Tired of brown spots in your yard from your dog?

One of the most frequent questions we get in the summer at Westgate Pet Clinic is "How can I keep my dog from ruining my lawn!?"  Lawn scald from dog urine is caused by nitrogen that is filtered out of the body, and eliminated in urine.  A little bit of nitrogen acts as a fertilizer.  A lot of nitrogen, however, burns and kills the grass.  There are several ways you can manage lawn scald.  First, make sure that your dog is well-hydrated and always has access to plenty of fresh water.  This will help keep her urine more dilute.  Second, you can train your dog to go in one area of the yard, like on an area where there are rocks or mulch.  Third, when you see your dog urinating on the lawn, you can "water down" that area of grass with a hose to dilute out the nitrogen.  Fourth, water your entire lawn frequently.  Fifth, talk to your local garden shop about different lawn treatments for patches that are already dead.