There are more and more reasons surfacing all the time about why natural grass may no longer be the best choice for you backyard. Reasons range anywhere from water conservation to pesticides, to being too difficult to keep alive. No matter what the reason, be sure not to overlook the fact that your real grass just may not be the best choice for your dog.
Stories shared by landscapers across the country resonate with horror stories of the use of pesticides with general lawn maintenance putting dogs in the hospital due to your dog eating these fertilizers and pesticides for lunch. Even worse, many instances have led to death.
Studies conducted by epidemiologists have very strongly suggested a direct relationship of the development of Canine Malignant Lymphoma relating to exposure to these pesticides. Studies also show that fertilizers were one of the top 10 causes of pet poisoning in 2008.
Dozens of debates about why dogs eat grass in the first place are still out there. Several suggest dogs may be eating grass due to boredom, others suggest it may cleanse their system of toxins and other reports show that they may eat grass if their digestive tract or pancreas may be inflamed. No matter the reason, dogs will continue to eat grass even though it may be the root of their problems.
You need to be concerned. You also need to understand the price you pay in maintaining a beautiful and healthy lawn may just be compromising your dog’s health. So does that mean you give up having grass in your yard? Not necessarily. There are options out there to be aware of. Natural fertilizers that don’t have harmful chemicals and soluble fertilizers are definitely better for your pets and something to consider.
Artificial grass is another alternative you may want to consider that many pet owners don’t even think about as a solution. Synthetic lawns are an environmentally friendly solution that removes water and potentially dangerous chemicals used in maintaining your yard. Pet friendly synthetic grass is a good solution because the surface remains clean, mud-free and requires very little maintenance to keep it looking good. And you surely don’t need any chemicals to do so. The material is made to drain at a rate of over 30 gallons per hour and because of special installation processes, odors are not an issue either. So your yard creates both a clean and safe environment for you and your pets.
Since the debate on why dogs eat grass is still just a debate, you may still want to keep a small area of grass that isn’t fertilized, where your dogs can still graze if they want to. But if you are concerned for health reasons, if you are concerned for environmental reasons, if you can’t keep your grass alive – fake grass just may be the solution.
