# Eating vegetation!



## pippylongstocking (May 21, 2012)

Anyone have any tips on how to stop your V from eating any vegetation it comes across? Today, Ester has eaten loads of lush green wheat and barley etc, and whatever else she could get in her mouth. She vomited all her breakfast back during the walk ( I think she already had something stuck by then), so I had to put her back on the lead. When I got her home, she was drooling and gagging, and later vomited a couple of piles of green vegetation. I was hoping that was the end of the problem, but no. Ended up at the vets, and now waiting for a call in the next few minutes, to see if she is well enough to come home, after having an examination under GA. :'( :'( :'( hoping they get out whatever is stuck in her throat, but I am also worried about how to stop her from doing it again. She loves running in the fields, and it's not practical to keep her on her lead. I have seen a funny mesh bag thing that goes over the head, but that would totally freak her out. Only alternative is long line, or road work. None of which she likes! Sorry for rambling. Very worried, and hoping she is able to come home today. Any tips??


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

Try giving your V some carrots or green beans or other green veggies as part of her diet, maybe as snacks.

There are a lot of reasons dogs graze, one being that their bodies are telling them they need more veggies. The other is gastric distress. Your vet should be able to rule out the latter (loose stools? A culture for an infection?), any allergic reactions to the food itself? If you dont suspect any of those culprits, try veggies.


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## pippylongstocking (May 21, 2012)

Thanks for the advice. Most welcome. Ester already has a varied diet, consisting of kibble, meat, fish, chicken and raw vegetables. Her stools are fine. She is very very fit and healthy, according to the vet. She usually eats stuff when she is out, but today she ate more than normal. It just so happens that some of what she ate was wheat/barley, that got stuck in her throat. Just come back from the vets, and he has been unable to locate anything in her throat, but it's very red and inflamed. He thinks that whatever was there has been vomited out. She's had anti-inflammatory shots, and he is hoping she will be ok by Sunday. Phew! Poor baby.   Just worried that she will do it again. I can't keep her on her lead all the time. She would be climbing the walls with frustration!!!


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## cooperman (Oct 26, 2010)

Hi deb, sorry to hear about ester. Hope she feels better very quickly
Love and woof woofs cooper and kenzie


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

PIKE eats grass now and then - usually followed by a throw up with grass and stomach acid - vet said normal if does not happen often - we live in the country and I keep him out of fields that may have been treated


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## pippylongstocking (May 21, 2012)

Ester does sometimes eat grass, and very rarely vomits, but today she was eating a lot of field vegetation, as I said. Mostly wheat and barley. The worry was the long fronds on the grains. These can get stuck. She is now finally asleep, but still occasionally gagging and bringing up clear mucus. Bless her. Hoping she will be better tomorrow.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

So sorry that Ester isn't feeling well, and hope she's all better soon!! I really don't have any ideas about how you could keep her from doing that. Willie also snacks on vegetation, but only in the spring when the grass shoots are young and tender. Even then, he always throws them up. I've tried telling him "No" but he only listens for that one time and is soon back at it again. After the heat of summer toughens up the grass, he stops eating it. Good luck with poor Ester!!


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## pippylongstocking (May 21, 2012)

Ester seems to have selective hearing at times too.  I can't believe how many times I told her no, or tried to distract her today. Maybe you have a point mswhipple, it's because the shoots are young and green. The crops have yet to turn golden. She has never really bothered with them before, just normally goes for grass and leaves etc. She's such a little monkey! Guess we will have to stay away from the fields for a while.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Sam turns into a herbivore in the morning and after he throws up the grass blades he ate, suddenly remembers swallowing long blades of grass make him sick. 

Vet said they eat grass before morning hunts and may have to
do with some roughage needs???

* he likes fresh, young grass and I break them in small pieces and feed him, he actually likes it, will not vomit and could even reduce poop smell ???


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

Jasper likes making himself "salads" on a daily basis. He's very fond of quackgrass and the cattail leaves at the duck pond. He grazes a little, but he hasn't yet ever thrown up from it (knock on wood). He does occasionally gag a little if he gets a long blade. "Leave it," is probably your easiest option, on a long lead so you can stop her just short of the vegetation or reel her back from it. Sorry you had all this trouble!  Worth a shot waiting until it's not all nice and green.


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

Every pointer I have had

freely grazed on greens and grass 

they will chuck it soon enough

leave them outside at least 45 minutes when free cowing :

Its coming back up :-X


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

yep Ruby is a green grazer too, followed by an up-chuck soon after.
My grandad used to make worming tablets for his dogs and one of the main ingredients was grass, not sure what else was in there though.


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## buckshot85 (Jul 4, 2013)

Our Gracie has salad every day. Doesn't always throw it up though. When she does it is always a double barf about 1 minute apart. I tried and gave up stopping her.


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## pippylongstocking (May 21, 2012)

Thanks all for the comments. Ester is much better today, only occasionally gagging, and much less drool. I am watching her like a hawk now. She always eat grass off the garden, with one of her favourite delicacies being freshly mown grass clippings, which is fine, but it was wheat and foxtail barley she was eating yesterday. Whole different ball game I think. She panicked when it started getting stuck in her throat, and all the gagging coughing and vomiting to get it out damaged her throat. Hoping she continues to improve otherwise its back to the vets!


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## Murray (Jul 7, 2013)

My Vizsla loves grass too! He eats it but never throws up. Im wondering if your dog also has allergies to barley since she gets sick from it. My other dog has sever allergies to grains and barley is in that family. Hope Ester feels better soon !


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Murray said:


> My Vizsla loves grass too! He eats it but never throws up.


Interesting, only because long grass blades seem to be the trigger when mine throws up :-\ Your V may chew a lot more than mine, perhaps... pictures of cows come to mind..


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## MisterRed (Mar 29, 2013)

Mr Red eats long grass daily during our hike in Taylor Creek - he does not throw it up - but it ends up coming out the other end, which we like to call "Grass Ass"!! Not pleasant when he sometimes needs assistance!! lol


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

O eats grass when his Tummy hurts - it always comes out one way or another. I have some cats who are grazers and never throw it up. When O eats grass, he does it because his body needs it to get something out and he will choose to eat it over play, walks or anything else. He is on a mission as he is obviously feeling poorly. 

When it has come to him eating horse poo (yuck!!) drinking out of stagnant water, doing other things we don't want him to do, we are able to use the leave it command really well... I highly recommend working on it up close and at a distance, it is SOO helpful. Another tactic we used when he was a pup was to distract and run in a different direction calling his name and starting a game of play. If it is an allergy, you may just have to limit the play that happens in those areas (by using a leash or just avoiding)


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

MisterRed said:


> Mr Red eats long grass daily during our hike in Taylor Creek - he does not throw it up - but it ends up coming out the other end, which we like to call "Grass Ass"!! Not pleasant when he sometimes needs assistance!! lol


 Darcy does this grass ass thing, there is nothing more embarasing than having to pull lengths of grass out of a Vizsla's rear end in a street full of people.


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

Yes pulling

da $ss ;D can be the end results of free grazing 

some days a( mask helps)

I use lonestar LINKS da ranger multi links same loving lad" 

Hit the pics live real Ozz'

the Bucks felt the cheese 1st post ;D :


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Chamomile, is good,

You're doing it right...


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

If she likes freshly mown grass clippings, maybe start leaving a pile for her in a specific place so she knows to go there to graze. Savannah's place is a specific patch of the driveway. On days she has clippings, she eats fewer long grass shoots.

I have also found that if she is getting a meat treat (usually turkey), when I drop it into her water bowl (yes, under water) she will not be interested in eating grass. I'm not sure why it works. She isn't thirsty and the meat alone doesn't help the grass eating. I just know that making her snorkel for meat helps.


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## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

Darcy I know one thing more embarrassing. My fiancé's uncle had to pull something from his weim's butt while standing, talking to a neighbor. It turned out to be a condom. 😧😬


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

Packaged?

Or used it matters  ;D

lmao

Blood tests yesterday 

but It will say a funny

I hope he was gloved up :-X


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## VizslaLouie (Jul 3, 2013)

Louie grazes daily in our yard, can't keep him from eating weeds & grass. He will also dig up roots of plants and eat them. He doesn't throw it up either, have been watching this for months & don't know why he loves it. 
I give him veggies as snacks, he really loves carrots. We also leave his dry food out for him to eat more if he wants to & he will sometimes clean up & sometimes leave food, but will still eat weeds. 

So far the only 'bad' thing related to his grazing is he got into some poison oak, but responded well to the meds the vet provided. Hasn't stopped him from grazing wild plants so far. Nutty puppy worries me.


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## Carolina Blue (Sep 20, 2012)

Kiya yanks up the grass when in play mode. I dive in to retrieve as much as I can because it is going to come out one end or the other later.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

SteelCityDozer said:


> Darcy I know one thing more embarrassing. My fiancé's uncle had to pull something from his weim's butt while standing, talking to a neighbor. It turned out to be a condom. 😧😬


 Now that is embarrasing......but what is more disturbing is the person that put the condom ON the dog..


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