News from Martin Downs Animal Hospital

CASE OF THE MONTH

Why does my dog eat grass?

Common theories include: The pet must be sick and needs to vomit, or perhaps there is something wrong with his diet. But according to new research at the University of California-Davis, neither of these answers appears to be correct. The Center for Companion Animal Health studied 1,500 dogs that had eaten grass at least 10 times in the past year. They found very few-about 9%-appeared to be ill before eating grass. And, less than one in four vomited afterward. Diet or lack of fiber also had no effect on the dogs desire to eat these leafy greens. So, if most of these dogs weren't sick, seldom vomited and diet wasn't a factor, why were they eating grass? "We believe it's a trait they inherited from their wild ancestors. We know that wolves and cougars eat grass because they carry intestinal parasites. That's just part and parcel of being in nature. Wild animals don't have anything like the medicines we have for controlling worms. But by eating grass on a regular basis, they can prevent a buildup by purging their systems of these parasites."

This study also revealed younger dogs are more likely to eat grass than their adult counterparts. "This is also true in nature. Younger animals have weaker immune systems and they need all the protein they can get in order to grow."

So..Should you ever be concerned when your dog eats grass?

"Don't allow your pet on a lawn that has recently been treated for pests or weeds." If you are concerned about anything your dog has eaten, you should contact your veterinarian immediately. Pet owners should be alert to any changes in a pet's behavior, such as a sudden increase in eating grass. "Keep in mind that 9% of the dogs studied showed signs of illness before eating grass. This suggests that the dog is trying to medicate himself. Grass isn't bad when you're living in nature, but your veterinarian has far more effective medications to treat the problem."

This brings us to our Case of the Month. Dozer is a rambunctious 5 year old English Bulldog who has a habit of eating grass. The owner, one of our receptionists, Jeanine, didn't think too much of it when Dozer started to vomit which is common for him after eating grass. Only this time he did not stop vomiting. Two days later, he was brought in to Martin Downs Animal Hospital for full body x-rays to help diagnose his condition. The x-rays revealed his stomach was full of grass and he also had bladder stones. That same day, Dozer had emergency surgery where Dr. Poderski performed a celiotomy with a gastrotomy and a cystotomy (opening of the abdomen with stomach and bladder exploration). A large amount of grass was removed from the stomach as you can see in the picture below, and several calcium oxalate stones were removed from his bladder. The surgery went quite well and the next day Dozer was back to his old self, looking to get into something. We were amazed at his speedy recovery after going through such a major surgery.

Go Dozer Go! Enjoy yourself and Remember-you are not a grazing bison!

Dr. Poderski with Dozer in surgery The grass removed from Dozer