# Terrier in the Rye: When Dogs eat Grass **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 21, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175 "2003-04-21T23:53:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/1 "2003-04-21T23:53:47Z")
My 13 pd. rat terrier, who’s always loved to pick up anything that isn’t nailed down, has a new trick: whenever I walk him, he eats grass. He particularly likes stalks that look like monkey grass. He doesn’t seem sick, he eats plenty (Neutragena puppy plus a few table scraps from time to time), but I can’t get him to stop. Any ideas or suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![jack\_ss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@jack\_ss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_ss)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/2 "2003-04-22T00:06:54Z")
My pit bull likes a few bites of orchard grass every day. He usually takes it in the morning. Sometimes he’ll indulge a large quantity of it in the evening & vomit a few minutes afterwards. I asked the vet about it & he told me there’s nothing wrong with the dog, they just do that sometimes to settle an upset stomach. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/3 "2003-04-22T01:07:41Z")
It’s not only self-medication. Dogs are naturally omnivores, who eat vegetation as well as meat. (Usually their vegetable matter in the wild mainly comes from eating the contents of the stomachs of herbivores they kill, but they do take the occasional bite of greenery as well.) Your dog may be lacking in a certain vitamin, and thus is craving greens. So he eats what is readily available: grass. If cooking him some fresh veggies doesn’t appeal to you, you can buy a commercial product named Barley Dog, which is powdered grass. When sprinkled on their food, it gives them the vitamins they crave, but there are no sharp barbs which makes them vomit. There are also bones which are sold at pet stores which are made of compressed vegetables. I occasionally stir some cooked spinach into my dog’s food. She loves it, and it keeps her from “grazing.” ---
**Author:** ![Donovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@Donovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donovan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/4 "2003-04-22T01:21:30Z")
why do you want him to stop? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/5 "2003-04-22T01:41:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Donovan \* > \*\*why do you want him to stop? \*\* Sorry, I should have mentioned: it causes him to gag and sometimes spit up. Is Barley Dog something they should have at a Wal-Mart type store, or something more likely to be found at a Pet-Smart type store? He is a total little omnivore; he’s the only dog I’ve ever had who loves asparagus. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/6 "2003-04-22T02:07:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sampiro \* > \*\*Sorry, I should have mentioned: it causes him to gag and sometimes spit up. > > Is Barley Dog something they should have at a Wal-Mart type store, or something more likely to be found at a Pet-Smart type store? > > He is a total little omnivore; he’s the only dog I’ve ever had who loves asparagus. \*\* Funny, I’ve got two [American Hairless Terriers](http://www.goldenrod-kennels.com) (rat terriers bred to be hairless) who both love broccoli. Haven’t tried asparagus; I’ll let you know. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dandylion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Dandylion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandylion)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/7 "2003-04-22T02:23:36Z")
Dogs eating grass to sooth their tummies is something my grandmother told me. The funny thing is my cats do this whenever I let them out into the yard. (before anyone gets on my case, they are belled and I’m out there with them the whole time). The vet said that cats eat grass to help them cough up hair balls. Maybe some dogs, esp. those with long hair, eat grass for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/8 "2003-04-22T02:55:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sampiro \* > \*\*Is Barley Dog something they should have at a Wal-Mart type store, or something more likely to be found at a Pet-Smart type store? \*\* I know that Pets-Mart carries it, but I’ve never seen it in Wal-Mart. I’d say just about any pet store should have it. [Here’s](http://www.healthypets.com/barleydog3oz1.html) a picture of what it looks like. It’s a little pricy, but a tiny sprinkle is all you need to use, so a small jar lasts a long time. I have a big jar of it that I bought a couple of years ago, back when they still had a cartoon dog on the lable, and it’s still about half full. ---
**Author:** ![DreadLead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@DreadLead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadLead)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/9 "2003-04-22T05:52:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sampiro \* > \*\*Sorry, I should have mentioned: it causes him to gag and sometimes spit up. > > Is Barley Dog something they should have at a Wal-Mart type store, or something more likely to be found at a Pet-Smart type store? > > He is a total little omnivore; he’s the only dog I’ve ever had who loves asparagus. \*\* My Basset Hound LOVES fruit and veggies…apple cores, bananas, broc, cauliflower,carrots, cooked spinach, green beans,peas, melon…I’m having a hard time coming up with anything she doesn’t like…garlic, mushrooms, onions I suppose ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/10 "2003-04-22T16:02:48Z")
While feeding your dog fruits and veggies is all fine and dandy, I feel the need to say: Do not feed your dog onions! [Here’s](http://www.urbanhound.com/houndHealth/ShowAnswer.asp?QID=170) a site with a list of bad foods for our canine friends. I’m also seeing on some of the lists that grapes/raisins are also [suspect](http://scottymed.com/grapes.htm). ---
**Author:** ![DreadLead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@DreadLead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadLead)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/11 "2003-04-22T16:10:24Z")
Grapes?? Really, I know lots of dogs that love’em. No, mine doesn’t like onions…Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/12 "2003-04-22T16:41:10Z")
**Dreadlead** : Just to let you know that that wasn’t aimed at you personally. I realize it may have come across that way. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/13 "2003-04-22T16:50:49Z")
My dog eats greenery also from time to time. I just figured she was in the mood for a salad. Since she isn’t puking it back up on my carpet, I’m not inclined to be concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrier-in-the-rye-when-dogs-eat-grass/170175/14 "2003-04-22T18:00:08Z")
\*\* Sampiro \*\* wrote: > [@](#): > > My 13 pd. rat terrier, who’s always loved to pick up anything that isn’t nailed down… I hate to give you a downer here but \* Please \* be careful with what the pup snaps up. Our 3 yo. Labrador died last month from chowing down on a poisonous plant. I had taught her the command \* LEAVE IT \*, but in this case she was free to romp around in the woods with other dogs and I did not see what she ate. She stopped eating and died within 2 days. The doctor found lots of grasses in her stomach, some of which were probably the culprit. So I lean on the side of giving your dog veggies so as to discourage “grazing” of plants your not sure of. BTW, we still have 2 of her pups (3 months old) and will train them to shy away from grazing – since it is a natural instinct it will be tough but I intend to keep these dogs for a long while. Good Luck!