# Eating Grass and Throwing Up



## Umadman219 (Mar 25, 2009)

Hi Everyone,

Our dog has been eating grass and throwing up her food about every other day for the last week. We've heard this is normal, but I'm starting to think that it has been lasting a little too long. She has had her current food for about two weeks before this started, so we don't think it is that. We were also thinking she may have something stuck that she can't get rid of. There is no blood, her behavior is normal, poop is fine and regular... the only thing wrong is the throwing up (it is always caused by her eating grass). Any ideas on what to do? We'll probably call the vet on Monday if ya'll don't think it's too urgent. Thanks!


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## girlll_face (Jun 9, 2009)

Dogs that eat grass and throw it up isn't all that uncommon. It's a good idea to take her to the vet so they can find out for sure what the problem is. It could be a number of things. How is she behaving otherwise?

I found this article that may help you get an idea of what could be going on-

"There’s a lot of debate about why dogs eat grass. Some dogs seem to act like mini lawnmowers, eating grass at every opportunity. Others dogs eat grass only occasionally, subsequently throwing it up.

So do dogs eat grass to throw up? This is a debatable issue. This author has observed her dog flinging himself at the door to get out to grass and eat a few mouthfuls, usually when his stomach is upset. He also appears to do it when he has something stuck in his throat. The end goal of the dog seems to be to throw up.

There actually appears to be two types of grass eating behavior in dogs. Some dogs take a few nibbles, while others eat quickly, barely chewing the grass. Unchewed grass often translates to near instant vomiting. Dogs that are careful grazers, on the other hand, may not get sick from grass.

The latter case suggests that some dogs eat grass because they enjoy it. Most dogs don’t need it to supplement their diets, but because dog diets are primarily made up of herbivores, that grassy taste may be reminiscent of the cattle or lamb product they had for dinner. Some dogs also enjoy green vegetables like broccoli.

If your dogs eat grass on a regular basis, this could suggest dietary imbalance, though many vets might dismiss it. You may want to consider giving the dogs some green vegetables if they appear to want “something green.” Cooking the vegetables first may make them more digestible, resulting in less vomiting.

It’s also important to be careful when your dogs eat grass regularly. Grass from manicured lawns can contain fertilizers and pesticides, which can be toxic to dogs. Instead of allowing “grazing” behavior on lawns, consider providing some doggy grass at home that is not treated with chemicals. Also, if your dogs eat grass all the time, don’t walk them on lawns that have been recently treated with chemicals. Most of these chemicals will break down in a few days, but during the first day or two after treatment, grass-eating behavior could translate to more than tummy upset.

If your dogs eat grass as a new behavior, and are exhibiting frequent vomiting, it’s also important to check with a vet. A dog that suddenly begins to have a taste for grass may be trying to compensate for gastrointestinal problems. This could signify viral or bacterial infections and might require veterinary treatment. On the other hand, when dogs eat grass only occasionally, you can chalk this up to normal canine behavior. A mouthful of grass or two may mean cleaning up some nasty dog messes, but it is unlikely to signify poor dietary health or illness."

Since you just changed her food, my guess is that it's the diet change...sometimes it can take a couple weeks to start affecting the dogs nutrition.


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## HeidiW (Apr 9, 2009)

Good artical Devin. Today all three of my dogs ate a little grass and none of them threw up. In the past though they eat more grass and did throw up, just like this artical says.


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## Umadman219 (Mar 25, 2009)

Thanks for the article. We switched her food from nutro ultra puppy formula to nutro natural sensitive stomach (adult). She is 6 months old, and I was under the impression that a lot of people don't ever use puppy formulas. Since the switch she has been a lot more regular, and the poop was MUCH better (from reading the straight "poop on poop" thread). If it is the food, now what? Switch back, or just try to supplement the best we can and hope she gets better? 

We've been thinking about causes, and we can come up with a few different ideas for the throwing up (she ate fuzz and mulch just before this started -- not a lot, but some). She was also dropped about 3 ft and landed on her side -- she whined momentarily and then went back to playing like nothing happened. 

We're just really at a loss for what to do, especially since she is acting her normal self. We called a couple of different vets last week and got mixed answers for whether or not to come in. Has anyone had similar experiences that can share their story?


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## Fafhrd (Dec 3, 2008)

Tuco preferred crab grass to regular grass, and Karloff seems to also, so I deliberately keep a patch of it behind the house. Tuco ordinarily would nibble at it and not vomit, but occasionally he would seem desperate to get at it, and then he would gorge himself and vomit. (I always felt sorry for him in the winter when he would run out and not be able to find any under the snow.) Karloff just nibbles, and I've never seen him throw up from eating it. I expect they sometimes eat it in order to throw up and other times nibble it because they enjoy the flavor.


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## girlll_face (Jun 9, 2009)

Most puppies stay on their puppy formula until they are a year to a year and a half old, sometimes even two years. I just don't get it though, if her poops are better now...it's obviously not a blockage she's trying to throw up if she's going regularly...I'd try maybe some supplements to make sure she is not missing any nutrients that was in her puppy food that's not in the adult formula.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

Most GSD pups are not fed puppy food past 4-6 months (if at all) unless it's say Orijen Large Breed puppy food etc


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