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Pets and grass lawns have a chequered history. But aside from the landmines, those burnt patches in the lawn can test the furry friendship! But there is hope. Knowing why they happen can help you avoid a major pain in the grass…
In winter, the grass on your lawn or in the park is already on life support. But a misplaced wee can send it over the edge and positively spotty. But have you ever wondered why? And why female dogs and cats are much bigger culprits? Well, here’s your answer…
The key killer ingredient in wee? Nitrogen.
But here’s the surprising part. Nitrogen is also the major component of lawn fertiliser.
So that wee is essentially too much of a good thing.
A nitrogen bomb dropped by their bladder that overdoses the grass and kills it.
It’s why you often find those burnt patches are the greenest and longest part of your lawn just a month or two later…
So what can you do?
Well, burnt lawn patches (BLP’s) can be managed two ways…
With your pet...
- Feed better proteins. The nitrogen in the wee comes from waste proteins their body hasn’t absorbed. The higher the quality protein (like chicken/fish meat (or chicken breast) rather than highly rendered and processed ‘chicken meals’) the less nitrogen they’ll pass in their pee
- More water. That wee is a much more smelly and potent nitrogen bomb if it’s concentrated. Putting extra bowls of water around the house means more drinking and a dilution of that nasty stuff…
With your lawn...
- Wash it away. That nitrogen can be a great thing for your lawn if it’s diluted. So hitting their favourite wee spots with a hose or a sprinkler can be a saviour.
So why are female dogs and BLP’s so common?
Well, it’s all about how pets wee. While males usually squirt against a tree or pole on the outside of the lawn, a female will usually squat on a flat surface. And wee for longer. Now you know!
