Eating Grass - Does that mean something?

Epi4Dogs Foundation Inc.’s mission is the advancement of science and education relating to EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency), yielding useful insights and positive outcomes in better managing EPI in dogs and cats. Our goals are to support and/or collaborate with veterinary EPI research and researchers, and to promote EPI awareness by educating the general public, pet owners, pet organizations, rescue and shelter organizations, veterinary schools and veterinarians.
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kellyl
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Posts: 11
Country: United States
State: New York
Pet name: Wade
My name: Kelly

Eating Grass - Does that mean something?

Post by kellyl » 09 Jul 2020, 15:19

Hi. I have a 16 week old puppy and every time we take him out to go potty, he will eat and dig in the grass. He eats the grass, the dirt, etc... I'm seeing grass in his stool. I looked at the stool chart on the website and I would say his stool is a 3 or a 4. His stool is very dark in color. I can pick it up fine and it's not leaving any leftovers in the grass. I just didn't know if the grass eating went along with the EPI issue.

Enzyme question - our vet has us on 1/2 tsp for 1 cup of food. I've read here that it should be 1 tsp for a cup of food. Could the grass eating be because of the lack of enzyme. Wade is gaining weight. He gained 3.5 pounds on his first full week of using the enzyme. Tomorrow, we are taking him to an internal medicine vet to discuss his diagnosis and see what our course of action should be. Just thought I would ask the dog parent experts first! :)

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jilbert57
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Country: United States
State: Washington

Re: Eating Grass - Does that mean something?

Post by jilbert57 » 09 Jul 2020, 17:05

Hi. Yes, the correct dose of enzyme is 1 teaspoon per 1 cup kibble, then properly incubated.
Not sure why they eat grass. Some say to ease a tummy ache, or put back something the gut is missing. I had a JRT who ate grass just like a cow and I never saw it again!

Jill
My name is Jill and we live on the Hood Canal in Washington State. We currently have 2 Jack russells, TJ is 8 and Sadie is 2.

Mickey and his pancreatitis brought me to Epi4dogs.com site in 2012 to help manage it.
He lived from 6/99 - 8/2014

Mickey, Jack Russell. Chronic Pancreatitis. Dianes enzymes, 1/8t 3x/day with meals.

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Olesia711
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Location: North Carolina
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Pet name: Izzy
My name: olesia

Re: Eating Grass - Does that mean something?

Post by Olesia711 » 09 Jul 2020, 22:58

i 2nd what Jill mentioned.... i think sometimes they eat grass "just because" and sometimes they eat grass cause they have a tummy ache and supposedly it makes them upchuck a little and then they feel better. My dogs did both... EVERY spring time, OMG, they feasted on fresh new grass!!!! BUt then every so often, i'd see one of them eating grass and then heaving ... getting rid of whatever was in their tummy making them feel yucky.

At least it won't do them any harm.... just watch and see if you can discern which reason the grass is being eaten.

Gaining weight and dark stools??? wow... you are almost there :)... when you see #2 stool.... that is the best.
SO.... are you feeding canned food or dry food..... with the dry food, we recommend 1 level tsp of enzymes, with just enough liquid to moisten the enzymes in the food, let sit for approx 20 minutes to avoid any possible mouth sores, and then mix and serve.

If you are feeding canned food, usually the starting recommendation is 3/4 of a tsp per 1 cup of wet food.... but.... some dogs can get by on only 1/2 tsp enzyme per 1 cup wet food... BUT...... you are better off to start with a little too much enzymes and then back off as opposed to starting with too little enzymes............

I would ask the vet why he started your puppy on so small a dose of enzymes to understand if he has a specific medical reason for under-dosing..... but if not, then:

1. at the very least, i would increase the enzymes to 3/4 tsp per cup (if wet)
2. and if dry, yes i would increase the enzymes dose (for now) to 1 level tsp per cup.

ALso, with newly diagnosed EPI cases,,,,, once the dog becomes stable (delivering normal looking poos at a normal daily frequency- -anywhere between 1 to 3 times a day for approx a month) then you can "try" to reduce the amount of enzymes given to the lowest dose possible while still maintaining the EPI condition. When you get to this point, reduce by 1/8 of a tsp for a few days, watch the poos and if all still looks good, then reduce by another 1/8 tsp, again, watch the poos for a few days..... you keep doing this until you notice that the poos are going soft again and then you will know you have reduced the enzymes by a wee bit too much and go back up to the dose that still delivered good poos..

The only thing in your post that concerns me is that you mentioned the stools are very dark... like black????? if so you need to call your vet and describe exactly what you are seeing...,,,just to make sure there is no stomach bleed going on. Is the food that you are feeding very dark in color? Sometimes that will cause very dark stools too... making it nothing to worry about.
Olesia, was owned by Izzy, a 35lb Spanish Water Dog (SWD), Diagnosed at 1.5 years old - TLI results 1.. Izzy passed away on February 13, 2020 at 15 years old. She lived with EPI for 13+1/2 years. It was because of Izzy that Epi4Dogs was started... she was the inspiration. May her legacy of helping others with EPI continue for as long as needed.........

Barb
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Country: United States
State: New Jersey

Re: Eating Grass - Does that mean something?

Post by Barb » 10 Jul 2020, 14:49

Hello, Kelly. Welcome to you and Wade. I love his name!

Our Bridge GSD (with EPI) used to pull grass out by the roots and then eat the dirt. I have no idea why. Luckily, only our front yard has grass. The back is stone. But he would hunt out the grass patches that came through and eat the dirt. Nobody could give me an answer for it, but I always wondered if there was something missing in his diet that he was trying to get. For the most part, I tried to keep him away from it, but he was very quick and if we were walking he would jump to the left, grab a wad, and keep walking before I even knew what happened.

Since you are probably keeping a log/journal anyway to keep track of everything you give Wade and the resulting poos, you can include grass eating, too.. Maybe you will see a pattern. The vet might have some answers about this, too......

Barb

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