Dog pee kills grass

Question
I have noticed that where our dog pees on the lawn the grass turns yellow and dies.  What can I do to prevent this?

Answer
Hi, Kari. I feel your pain, as I have the same problem with my dog occasionally. The reason for lawn burning is the Ph of the dog's urine combined with the level of nitrogen in the urine. Each dog is different, but often, a change in food can help to lessen or eliminate the burning. One easy way to help the problem is to saturate the area thoroughly with water immediately after the dog pees. This means that you need to keep a half-gallon to a gallon of water on hand to take with you when you take the dog outside to use the bathrom. As soon as he/she finishes peeing, dump the water on the spot. This will help to neutralize the area and prevent lawn burning.

Sometimes adding a bit of baking soda to the dog's food helps. The 'dosage' depends on the size of your dog, so before doing this, ask your vet how much would be appropriate.

There are products on the market that claim to solve the problem of lawn burning, but I don't recommend using them. They are very hard on the dog's system, particularly the liver and kidneys, and long-term use could cause problems with those organs later on down the road. They also plainly state on the packaging that dogs that already have liver or kidney problems should not use the product. *I* wouldn't recommend these products, because to me, the risk is too high, but the choice is completely up to you.

Please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything else I can help you with!

Kristen