Dog urine kills my grass

[J.A.Say.Tree]

I have 2 female golden retrievers that do quite a number on my lawn. I was talking to my neighbor about it yesterday, and he made mention that there is some sort of product you apply over the entire yard (like fertilizer) that neutralizes the urine and you don't end up with all those nice dead circles all over the place.

Anyone heard of this product or used it in the past? Sure would be nice to spend another Spring day fishing instead of patching my lawn!

JA!

[Fish&Fowl]

Bring your dogs to my house. They can kill it all and I won't have to mow!

[jigging-matt]

FF carries it, it has something like lyme in it. is supposed to nuetralize the urine. never tried it, but friends have and say it really works.

[Sandmannd]

It's called Gypsum that you can put down. Also, give your dogs a little Tomato juice with their food every day. This will help dilute their urine. Femail dogs have really potent pee and will really wreck your yard. There is a thread going up in Lawn and Garden. Here is the link Dog Urine

[Neighbor_guy]

The cheapest soarce of Gypsum is powdered drywall topping. I just shake it on the spots with a spoon or a garden shovel. It tends to be what I have on hand. I dont garden so there may be better options there. (USG topping or joint compound in the baggs. A little goes a long ways)

[landscaper]

Do you have an Irrigation system? that will wash it away

[Dave S]

 Originally Posted By: landscaper

Do you have an Irrigation system? that will wash it away

I have the same issue with 2 female dogs and they seem to think they're the irrigation system.

[ricbak]

I also have the same issue with 2 female dogs, I have many brown spots from this past winter. I have been watering these spots hoping they will recover, you guys have mentioned a couple solutions above but what about the current damage with these brown spots?

[LABS4ME]

The best way to fix them is to rake out the dead grass, apply a thin layer of potting soil and seed and let it fill back in. The gypsum will do little to help the area. The best way to rid the area of excess salt and nitrogen is to flush the area out with plenty of water and then do some overseeding. The roots may or may not be damaged... if you want to wait and see you can, but now would be a good time to seed it. You can NOT use a crab grass preventer if you are going to seed as that will stop the lawn seed from germinating too. If you already have or plan to use crabgrass preventer, you will need to buy a roll of sod and patch in the areas.

Good Luck!

Ken

[jigglestick]

dead in the center, but have you ever noticed how beautifuly green and lush the grass is directly to the outside of the lawn?

now if I could just bottle what ever did that,I'd be king for a day!

[LABS4ME]

Liquid Nitrogen baby...

Wht you are actually seeing in urine rings is equivilent to fertilizer burns.

Good Luck!

Ken

[Lindy Lee]

You can also buy treats for your dog that have and additive that will help with this problem. I buy mine form Doctors Foster & Smith it is called Lawn Guard Treats. They were $8.99/pound. with the size of my dog they should last me about 2 months. Hope this helps.

[tealitup]

 Originally Posted By: Lindy Lee

You can also buy treats for your dog that have and additive that will help with this problem. I buy mine form Doctors Foster & Smith it is called Lawn Guard Treats. They were $8.99/pound. with the size of my dog they should last me about 2 months. Hope this helps.

Do they work?

[Bryce]

I too would like to hear the results. Is this something you've always used or started after noticing the problem? Would be nice if you could tell us about before/after results. Anyone else using this product? Try to get our dogs to use the tall grass areas but doesn't always work when they're out with us doing yardwork or such and they get the urge to squat. Around the time of their heat cycles, you can almost hear the grass sizzle in their wake.

[Sandmannd]

 Originally Posted By: tealitup

 Originally Posted By: Lindy Lee

You can also buy treats for your dog that have and additive that will help with this problem. I buy mine form Doctors Foster & Smith it is called Lawn Guard Treats. They were $8.99/pound. with the size of my dog they should last me about 2 months. Hope this helps.

Do they work?

I never had luck with these when I tried them about three years ago. The tomato juice in the food helps more I think. Neither will end the problem. To fix the damage in the spring, I rake up dead grass and loosen the dirt. Buy the cheap bags of top soil and then I use the scotts patch repair. Works great. Just have to do it every spring.

[gerty]

I've used the lawn guard treats quite extensively and I can not say that they really help that much. Best thing to do is to try and get them trained to go close to the same spot all the time. I have a ring around one of my trees where I have tried to get it to go. That's where he goes as soon as he leaves the kennel, but then he still hits other spots and even with the lawn guard treats it still turns brown.

This may be a stupid question, but is there any difference male or female as far as burning the grass worse?

[Sandmannd]

 Originally Posted By: gerty

This may be a stupid question, but is there any difference male or female as far as burning the grass worse?

Yea, female have more potent urine and do a worse number on the yard.

[311Hemi]

This has been posted else where but thought I would throw it in here:

 Quote:

Understanding the causes

The fundamental problem with the presence of urine or feces on the lawn is related to the nitrogen content and concentration of these waste products. Urine, when produced as a waste product in animals, primarily removes excess nitrogen from the body via the kidneys. Nitrogen waste products are the result of protein breakdown through normal bodily processes. Carnivores, including cats and dogs, have a significant protein requirement, and urine volume/production varies due to size and metabolism. Urine is a more serious problem for lawns because it is applied all at once as a liquid fertilizer, whereas feces slowly releases the waste products over time. Since stools are usually solid, owners have the option of frequent manual removal. With more time for the nitrogen waste to dissolve into the lawn, stools that are frequently removed damage lawns less than urine.

Young dogs of both sexes frequently squat to urinate. Leg lifting is often learned by male dogs around a year of age; castration or neutering does not seen to affect nature’s timetable related to this behavior development. While most male dogs will hike their leg and mark once they are over a year of age, a few will continue to squat when urinating, which is more common in female dogs. Female dogs may also mark although less commonly than male dogs. Once dogs begin urine marking, they often utilize many and numerous scent posts resulting in numerous, small volume urinations rather than large volume puddles. Grass can handle small volume nitrogen bursts easier than fertilizer overload. Unfortunately, the young bush, shrub, vine or tree sprout that becomes a marking post may have nitrogen (fertilizer) overload with repeated marking and may die if continually "marked."

The primary concern in addressing urine damage to lawns is minimizing the nitrogen concentration added to the lawn at any single time. Female dogs, being less likely to urine mark and more likely to squat, are the primary culprits of lawn damage since they will urinate anywhere on a lawn and usually all at once. This results in a single nitrogen dump confined to a small patch of grass. The brown spot that results will often have a green ring around the outside. The nitrogen overload at the center causes the burn, but as the urine is diluted toward the periphery, it has a fertilizer effect. This characteristic brown spot, green ring pattern has been called "female dog spot disease" by some horticulturists. As might be expected, lawns are most susceptible to nitrogen burns when standard fertilizers are maximized in the lawn. Homeowners making the extra effort to have a green lawn may be quite discouraged by their neighbor’s dog damage or their own housepet’s potty residue.

Speculation on the actual cause of the lawn burn has resulted in numerous theories on what else in the urine may be contributing to the damage. Dr. A.W. Allard, a Colorado veterinarian, examined numerous variations in dog urine and the effects on several common lawn grasses1. His results support the fact that volume of urine (nitrogen content) and urine concentration had the most deleterious effects on lawns. The pH of the urine did not have any variable effect nor did common additives designed to alter the urine pH. Of the four grasses tested, Festuca sp. var. Kentucky 31 (fescue) and Lolium perrene (perennial ryegrass) were the most resistant to urine effects. In fact, the urine routinely produced a fertilizer effect on these grasses at diluted concentrations. Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass) and Cynodon sp. var. Fairway (bermudagrass) were very sensitive to any urine concentration and severe burns resulted, persisting greater than 30 days after initial exposure to even four ounces of diluted urine. Even on the most urine resistant grass tested (fescue) urine concentration was a bigger problem than urine volume. Concentrated urine with volumes as little as 30cc (one ounce) caused lawn burn even on fescue grasses.

 Quote:

Dietary Modification Techniques

A great many dietary modifications for dogs have been tried, often based on home remedies or anecdotal experience. A veterinarian should always be consulted prior to making any dietary modifications, whether they include additions or subtractions from standard nutrient guidelines. As stated earlier, the pH of the urine has little or no effect on the urine damage to the lawn. The addition of acidifying agents, including nutritional supplements like D-I, Methionine (Methioform), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), or fruit juices will have no benefit for this problem and may predispose the dog to an increased incidence of certain bladder stones. Likewise, alkalinizing agents, including baking soda and potassium citrate can predispose to other types of bladder stones or infections. The addition of any of these supplements has enough potential to cause harm, with limited to no known benefit for the lawn, and are not recommended.

When owners have reported successes, as is sometimes the case on internet forums, liquids likely improved the situation because the urine concentration after treatment was diluted. Safer ways to accomplish more dilute urine include feeding canned food, moistening dry food with water prior to feeding and adding salt or garlic salt to the regular food. One particular home remedy, tomato juice, likely has its primary benefit through both increased salt and water intake. While salt will make the dog drink more and dilute the urine, increased salt intake can cause problems for dogs with existing kidney or heart conditions. Owners should not alter their dog’s diet without consulting with their veterinarian.

Dogs with more dilute urine may have to urinate more frequently as well and need more frequent elimination opportunities. While specific breed differences haven’t been noted, smaller dogs produce less urine than larger dogs so are dumping less nitrogen waste. Dogs with bladder infections often demonstrate an urgency to urinate and typically squat several times, leaving small amounts or drops each time. These dogs may be less of a problem for lawns than normal dogs who empty their whole bladder in one sitting. Dog owners who actually note that their dog’s urine is no longer causing lawn burn, without having made any changes, should have their dog examined by their veterinarian and a urinalysis performed to make sure there are no medical conditions causing this change.

The other option to consider besides diluting the urine is to reduce the amount of nitrogen waste being dumped in the urine. The average family dog doesn’t have the activity level that requires as high a protein level as most commercial maintenance dog foods provide. Although, dog food purchasing often reflects consumer perception that high protein equals better food, in fact moderate to low protein foods are often adequate for all but the most energetic, working and hunting dogs. When examining a food label, protein content must be compared on a dry matter basis and unfortunately, it is not like comparing apples to apples. Dry foods vary in how much moisture they have, so the protein percent listed can’t be immediately compared to all other foods. Canned foods will have a much lower protein percent listed than dry foods but also have much higher water content.

The quality of the protein also has an impact since some proteins are highly digestible, meaning less is dumped in the feces and possibly the urine, than other proteins. In general, the premium and super premium pet foods, available from pet stores and veterinarians, will have higher quality protein and more digestible proteins than standard grocery store brands. The higher digestibility translates into smaller fecal size as well. It is probably best to discuss individual pet needs with a veterinarian or nutrition consultant in the practice to determine what is the best fit, based on feasibility, palatability and economics. In many cases, if a dog food is currently providing good, overall nutritional support for the pet, diluting the urine by simply adding water to the food may be the easiest place to start.