why a dog eats grass.

1. Cleaning procedures for the digestive tract. In this case, after eating stiff grass or branches, vomiting follows, evacuating the undigested remnants from your dog's stomach and duodenum.
2. The need for medicinal properties of plants. It is typical for dogs of national selection. Usually not accompanied by vomiting.
3. Game behavior. More common in puppies and young dogs. May be associated with a risk of poisoning. Owners are better informed about the poisonous plants of the region and do not allow the dog to eat them for a walk.