# Is Excessive Grass Eating part of the Transition period?



## GoldenGirl (Mar 31, 2010)

Koda has been on raw food now, almost 2 weeks. Yesterday, he was acting all kinds of weird. 

I had taken him out and he did his business, no issues. A couple hours later, he was whining to go out again. When I took him out, all he wanted to do was eat grass. Literally every foot he walked, he stopped to eat grass.

I don't understand what this means, if anything. He's eating fine and no problems with bowel movements. 

Could this be part of the transition to raw? Is it just random?

Thanks,
Jean


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## danesandhorses (Sep 14, 2008)

Diesel used to eat alot of grass but since I switched to raw just over two weeks ago I havent noticed him eating grass. But like I said we are newbies so I don't know what is normal. I am sure each dog is different.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

the only time my dogs ever ate grass was when they needed to puke.

now, they graze on grass and they neither puke nor do i see it in their stools, other than a blade or two....

we just planted sod and they think they are in hog heaven...we are in our fourth week of raw...

i have no idea why they are eating grass....doesn't seem to bother them...


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I'm keeping my mouth shut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

whiteleo said:


> I'm keeping my mouth shut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


mine are still in transition, so i don't have to address the tripe issue yet LOL


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

whiteleo said:


> I'm keeping my mouth shut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I really wish you wouldn't. Just because people on here don't agree with you means that giving advice to feed green tripe isn't bad. A ton of people feed green tripe and swear by it. That is all the more reason to spread the word. Don't let a few knucklehead raw feeders who don't agree discourage you from telling others in what you believe. I will say, that if you were mentioning feeding something that is *completely* absurd like crap kibble, etc I would have to tell you to knock it off LOL. By all means tell people about green tripe and why you feed it and why you think its important. If anything it might get us to open up and see the benefits more and more. 

GoldenGirl- whiteleo feeds green tripe because her dogs eat grass if she doesn't and vise versa. I know nothing about green tripe, so hopefully leo will pipe in and talk about the benefits of it. BUT I wouldn't think of adding it into your dogs diet just yet. I wouldn't worry much about your dog eating grass. Mine do on occasion and I think nothing of it. Sometimes they vomit and other times they don't. I guess just see if it becomes a regular, daily habit or not.


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## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

As I said in the now "famous" green tripe thread, 

http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/raw-feeding/3062-tripe.html

my female's grass eating habit almost mirrors what magicre stated above. I haven't added fresh green tripe to her diet yet so I don't know if things will change like they did for whiteleo. I have been giving my dogs freeze dried green tripe as treats, which they both love, but the female is still a grazer for some reason.


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## g00dgirl (Nov 18, 2009)

Felix will eat grass if he is about to puke. If he is inside he'll grab at anything. His pukes are due to an empty stomach and occasionally occur in the morning before being fed- mainly when I sleep in.

Is your dog displaying this behavior at certain times during the day? How much time has passed since his last meal? It may just be that his stomach is empty. Newly transitioned raw dogs need time to adjust to less quantity of food. Also, the food is digested much faster than kibble.


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## GoldenGirl (Mar 31, 2010)

g00dgirl said:


> Felix will eat grass if he is about to puke. If he is inside he'll grab at anything. His pukes are due to an empty stomach and occasionally occur in the morning before being fed- mainly when I sleep in.
> 
> Is your dog displaying this behavior at certain times during the day? How much time has passed since his last meal? It may just be that his stomach is empty. Newly transitioned raw dogs need time to adjust to less quantity of food. Also, the food is digested much faster than kibble.


I took him for a walk around 3:30. He ate is dinner around 6:00 and was whining to go out around 7:30. No puking, just grabbing at every blade he could get in his mouth.

He's always been a grass eater but it always seemed cyclical almost. Last night was just bizarre, with the whining to go out and then do nothing but graze.

- Jean


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

I suspect he is having a little tummy discomfort problem because of different type food. My dogs eat grass from time to time but it's not anything I worry about. It's not a large amount. They seem to eat it less in the last year for some reason.

Sometimes they will commence to eating grass when I start mowing. I don't know if they are trying to eat it before I can cut it or if they think they are helping me mow. :smile:


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## GoldenGirl (Mar 31, 2010)

JayJayisme said:


> As I said in the now "famous" green tripe thread,
> 
> http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/raw-feeding/3062-tripe.html
> 
> my female's grass eating habit almost mirrors what magicre stated above. I haven't added fresh green tripe to her diet yet so I don't know if things will change like they did for whiteleo. I have been giving my dogs freeze dried green tripe as treats, which they both love, but the female is still a grazer for some reason.


Wow - I read through the Tripe thread and it's a heated subject.

What I couldn't ascertain from the thread is what the actual benefit is suppose to be? What are the main reasons that someone feeds the green tripe, what is is suppose to help with?

Thanks,
Jean


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## Freonite (Jan 15, 2010)

I have noticed that Grimm likes to eat grass when he is outside with me too. I just chalked it up to his recent upset stomach.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

we just laid sod in the back....it's like they turned into goats 

but they don't do it every day...and it doesn't seem to affect them adversely, although i WOULD like the sod to have a chance to take.

they're on to a new thing called tegro....it's human waste turned into fertiliser....best stuff in the world...but for dogs? it's like dessert. blech.

between eating grass and human waste, i could save a ton of money and just let them loose in the neighbourhood....for their meals.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

GoldenGirl said:


> Wow - I read through the Tripe thread and it's a heated subject.
> 
> What I couldn't ascertain from the thread is what the actual benefit is suppose to be? What are the main reasons that someone feeds the green tripe, what is is suppose to help with?
> 
> ...


This is my main question about it. People say that its wonderful, but then don't say why but just "You have to try it to see the benefits!" Well, we all recommend feeding a raw diet because it is proven to be the best diet for dogs out there. Its justifiable with hard facts and also the visual results. But if someone could actually break it down and tell my what exactly is in green tripe that dogs need that would be the end of this ongoing debate about it.

I wouldn't feed green tripe for just the purpose of my dogs to stop eating grass. If there was some other reason to do so I would change my mind about it, but that seems to be the only reason that I get of why its fed.

I don't see anything wrong with feeding it, or recommending it to others...not in the slightest bit. BUT I would really like some concrete *evidence* that its a crucial part of a dogs diet.


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## Guest (May 6, 2010)

I've seen all 3 of my dogs eating grass regularly and I've never given it a thought. Since I don't treat my lawn with any chemicals I'm not so worried that they will become ill from grazing. I'd have to watch them more closely though when we are at a public park where the lawn has been chemically treated.


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## Jem (Dec 17, 2009)

Both my raw fed dogs ate excessive amounts of grass and dirt at first. I am still transitioning the second dog so he is still eating grass, not too much though. My other dog still eats it on occasion, but it doesn't bother me that she does.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i would consider feeding green tripe to get my dogs to stop eating grass....

simply because --- while we don't use chemicals (yet) on the new sod and it's virgin grass...and i'm sure, quite tasty..

where we walk them.....chemicals are used....even though they are, ahem, pet friendly....

i have read so much about the benefits of green tripe....equally, i've read that it is not necessary.

but there were medical practises we had...can't think of them off the top of my head that we did because they were good....not because we had a clue as to why...

especially pharmaceuticals.....'mechanism of action' - unknown LOL ( we don't know why it works, but it works - fill in the blank of whatever it's supposed to work for )


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## mike487 (Mar 30, 2010)

I live near a sod farm and massive amounts of chemicals are applied to the sod fields.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

mike487 said:


> I live near a sod farm and massive amounts of chemicals are applied to the sod fields.


LOL..you just couldn't leave me to wallow in my own ignorance...

damn. now i have to stop them, although i've seen no ill effects...course, that's short term and we ARE only at the end of the fourth week...


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## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

magicre said:


> i have read so much about the benefits of green tripe...


I'm curious, what benefits are those?

The only person that I know of on here that feeds it won't post the benefits of it...


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

jdatwood said:


> I'm curious, what benefits are those?
> 
> The only person that I know of on here that feeds it won't post the benefits of it...


well...i travel to a lot of forums...so there's usually a thread about green tripe and i belong to some yahoo groups..

seems there are two camps...those for, those against..

but the ones that feed their dogs green tripe do so because they believe that it betters the health of their dogs....

this is what i've read:

aids in digestion
contains essential fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic 
the rubbery texture strengthens jaw muscles
acts as canine dental floss


i am very new to raw....so i am not even pretending to be an expert....hell, RawFedDogs has gotten me thus far 

but, i do read and i do research...and then decide if there is nutritional value for the dog or is it emotional value for me...

sometimes emotional value can be very powerful, especially if it's one of those no harm, no foul kind of things....

i'm still deciding whether or not i will give supplements...and yes, RFD and many others have told me that a balanced diet means there is no need to supplement....

it's a decision i don't have to make yet....since i'm only a month in....but i can read and think about it.....it's balance over time and i have the time.


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## EnglishBullTerriers (Sep 10, 2008)

whiteleo said:


> I'm keeping my mouth shut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Titus grazes like the cows behind the house, and Owen doesn't touch it unless he gets hungry. Then he will sit there and watch me till I see him eating grass. I think that his tummy might be telling him that he needs food and is upset, and he knows that there isn't anything else he can do to get me to understand. I don't know what kind of mental issues Titus has, I think his momma droped him on his head a few too many times! :tongue: 
WhiteLeo, I know where you are going, and I don't disagree with you. RFD might, but that is just one opinion in a field of many!  I do know that there is always a reason for dogs to do what they do... always! Even if WE don't know the reason, there is always a reason..... Unless you are Titus and just 'special'! :biggrin:


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## mike487 (Mar 30, 2010)

magicre said:


> LOL..you just couldn't leave me to wallow in my own ignorance...
> 
> damn. now i have to stop them, although i've seen no ill effects...course, that's short term and we ARE only at the end of the fourth week...


Sorry didn't mean to scare but its true they do apply fertilizers and herbicides and who knows what else.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

mike487 said:


> Sorry didn't mean to scare but its true they do apply fertilizers and herbicides and who knows what else.


i was just teasing you. i think they've probably eaten far worse....but let me ask you.

when we lay sod, we have to hose it several times...does that help or does it just clean the surface and the bad stuff is inside the blade of grass.


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## mike487 (Mar 30, 2010)

I'm no expert about it but I will say that when the sod is taken up from the fields to get shipped out a layer of soil goes with it. So you are dealing with what is on/in the plant as well as what is in the soil.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

mike487 said:


> I'm no expert about it but I will say that when the sod is taken up from the fields to get shipped out a layer of soil goes with it. So you are dealing with what is on/in the plant as well as what is in the soil.


well, the sod is down....and the dogs are still breathing....

but that kind of sucks, doesn't it...that sod, being so cheap, can be so dangerous to dogs....

bubba's like a goat with it.


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