Dogs eating lawn grass

Question
Mr. Lee Windham,
It is nice of you to share your time and Love of animals with
those of us having questions !

I own two dogs who i keep indoors except for the three or four
times a day they go out for potty breaks and play time.
I am not with them the entire time and have caught them eating
the lawn grass, which they tend to throw up once they come
back indoors. I realize that this is probably a difficult habit to
break and since i cannot be with them every second it makes it
that much harder.

Here is my question:
My yard is developing alot of weeds. I try to pull them out by the
roots "but" there are to many to keep up with. I have been
spraying a ready to use weed killer on my front yard grass.
However, I am afraid to use it on the backyard grass because of
the fear of my dogs eating the contaminated grass.
I am going to need to spray or figure out some other safe way to
kill the grass without the worry of it harming my dogs.

** Can you reccomend something **

Have you heard of a product called weed and feed which you
sprinkle on the grass during watering. Is it safe ?

Would appreciate any suggestions !
Thanks !
Ron

Answer
Ron,

Your dogs eating the grass may be due to several things: a behavioral problem, the dogs may detect a scent from another dog or another animal on the grass, or they simply may not be getting enough plant materials in their diet (fiber) etc..., and some dogs just seem to like to eat grass. You may want to talk about some of these issues with your veterinarian. Dogs eating grass is not necessarly a problem except for them throwing it up once they come back inside. Now to your question: you do not want to do anything that could be harmful to your pets! Generally on the back of the container of weed killer you will find a listed amout of time needed for the dangerous chemicals to be reduced to a level that is safe for your dogs. You could also call the manufacturer of the product, they would be a good source of information and they may have a website you can check out for more information. In my opinion the manufacturer has an obligation to answer any questions you may have about any product you buy from them.  I am unfamiliar with the product weed and feed but if it is harmful it would usually say so somewhere on the container. Most of the products are safe after a few hours after they have been applied; however, some may take days before you could safely turn out your dogs once the yard has been treated. If you have any doubts about the safety of the product you should not use it. Your animals life is more important than a few weeds! Off the top of my head I do not know of any products that I would suggest for you to use. You may want to call your veterinarian to see if he/she has any recommendations. Sorry I can't give you any better advice, but I would suggest that you copy/paste the following website for more information about non-pesticide lawn care products:  http://www.spcpweb.org/yards/ the following is a brief excerpt from the website: "Lawn chemicals can harm pets. Dog owners who use the herbicide 2,4,-D four or more times per season, double their dog's risk of developing lymphoma." As you can see this is a serious problem and you must consider the risks of any product you choose to use.

Lee