Dog urine damage
Not an infection: concentrated salts and nitrogen in dog urine burn grass and foliage
| Type | Not an infection |
|---|---|
| Cause | Not an infection: concentrated salts and nitrogen in dog urine burn grass and foliage |
| When | Year-round, wherever dogs go. |
About
Dogs that keep using the same spots leave dead patches in lawns and browned or blackened lower branches on evergreens and shrubs. Female dogs do the most lawn damage, while males tend to mark upright things like shrubs and posts.
Also called pet urine damage, dog urine damage, dog urine spots, dog spots, urine damage, dog blight, urine burn
How to recognize it
Symptoms
In lawns, round spots of dead, straw-colored grass are ringed by dark green, extra-lush grass. On shrubs and evergreens, foliage low on the plant turns discolored or black, sometimes with a urine smell, and repeated visits can kill whole branches.
Often confused with
A dead spot with a dark green ring is typical of dog urine; fertilizer spills tend to burn stripes or patches where a spreader turned or overlapped. On evergreens, browning limited to the lowest foliage, where dogs reach, points to urine.
Worse when
Dogs returning to the same spot, female dogs on lawns, dogs that drink too little (stronger urine), and bunch-type grasses that can't spread back into dead spots.
How it spreads
It does not spread. Damage builds wherever dogs keep returning.
When
Year-round, wherever dogs go.
What to do, gentlest first
This is not an infection, so sprays for diseases won't help. Fix the cause below.
Give dogs their own potty spot Prevent
Train dogs, with treats, to use a mulched or gravel corner. A post or other upright object there can draw males away from shrubs. For tied-out dogs, move the tether around the yard so spots can recover.
Keep dogs well watered Prevent
Fresh water helps keep urine less concentrated.
Ask your veterinarian before using any supplement sold to prevent lawn spots.
Water the spot right away By hand
Hose down fresh urine spots to dilute and flush the salts. Water is the only thing that reverses the damage.
Baking soda, dish soap and products sold to dissolve or neutralize salts don't work and can make it worse.
Rinse shrubs and soak the soil By hand
When a dog marks a shrub, rinse the foliage and soak the ground around it as soon as you can.
Reseed dead spots By hand
Water dead spots heavily for a few days, rake out the dead grass, then reseed or patch with sod. Water lightly each day until seed sprouts, then water less often but longer.
Fence off favorite shrubs Barrier
Low fencing or barriers keep dogs away from the shrubs and lawn areas they target.
Plants it affects
Sources
Planting dates and advice are general guidance; check with your local Cooperative Extension office for your area.