You are here:

Ask the Veterinarian/Dog eating habits

Advertisement

Expert: - 2/3/2010


Question
My 2 yr old Basset has started eating grass.  He will be fine for the most of the week and then one or two days (not necessarily in a row) he will not eat.  But he wants to go outside and just eat and eat and eat grass.  He runs around and plays and seems fine the other 5-6 days a week and even on the days he wont eat he still is in good spirits and seems okay (except of course not eating his food and wanting the grass).  This has been going on now for about 4 months.

Answer
This is usually a sign that the dog is having digestive upsets. Dogs instinctively eat grass to settle their stomach or to make themselves vomit up something bad. Most people think they just like to eat grass for fun but most of the time their stomach hurts.

Start with diet. What is he eating that is upsetting him. Treats, people food, etc  can cause this. Leave out the treats and human food and see how he does. If he still feels bad weekly then it could be his dog food. Most diets are not formulated in a way that is consistent and that will cause upsets in dogs.

One thing most consumers are not aware of is that pet food manufacturers do not have to have the same ingredients in their food to make up their nutritional content. They buy whatever is cheap on the docks that day. As a result of this when you buy a bag of food one week it might be totally different in content then the food you bought the bag before. This amounts to you switching foods on him without a gradual mix. This results in upset stomachs, diarrhea, and can lead to pancreatitis.

Hill's Science Diet is the last food on the market with fixed formulation. This means the ingredients stay the same batch after batch, assuring that the food you buy is the same high quality bag after bag. That means that the dog doesn't get a 'new' food each time resulting in no digestive upsets.

So give it a chance by removing all the treats etc first then go for the diet if there is still an issue going on.

I hope this helps Tammi. Please let me know how he does.

Ask the Veterinarian

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.