# Dog eats leaves, dandelions, etc. when outside!!!



## Umiec (May 3, 2007)

My dog likes to eat leaves and everything else that he can get a hold of outside. He tries to eat dandelions like crazyyyyy and he likes to pick up leaves and everything else. I tell him to leave it when I see him going for it but sometimes he just gets a hold of it anyways. A couple of days ago he even managed to pick up a dead bird!!!! I thought i was gonna pass out. lol. Any suggestions on how to stop him from doing this?

i forgot to mention... it's similar inside the house. He loves to take anything that doesn't belong to him. Socks, wrapers, pens, anything he can get a hold of. I have tried to teach him, yet my two sisters, make this IMPOSSIBLE. When he steals a sock they chase him around the house until they block him into a corner, i guess this is fun for him that's why he constantly does this. Did anyone have the same problem or know what i can do about this?


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## LeRoymydog (Feb 25, 2007)

My puppy does this as well. He "grazes" outside on dandelions and grass. I stop him from doing it to the best of my ability. I don't let him oputside alone and I keep him leashed, for the most part. My advice is be consistant. Let your sisters know that your dog is in training and they are messing him up.


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## OneCrazyDogOwner (May 22, 2007)

Are dandelions and grass Bad for them? Because both my dogs do it..Sorry I'm new to this and was just wondering..


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## ritabooker (Aug 16, 2006)

OneCrazyDogOwner said:


> Are dandelions and grass Bad for them? Because both my dogs do it..Sorry I'm new to this and was just wondering..



I don't think so. Abby eats scrub oak leaves, grass, other notsom and flotsom.
As far as I know, dandelions won't hurt them either. Neither will a dead bird, but 
I always try to get the dead bird from her in case it is diseased or poisoned.
So far, though, we have never had a dog die from eating a dead animal.

P.S. Don't let them eat Oleander(shrub) or Deadly Nightshade(weed). Those two are toxic. You can google those two to find a picture.


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## OneCrazyDogOwner (May 22, 2007)

thanks for letting us know about those toxic ones I'll have to google them and check around.... 

Edit: I just looked it up Looks like it grows around my area.. so i'm going to have to watch out and comb the back yard just in case


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## Amaya-Mazie-Marley (Apr 15, 2007)

I've always heard eating grass is a sign of upset stomach..Not sure if its true or not though.


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

Most of the time grazing outside is to relief gas in the gut. However sometimes its just play. 
What are you feeding? however a quick fix is to add some uncooked, right out of the cardboard canister ( quaker oatmeal) in the dogs food. 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight. ( ie a tablespoon per 30 pounds ) twice a day. 
Try this first- you should see signs this is working in 24 hours. Its very good at absorbing gas and excessive digestive enzymes in the gut. 
As far as just play- using a check cord will solve that- but first lets see if this is a physical problem


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## threedognite (Feb 10, 2007)

You didn't say how old your dog is but if it's a puppy, this is how they learn about their world. They don't have hands so they smell and taste everything and this is completely normal. Smelling to a dog is like us reading a newspaper. Animals get all of their information from scents that we can't smell and since dogs can't read, they smell and taste.
You want to be watchful about the plants your dog is tasting. There are many plants and flowers that are poisonous to animals so go online and find out which ones in your yard you need to get rid of.
My adult dogs like to lay in the back yard and chew on little tree branches and some bark that's usually laying around. Dogs have a high acid content in their stomachs so eating leaves and such really doesn't bother them because this organic material is broken down pretty quickly. If you see your dog grazing on the grass, it's okay as long as you don't have insecticides sprayed on it. Dogs and cats will eat grass to settle an upset stomach and eat it just because they like it.


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## LeRoymydog (Feb 25, 2007)

Dandelion leaves are a laxitive. So, if your dog has diarrhea or soft stools, it's probably from the dandelions.

I haven't heard about oatmeal. I'll have to give that a whirl. Thanks for that.


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## Jen D (Apr 23, 2007)

My Great Grandmother made wine out of them so I don't think she would of thought anything was wrong with that!


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## luv4gsds (Jul 27, 2006)

Dandelion leaves are high in vitamin A, vitamin C and iron, they have more iron and calcium than spinach. Humans eat dandelion leaves and they also make jams, tea (some believed to help stimulate digestive functions) and wine from the flower. The root is used to treat anemia, jaundice, and also for nervousness. They are other benefits from the dandelion. Dog will eat just about anything that smells and taste good to them. Some dogs go through what is called pica http://the-vet.net/documents/information/Pica.htm


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