grass

Hi dee,

There are a lot of theories as to why dogs eat grass, and it certainly is not because of a lack of something as dogs do not have the enzyme in their digestive system required to digest the grass, and therefore there is no nutritional reason for this behaviour.

In just about all instances eating grass is caused by problems with the digestive system, and most problems with the digestive system are caused by the diet.

This can range from a wheat or milk allergy causing inflammation of the stomach or bowel, to excessive amounts of preservatives reducing the ability to fully digest their food. In some instances the inflammation can also be caused by a infestation of hookworm as these can be difficult to eradicate dispite regular worming.

My suggestion would be to have good look at the diet components to see if there is anything there that the girl could alergic to, and this would include removing all wheat based products from the diet and replacing these with rice based products. It may also be advisable to worm her twice 14 days apart with a wormer specifically targeted for hook, round, and whipworms.

Last but not least, if there is meat included in the diet just check to ensure that any preservatives are kept to an absolute minimum, and if meat forms part of the diet that a vitamin B1 (thiamine) 100 mg tablet is added to the breakfast for the next 4 weeks.

Cheers,
Tom