February 13, 2009, Newsletter Issue #229: Dog Urine
Tip of the Week
Dog urine damages grass because of excess Nitrogen, not excess salt or high (or low) pH. The urine goes on the grass as a concentrated dump of liquid fertilizer. The same thing would happen if you poured a cup of 33-0-0 fertilizer on the spot--the grass suffers classic fertilizer burn. A frequently used home remedy is to give the dog some tomato sauce with his/her food. People swear that this works, but it works for a different reason than you may have been led to believe. It works because the tomato sauce increases the dog´s salt intake, which in turn causes him/her to drink more water, which dilutes the Nitrogen in the urine and reduces the effects. Before you start adding tomato sauce to your dog´s diet, consult your veterinarian. If your dog is predisposed to health problems caused by too much salt, you could be harming the pooch more than you´re helping the lawn. DO NOT add baking soda to your dogs´ water. It does not work and it can have serious health consequences for your dog.
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