Are Urine Neutralizers for saving your lawn safe?

[Deborah Brown]

Here's a link to an article for Doctors Foster and Smith:  http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Articles/urine_burns_lawn.cfm

There are some products on the market that supposedly help but wonder if feeding this to a doodle is safe?  Wayne in particular unloads a gallon of urine along fences, etc.  He is my grass killer.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Of the products mentioned in the article, the spray that goes on the lawn and not in the dog would be my choice.

I looked at the ingredients in Green-Um. Ingredients: Amino Acids, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6, Yeast, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Yucca Schidigera Extracts, Flavoring, Glyco Component C1.

While it's true that amino acids are natural, lol, you can't just increase the amounts of some of them without possible side-effects. Since i don't know which amino acids we're talking about here, I can't say whether this is a safe product or not. The un-named "flavoring" could be another possible problem. And I have no idea what "glyco component C1" is, but if it's related to glycoproteins, I'd want to know a lot more.

I looked at the ingredients in the "G-Whiz" lawn saver treats, and the short answer is NO.

Ingredients:

Chicken, Potato Starch, Chicken Meal, Glycerin, Rice Starch, Powdered Cellulose, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Chicken Flavor, Salt, Lecithin, Amino Acids (Threonine, Tyrosine, Leucine, Phenylalanine, Valine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Lysine, Arginine), Sorbic Acid (Preservative) Iron Oxides

The amino acids in this one include the branched chain aminos, which you just don't play around with, at least in humans. Among the side-effects of too many BCAs are mood changes, including inability to sleep and what is known around the gym (bodybuilders love BCAs) as "roid rage." If there's enough of them in there to alter the composition of the urine, there's enough to possibly alter brain chemistry. You've also got chicken, chicken flavoring, potato starch,  rice starch, and cellulose, much of which I know you avoid giving your dogs. The pump stuff you add to their food or water contains different ingredients, and i couldn't find a list of the aminos, but I'm guessing they're the same ones as the treats. 

The Foster & Smith chewables don't contain aminos, and the ingredients look a lot less likely to cause a problem, but there is rice bran and cheese in there, which might be an issue for your dogs. Take a look and see what you think. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=22027

The Foster & SmithG

[Deborah Brown]

I was looking at the spray version og G-Whiz which contains the following:

Ionized Water, Dextrose, Malic Acid, Yucca Shidigera (flavoring), Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum with Sodium Benzoate, and Potassium Sorbate added as preservatives.

What do you think are the active ingredients here?

I do understand the other methods people are suggesting.  I have three dogs and it is constant battle to keep the yard nice.  I put up landscape fencing to keep Wayne away from new plants and he pees on the fence leaving a ring of brown grass.  I can't keep up with him.  He is a super pee boy!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, if that's all that's in there, there's nothing that would alter the urine or make any difference otherwise, except for the malic acid, which might lower Ph. (it's also been known to cause diarrhea in humans).  The rest of it's just water, sugar, flavorings and preservatives. The product description says it contains 10 "key" amino acids, but there are none listed. Perhaps a call to the company would clarify this.

It's definitely the nitrogen content that's responsible for urine burning grass, and lowering Ph won't change that.   

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

I think it safer by far to just hose off area where he pees. Charlie finally learned to lift his leg at 2 and I planted 3 small arborvitae trees (we call them pee trees) next to our retaining wall. We no longer have yellow spots in our lawn.  Beau our other doodle drinks lots of water and his urine does not kill the grass.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

JD also prefers to use evergreens as fire hydrants, lol. I have one huge one that I really dislike and would have pulled out if not for the fact that it saves the rest of the yard from urine burns. :)

I also have pea gravel (pun possibly intended) along the fence in the side yard, another favorite spot for leg-lifting. 

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Never thought of "pee gravel", but I think I will put some back in the same area. Last year we did not go south for the winter and my DH and the doodles proceeded to trash our lawn by playing ball and etc out there in the snow.  So this spring I made a designated area across the back of the yard for peeing, etc.  It has done the trick and the rest of our lot looks so much better because of it!  . 

[Abigail *George & Juno*]

Diluting the urine spot is your best bet. Just take a water hose and spray right after they go. Or take a lawn spray bottle full of water with you when they go and dilute it with that. It will actually make the resulting grass greener and healthier. Our sprinkler system dilutes George's urine enough to prevent burn out. When we turn them down we see spots pop up in her usual "go" places. Double edged sword, with the sprinklers up, and George's constant supply of liquid
Nitrogen...we have to mow twice as often. ;)

[F, Calla & Luca]

In general the healthy body regulates things as nature intended. I don't think it is a good idea at all to change the pH of urine without a good medical reason and keeping grass green is not one of them.