Firstly, If your dog has eaten a plant and you are unsure whether it’s toxic or not, contact your veterinarian immediately. You can also contact ASPCA Poison Control.
Why Dogs Eat Plants
Taste
Dogs rely heavily on their senses of taste and smell. Most often when dogs eat things, it’s because they think it smells good. Dogs eat plants simply because they think they’re tasty. If you’re planning on having plants inside your home or around your home, it’s important to make sure that they are safe for dogs.
Nutritional Deficiency
Just like in humans, dogs can develop nutritional deficiencies for a variety of reasons. Some dogs with underlying medical conditions are even more prone to developing a deficiency. Many dogs will try to eat plants, or grasses, to try to gain what they’re lacking.
Nausea
It’s well known that dogs may eat grass when they aren’t feeling well. Dogs may attempt to eat grass or plants when they’re feeling nauseous. Sometimes eating too much grass can make dogs vomit, which relieves their nausea.
Boredom
Dogs that are bored often get into things they shouldn’t, and that could include eating plants. They may be trying to get your attention by doing something they shouldn’t, like eating plants. They also could just simply be bored and trying to get some energy out.
Anxiety
If your dog is eating plants outside, it could be due to anxiety. Dogs will graze on plants to comfort themselves when they’re feeling anxious. This is similar to how some people pick at their fingernails when they’re anxious.
Scavengers
In the wild, dogs are considered opportunistic scavengers. While they will hunt for fresh prey, they also scavenge to eat other plant and vegetable matter. This is a natural instinct, so sometimes your dog at home may get the urge to eat plants.
Pica
When dogs frequently try to eat things that are not edible or have no nutritional value, this is referred to as a medical condition called pica. Dogs with pica eat a variety of objects, ranging from things like plants to socks to rocks. This is a serious condition that usually stems from other underlying medical conditions or compulsive disorders, such as:
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Extreme boredom
- Anxiety
- Teething
- Early weaning
- Compulsive disorder
Pica could be life-threatening when dogs consume objects they shouldn’t be. If your dog is frequently consuming plants and is exhibiting any of these other underlying conditions, please contact your veterinarian.
Toxic Plants
Many plants can be toxic to dogs. If dogs ingest these toxic plants, the signs of poisoning can range from mild to severe and possibly even be life-threatening. Some signs that your dog has eaten a toxic plant are:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Tremors
- Shaking
- Weakness
- Seizures
- Respiratory distress
If your dog has any of these symptoms, you should contact your veterinarian or seek emergency veterinary care immediately.
How to Prevent Your Dog from Eating Plants
Plants have many different names, so it’s important to know if the plants your dog has access to inside and around your home are toxic or not. Even if you have non-toxic plants around your home, it’s best to prevent your dog from eating them. While non-toxic plants won’t cause life-threatening symptoms, they could still irritate your dog’s GI system. This can lead to causing slight GI upset, like vomiting and diarrhoea.
Manage The Environment
The easiest way to prevent your dog from eating plants is by managing the environment so that he can’t reach them.
For indoor plants, the easiest prevention is to put your plants on a shelf out of reach of your dog. For your outdoor garden, you’ll have to get more creative. Preventing your dog from reaching your outdoor plants usually requires some sort of fencing or barrier.
Use a Deterrent
Spraying your plants with something that deters your dog is another option for preventing your dog from eating your plants. If your dog doesn’t like water, something like a sprinkler system could be an easy option to install. If your dog actually likes water or isn’t deterred by it, there are other options.
A natural solution and something you likely already have in your home is lemon juice. Many dogs don’t like the smell or taste of this citrus. Lemon juice won’t harm your plants and may even keep pests away. You can simply spray your garden with lemon juice to keep your dog away.
Teach A “Leave It” Cue
“Leave it” is a useful cue that can come in handy in a variety of different scenarios. This will only work if you are present with your dog to watch him when he is around the plants. To teach your dog how to leave it:
- Place a treat on the floor.
- Tell your dog to “leave it.”
- If your dog tries to get to the treat, be sure to cover it with your hand or foot so that he can’t get it.
- When your dog looks away from the treat and looks up at you, use a verbal marker such as “yes” to mark this moment.
- Reward your dog with a high-value treat.
Start by teaching this inside your home with few distractions. As your dog becomes familiar with this, you can start slowly adding in other distractions inside your home. This can include placing multiple treats on the floor or walking past your dog’s favourite toys. Once your dog has mastered this training scenario, you can take it outside to your garden. Be sure to use a high-value treat as a reward so that he is more interested in your rewards than in eating a plant.
Conclusion
When using plants in and around your home, always check to make sure that they are safe for dogs. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has a useful database on its website where you can search for plants and find out whether they are toxic or not. If you are concerned that your dog ate a plant, contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center or your veterinarian immediately.
