Urine Burns on Grass
We have a two-year-old boxer. The problem is that his urine kills the grass wherever he goes. I think there is too much acid in his system. How do we stop this?
The reason dog urine (or any urine for that matter) kills the grass is due to the high nitrogen content of the urine along with the pH (acidity) of the urine. Also, since we frequently put high nitrogen fertilizer on our yards, the urine makes the nitrogen content even higher and this “burns” or kills the grass.
What a dog eats can be a factor in this problem. The way a dog metabolizes or breaks down its diet, and how it eliminates normal by-products in the urine will determine how high the nitrogen content is and what the pH content is also. Every dog breaks down food in individual ways, so there is no definite answer for every yard. You can try to switch foods to see if that makes a difference in your dog and your yard.
There are products sold that can be added to food that may help to decreases the acidity of the urine. Individual dogs vary in their response to these additives. Some dogs can benefit by adding baking soda to the food. This makes the urine less acid and may help. Other dogs will continue to “burn” in spots in spite of your best efforts.
One suggestion includes pouring water on the urine immediately after urination, which means carrying water with you when your dog is outside. Another suggestions is getting your dog to go in one area of the yard, so that the spots are confined to one portion of your grass. By the way, some people attribute this only to female or spayed female dogs. Any dog urine can cause the burning spots. Since many male dogs raise their leg and urinate on trees and posts, less of their urine may be hitting the grass. Thus, owners with male dogs may report less of a problem or claim it only occurs in females.
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