How can I repair the yellow spots on my lawn caused by pet urine?

Becky
by Becky

Every place my female dog pees in the yard I end up with a dead spot. I love my dog and my yard and hate those unsightly round dead spots. Help!!

  3 answers
  • Lorraine Lorraine on Aug 26, 2019

    You’ll have to change the PH of your dogs urine which is acidic. My dad is a retired Vetrinarian, and he says you can sprinkle some baking soda in her food mix it well, this will neutralize and make it more alkaline. But see you’re own vet, and see what he recommends. Maybe watch where she pees, and then hose it down with a lot of water and sprinkle that area with baking soda. Once the grass is dead, it’s dead. You can dig those spots out and put in plugs of healthy gras from an area that won’t be noticed.

    • Becky Becky on Aug 26, 2019

      Hi Lorraine, appreciate the response. She has a dog door where she can come and go out whenever she has the urge. Her urine absolutely just burns the grass badly. I know when I see where she pees I flush the area really good with water, but that isn't always possible. I've always had female dogs, but she is the worse about killing grass. But appreciate your response. Thank you...

  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Aug 26, 2019

    if you can dilute the area/her pee with water each time after she goes it is best, use small hand rake and remove dead grass, loosen soil, add a little clean top soil and it will regrow adding more grass seed will help it fill in quicker;alot of baking soda in soil/grass is not good either,it does neutralize pee but will eventually create other issues also causing grass to die--Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, a salt. Because it is a salt, it can damage grass to which it is applied.Baking soda's alkaline nature can make it phytotoxic, even when applied in solutions of very low concentration, including 1 percent. Spotty grass....This is just part of having pets,which means not always going to have perfectly green grass. you could put in astro turf in specific area and train her to do her business there only, so you still have nice green space you want. but you'll still need to treat & clean the astro turf area. These type products are available too https://www.planeturine.com/planet-urine-products-catalog/lawnsaver-dog-urine-neutralizer/ or altering the dogs diet. Not sure( inspite of all online reviews) it is healthy to mess with dogs guts/digestive systems the long term effects on kidneys/bladder. I think that it's just part of having pets----spotty lawns,hair on your stuff,them barking and all the other stuff you have to deal with to keep your pet friends around you.

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    • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Aug 26, 2019

      Talk to your vet about how strong her pee is and maybe they can suggest way to get her to drink more water so its not so strong or some type of food supplement that would help or even a different food Add a teaspoon of Whiskas Cat Milk (lactose-free milk), beef broth or chicken broth or water from canned tuna to each bowl of water. Add ice cubes to the water bowl. These can even be flavored with tuna juice or broth before freezing. Water fountains for pets can be attractive to them because they provided oxygenated, free flowing water. Don't use too much broth & use low sodium so it doesn't make them even thirstier,just want it flavorful not salty,and they'll smell it even more than taste it.make sure if you are adding any food for flavoring to water bowl it doesn't get spoiled.