Many pets that have access to the outdoors enjoy eating grass. Sometimes, they will eat grass and then vomit afterwards. Other times they will just appear to ‘graze' on fresh blades of grass with no ill effects. As pet owners, we worry whether this behavior means that they are feeling sick, or whether there is something missing in their diet. Certainly in some cases, pets seem to seek out tufts of longer grass and eat the blades until they eventually throw up. But in many cases, it just seems that they like to eat these fresh greens.
Both dogs and cats are carnivorous (meat eating) predators, although there are differences in their dietary requirements. Cats are ‘obligate carnivores' which means that they require animal protein in order to meet their nutritional needs. Dogs on the other hand are sometimes also called ‘omnivores', meaning that they thrive on various types of foods, including a well-balanced vegetarian diet. After making a fresh kill, wild carnivorous predators often eat the stomach and intestines first; since much of their prey are herbivores (plant eaters), the stomach and intestinal contents are often high in plants and berries. This suggests that plant material may be part of the normal diet of most predators, including dogs and cats.
So the question remains - do dogs and cats eat grass to make themselves vomit? The answer to this question is not known. However, most veterinarians believe that pets eat grass because they like it, and that vomiting may just follow in some cases. Grass, especially long blades of coarse grass, may act as an irritant and cause vomiting. Shorter blades of grass, or fresh young shoots may be less irritating. This may be why vomiting may not occur all the time.
No matter what, your dog or cat is just acting normally when it dines on grass or other green plant material. If your pet appears to like the taste of plants, you should make sure that there aren't any potentially toxic plants in your home or garden. Call your veterinary clinic for information about toxic plants that are common in your area. To provide fresh greens for your pet, you could grow ‘cat grass' in a pot or small plot in your garden - the tender young shoots do not appear to cause intestinal irritation for most pets. If your pet really likes to graze on grass outdoors, make sure that he or she does not eat grass that has been treated with pesticides, fertilizers or other toxic chemicals, since this could cause serious or life-threatening problems.
Caution: These news items, written by Lifelearn Inc., are licensed to this practice for the personal use of our clients. Any copying, printing or further distribution is prohibited without the express written permission of Lifelearn Inc. Please note that the news information presented here is NOT a substitute for a proper consultation and/or clinical examination of your pet by our clinic veterinarian.
