Why do dogs eat grass

The jaws of your dog are not always bent on masticating juicy bones. They don’t mind a rather frequent helping of grass to go along with it. Dogs and grass do not quite suit in the same sentence, but the fact is that green grass is a constituent of the diet chart of most of the dogs. The other popular category of pets is the one of cats, and these creatures do not exhibit any similar affinity to grass. It becomes pretty interesting to search for the reasons behind the peculiar behavior of dogs.

Cats, unlike dogs, base their food exploits on hunting expeditions. However, dogs have always been known as persistent toilers. They are less concerned about their taste buds then, say, the other species. Dogs are not the most agile of hunters, and their size also hinders appreciable loot most of the times. Hence, they don’t mind fidgeting with leaves and soft stalks. Moreover, they constantly haunt piles of leaves, hoping to find something more fleshy hidden underneath the waste. This behavior has stuck with dogs from many generations and has now become a part of their manners cache. Dogs are simple creatures with simple tastes. And ‘simple taste’ means that anything goes. Grass makes a prominent part of their environment, and they can’t resist the temptation to bite at it every now and then. In some cases, dogs may give cows a run for their money in the persistence of their grazing mania. They are more inclined to chew grass when they do not get any other food input. It is observed that dogs curb their instincts to sniff and chew grass if they are provided with regular dog foods. There is also a veterinarian’s vision to see the scenario in a different light.

Specialists contemplate two contrasting theories in this regard. Either a dog gobbles up a handful of grass and turns sick, or a dog turns sick and in desperation, can’t help gobbling up the same green handful. Continuing on the first theory, the grass is found indigestible by the internal machinery of the dog, and the tickling ends start irritating the dog’s insides, thus inducing a feeling of nausea. The second theory reverses the cause and effect flow. Upon feeling sick due to some unrelated indigestion, the dog chews grass in order to deliberately instigate the vomiting. Thus, grass brings out, along with itself, the agent that was causing the trouble inside the dog’s stomach. If only dogs could speak! There would be no polemical interpretations of the situation then, at least!