Is there a supplement you can give to your dog?
Pet parents often try feeding dogs enzyme supplements that reportedly balance the pH in dog urine, limiting its effect on lawns. But Dr. Virginia Sinnott of Angell Animal Medical Center’s Emergency & Critical Care Unit urges pet parents to be cautious if considering these products.
“Supplements containing DL Methionine are used to acidify the urine, which may leave your lawn greener, but can be harmful to dogs with pre-existing liver and kidney disease, and are not recommended for dogs who have these issues,” she says. This ingredient should be clearly marked on those products, Dr. Sinnott says.
“Also, if your dog has ever had a kidney or bladder stone, or is known to have crystals in their urine, you should check with your family vet before using a product to prevent greening.”
Dog Rocks offer a natural lawn burn patch preventative. These naturally occurring paramagnetic igneous rocks are dropped in your dog’s water bowl to filter impurities such as tin, ammonia and nitrate that can cause brown grass spots.
Is your dog to blame for your lawn’s brown grass spots?
Before blaming it on your dog, first confirm that he is indeed the culprit, says Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the National Association of Landscape Professionals.
Several brown spots surrounded by dark green grass is one indication that the damage is caused by dog urine, she says. To check your lawn’s health and help determine the cause, gently pull on the discolored turf to see if the roots are firm.
“If the root system remains secured, then you can take action to reduce issues caused by dog urine. However, if you can easily pull back large amounts of grass, you might be dealing with a lawn disease,” Henriksen says. If that is the case, she recommends that you seek a lawn care professional’s help.
Do some dogs cause more damage to lawns than others?
While pee from all dogs will kill grass, some factors do influence the severity of the problem. “Dog spot damage is more prevalent with female dogs due to the fact they squat in a single place, while male dogs generally leave their calling cards in multiple areas around trees and other upright objects,” Smith said. The same effect would be true of young dogs of both genders who tend to squat when peeing.
In addition, it is not the size of your dog, but rather how frequently your dog pees in a specific location that determines the damage to your lawn, Henriksen notes.
Does all dog urine kill grass?
There is a common perception that female dog urine causes more lawn burn marks than male dogs. While not all female dogs’ urine cause burn marks and while a fair number of male dogs’ urine does, there is a higher tendency for female dogs’ pee to ruin lawns far more than when male dogs urinate.
