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Community | Ask The Vet
Picking at food & continuously eating grass
12.05.2006Hi,
I've noticed over the last 3-4 weeks or so that my dog keeps eating grass and I was not initially concerned after reading up on grass eating in dogs.
She does this in the garden and also when we go out for walks and I've noticed that when we're out, she'll specifically tries to eat the long shards of grass (not short or grass cuttings) in the fields, I have tried to divert her from doing this outside due to pesticides, grass treatments, etc...
Over the last 3-4 days she has become disinterested in her food and will only pick at it and then leave it. Mainly she will not eat her food in the morning and just have a small pick at her food in the evening.
Yesterday, I heard her stomach rumbling quite a bit and yesterday afternoon, she went into the garden ate more grass and then vomitted this up.
All in all, her behaviour is still normal - still barking her head off at the door, excited when going out for walks, playful as normal, etc..
I checked her abdomen to see if it felt soft or hollow sounding when lightly taping it (as I'm aware this is a sign of bloat and torsion) but it feels completely normal to touch and to look at.
I'd be more worried if it wasn't for her normal behaviour and I wondered if she could be suffering from flatulence?
Do you think lactosym vet may help?
In fact, one more thing that has just come to mind is I bought her a raw parma ham bone as I was advised that raw bones were okay to give but not cooked bones due to splintering. She completely demolished this bone, this was about a day before she went off her food. Could this be a cause for concern?
Thanks.
- Eva
Hello Eva,
Hopefully your dog has recovered from the symptoms you described and which sound like the start of a gastro-enteritis. If she is still very picky or has any other symptoms, such as the vomiting, which have increased then she needs some treatment and should see a vet.
Eating grass can be quite normal for some dogs but we do seem to see an increase in this behaviour when dogs are a bit off colour. They sometimes even seem to do it to make themselves vomit.
On the subject of bones we think that feeding cooked bones is definitely dangerous because, as you say, they can splinter inside your dog and cause choking or serious internal damage.
If dogs are fed raw bones this is less likely to happen. But if a dog manages to eat enough ground and chewed up raw bone we have seen this lead to bowel irritation with vomiting, diahorrea or sometimes constipation. You say your dog demolished a bone and was off food the next day. Feeding any bones is not without some risk and may be the cause of your dog's recent symptoms. The best cure would be not to feed bones to your dog. If she likes to chew, a sturdy rubber toy called a 'Kong Toy' would be
a safe alternative.
- The Barton Lodge Veterinary Team
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