We’ve talked before about pets eating non-food items and how it can be detrimental to their health (i.e., pica), but what about when your dog or cat likes to eat grass? It’s been observed for as long as people have kept pets: they just like to eat grass on occasion. But does it mean that they’re sick or that they need help?
Not necessarily. Sometimes, it’s true, your pet will eat so much grass and so quickly that they vomit, but pets just as regularly eat grass without vomiting it back up. There may be no one clear reason why our pets like the taste of grass, but what’s for sure is that if they do consistently vomit after eating grass, they need to be taken to the vet to find the underlying cause.
Some theorize that dogs, who can readily digest it, eat grass because they need more roughage in their diet. So if you notice your dog nibbling on the lawn on occasion, you might want to think about offering him or her a smattering of other vegetables and see if they like them.
Cats will turn their noses up at vegetables, being carnivores (and persnickety ones at that), but they may just like how the grass feels as they chew on and swallow it. Or they may have a tummy ache and are trying to induce vomiting. No one can say for sure.
Eating grass is not uncommon for pets and shouldn’t necessarily be an indication that they’re sick. But if they are regularly emptying the contents of their stomachs as a result of eating grass, then it’s time for a checkup.
