What dog doesn't love grass? After all, it's a safe place to run and play, right? For dogs who are allergic to grass, not so much. Some canine grass allergies are mild, causing your dog to sneeze or scratch themselves after coming into contact with turf. However, sometimes, these allergies can be more serious. Dogs who are allergic to grass can scratch themselves so severely that they injure themselves, and those wounds can get seriously infected. If they ingest any grass, they may also vomit or develop diarrhoea, both of which cause discomfort and dehydration. As such, it's important that you don't ignore your dog's grass allergy. Instead, take a look at this two-step guide to follow if you think your dog is allergic to turf.

Step 1: Determine Whether It's Really a Grass Allergy

Dogs can show signs of grass allergy symptoms for all sorts of reasons. Itching can be caused by anything from an infection to a poor diet, while vomiting and diarrhoea can be signs of poisoning or internal organ problems. Both can also be caused by other allergies, such as food allergies. Before you start tackling your dog's grass allergy, it's important to make sure that grass is actually what's causing the problems. If you don't, you could miss another health problem that becomes more serious over time. Generally, if your dog is allergic to grass, their symptoms will show up during or shortly after their contact with the turf. If your dog only scratches or feels sick after a walk or outdoor play, grass allergy is a likely culprit. Of course, the best way to be sure is to take your dog to the vet for a comprehensive allergy test.

Step 2: Change Your Grass to an Allergy-Friendly Turf

If your dog really is allergic to grass, you'll need to make some adjustments to your yard to keep him or her comfortable. In particular, you'll want to replace your turf with a more allergy-friendly variety of grass. Palmetto turf is an ideal choice here. Often, it's the seed heads on grass that cause an allergic reaction. Palmetto grass has fewer seed heads, producing less pollen and therefore causing fewer allergy symptoms. This variety of grass is also known for growing outwards more than it grows upwards. As a result, it needs less mowing. Allergies tend to flare up more when the grass is mown because mowing strews pollen around your yard, so a low-maintenance turf can be just as good for your dog's allergies as it is for your gardening schedule.

For more information, contact a supplier that carries grass like palmetto turf.