Saturday, October 25, 2008

Lawn Burn Products Can Be Harmful


Products are being sold in pet stores and on the internet that are supposed to prevent lawn burn from your dogs urine. These products are to be given to your pet internally, do not work and can be harmful to your pet. The products are urine acidifiers. Too much acid in a dog's urine may predispose them to bladder stones.

The basic cause of lawn burn from a dog's urine is the urine concentration. Highly concentrated urine contains a large amount of nitrogen (from protein digestion). This makes dog urine just like liquid fertilizer. The brown spots are basically over fertilized. To prevent this burn, try to increase your dog's water consumption, dilute the urine spot with a bucket of water or turn on the sprinkler. It is a good idea to create a potty area in the yard with mulch or stones. Your dog can be trained to use this area.

The products that are sold to prevent lawn burn contain chemicals that are hard on the liver and kidneys. Read the fine print on the label of the warnings.