Burned Grass Due To Urine

[MonElite]

I have new turf that was put down two weeks ago. Dogs are not allowed to run on it as yet, and each time they toileted on it I flushed it with water. But still there are some unsightly burned stains.

Is there anything that you guys tried that WORKED to help to minimize this?

Edited November 14, 2010 by MonElite

[~Anne~]

I have new turf that was put down two weeks ago. Dogs are not allowed to run on it as yet, and each time they toileted on it I flushed it with water. But still there are some unsightly burned stains.

Is there anything that you guys tried that WORKED to help to minimize this?

Dog rocks work.

I used to have to use them with some female rescues. It stopped the grass burning.

[Chezy]

I have new turf that was put down two weeks ago. Dogs are not allowed to run on it as yet, and each time they toileted on it I flushed it with water. But still there are some unsightly burned stains.

Is there anything that you guys tried that WORKED to help to minimize this?

I bought these mineral rocks that you put in the water bowl and no more wee burn

got them from pet store, sorry can't remeber the name of it . Don't need it here so have not used for ages

haha as above dog rocks lol

Edited November 14, 2010 by Chezy & Chopper

[ellz]

Apple Cider Vinegar in the drinking water....it definitely works.

I had NO success with Dog Rocks whatsoever.

[Remarkabull]

Apple Cider Vinegar in the drinking water....it definitely works.

I had NO success with Dog Rocks whatsoever.

How much vinegar to water ellz?

We have just moved and this yard is alot smaller and with 5 dogs weeing (often multiple times in one spot - boys marking girls) there is tons of little patches of burnt grass. I have purchased some Dog Rocks but it said it may take 5 weeks to work and would love something else to try that is more cost effective and allows me to completely empty and refill water bowls daily.

[Nekhbet]

a little sprinkle of lime and water it in well. Make sure your soil pH is OK and I find people who have laid turf and have slow release fertiliser smotherd all over and under it are suffering. It's just tipped your pH that little too far and now your turf cannot keep up. If you have greywater then make sure it's really giving your turf a good water. I would stop using slow release ferts too especially during warmer months

ETA on the lawn NOT in the dogs water

Edited November 15, 2010 by Nekhbet

[Paul Bright]

Nothing worse then having the new turf burnt.

Your lawn is getting burnt because of the excess nitrogen in the urine.

A few things that can help out are:

1. Add some more vegetables into your dogs meal.

2. Try using better quality dog food. If you're using cheaper dog food, it contains cheaper sources of protein in it, which can increase the amount of nitrogen because the food is bypassed within your dog.

[shelby-001]

I would have to agree with PB that the food is probably an issue. I don't have any knowledge on what is or isn't in the food causing it, but my two Amstaffs are fed raw with maybe 1-2 cups of EP Holistic Select Anchovy a week, normally as training treats or a little snack and the patches in our yard where they pee are THRIVING. OH just mowed or I would have taken a photo to show you, it's crazy how thick and green the patches are. So I can only assume if a dogs urine is 'burning' grass then what is going in their mouth isn't good, as urine output is normally an indication of what is being digested. It's similar to humans really, urine output is a great indicator of hydration and the balance in your diet.

[ellz]

Apple Cider Vinegar in the drinking water....it definitely works.

I had NO success with Dog Rocks whatsoever.

How much vinegar to water ellz?

We have just moved and this yard is alot smaller and with 5 dogs weeing (often multiple times in one spot - boys marking girls) there is tons of little patches of burnt grass. I have purchased some Dog Rocks but it said it may take 5 weeks to work and would love something else to try that is more cost effective and allows me to completely empty and refill water bowls daily.

Very scientific amount....a good old fashioned "slosh"!

No seriously, you'll need to add it and increase gradually or they won't drink it. I start out with a couple of capfuls to a normal household sized bucket. My lot get a couple of cups per bucket now, dogs and cats alike. I drink it too, but in warm/hot water with some honey. Haven't had a UTI in years and I suffered badly from them for years.

There are other benefits too but you can google them....there are heaps, including anecdotal evidence that it improves fertility and conception rates. Can't say much about that for sure because I don't breed often, but my last Stafford litter was 9 puppies and all survived!

[Remarkabull]

Apple Cider Vinegar in the drinking water....it definitely works.

I had NO success with Dog Rocks whatsoever.

How much vinegar to water ellz?

We have just moved and this yard is alot smaller and with 5 dogs weeing (often multiple times in one spot - boys marking girls) there is tons of little patches of burnt grass. I have purchased some Dog Rocks but it said it may take 5 weeks to work and would love something else to try that is more cost effective and allows me to completely empty and refill water bowls daily.

Very scientific amount....a good old fashioned "slosh"!

No seriously, you'll need to add it and increase gradually or they won't drink it. I start out with a couple of capfuls to a normal household sized bucket. My lot get a couple of cups per bucket now, dogs and cats alike. I drink it too, but in warm/hot water with some honey. Haven't had a UTI in years and I suffered badly from them for years.

There are other benefits too but you can google them....there are heaps, including anecdotal evidence that it improves fertility and conception rates. Can't say much about that for sure because I don't breed often, but my last Stafford litter was 9 puppies and all survived!

Ta, will get some today!

[Guest belgian.blue]

I need to start adding ACV to my dogs water bowl. Been slack and I have ACV myself.

[MonElite]

1. Add some more vegetables into your dogs meal.

2. Try using better quality dog food. If you're using cheaper dog food, it contains cheaper sources of protein in it, which can increase the amount of nitrogen because the food is bypassed within your dog.

My dogs are on natural raw diet, so they get super protein and fair bit of vegies as well, I dont know how I could adjust that.

ACV - I tried giving it to the dogs and they dont want to drink the water. I used to put tiny amounts so they would get used to and even small amounts they would turn their noses.

They dont drink a lot as they are on natural diet.

[shelby-001]

1. Add some more vegetables into your dogs meal.

2. Try using better quality dog food. If you're using cheaper dog food, it contains cheaper sources of protein in it, which can increase the amount of nitrogen because the food is bypassed within your dog.

My dogs are on natural raw diet, so they get super protein and fair bit of vegies as well, I dont know how I could adjust that.

ACV - I tried giving it to the dogs and they dont want to drink the water. I used to put tiny amounts so they would get used to and even small amounts they would turn their noses.

They dont drink a lot as they are on natural diet.

What do you feed? Someone might be able to identify something that could be the culprit. I don't feed our two Veges as I follow the "prey" model not a barf diet and as said earlier only use the holistic mingle as a training treat or a very rare snack.

They get:

Chicken carcasses

Whole chicken pieces

Chicken necks

Roo tail

Roo mince

Lamb flaps

Pork hocks

Lamb liver

Chicken liver

Chicken kidney

Lamb heart

Whole raw eggs - shell and all

A bit of natural yoghurt

Sardines

Treats are rawhide or dehydrated liver, mussels, fish, cHicken necks etc.

I'm not implying what I feed is necessarily perfect or to everyones liking bug it works for us and they're pee is like liquid gold as far as lawn fertilizer goes.

[noisymina]

Umm...maybe yoghurt would be helping to "normalise" the urine?

We don't seem to have a burning problem here. Mostly natural, but not all of the above. Yoghurt is a common one that I think might be helpful.

I do agree that maybe it would be OK if the grass was not already well feritlized.

Ferilizer will kill grass if it's over done - and yours just might be getting a bit too much at the moment.

[Marion 01]

My dogs are fed fresh chicken mince each day with Supercoat adult chicken, and once or twice a week have VIP chicken roll and I have never had

a problem with urine sending the grass brown, to look at it you would never know where they had peed. So I think food could be a big issue.

Marin01

[sas]

We feed BARF - that is purchased, also add ACV and we still have burn patches.

[sas]

My dogs are fed fresh chicken mince each day with Supercoat adult chicken, and once or twice a week have VIP chicken roll and I have never had

a problem with urine sending the grass brown, to look at it you would never know where they had peed. So I think food could be a big issue.

Marin01

Well if it were food, I'd say you'd be seeing it, your feed isn't a premium diet - it's supermarket which is full of fillers and so forth.

[Austerra]

High protein diets can play a part, so maybe as others have suggested look at diet. In my experience most people find Dog Rocks help, just have to go by the directions properly. There is also a product called Lawn Rescue, haven't heard comeback on that though.

[Staranais]

It's the nitrogen, not the pH, doing the damage. Dog urine rarely gets more acidic than rainwater. Getting the urine more dilute (by getting the dog to drink more by flavouring the water, or feeding wet not dry food) or feeding less protein are supposed to be two ways to help the problem. But I suspect some dogs just make more patches than other dogs do, regardless of what you feed them, due to genetic differences perhaps.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

Interesting topic re food possibly being the cause.

Our grass is a mix of kikuyu, paspalam and cooch . We have eight shelties here and have never had an issue with grass burning.

Our dogs ared fed a homemade diet the basis of which is minced chicken frames and Nutro. We don't add apple cider viengar.