How to Get Rid of Yellow Spots in Your Yard From Dog Urine

by Lorrie Davids⁽⁶⁷⁵⁾ Blue Star

If you have dogs, you most likely have this problem: dead grass spots from puppy urine. The only time our yard isn't decorated with yellow polka dots is when we have had a lot of rain. Since the Texas Coast is in an exceptional drought, my yard looks like hundreds of tiny extraterrestrials have been making tiny crop circles in random patterns. Since I want my green grass back, besides praying for rain, I did what I always do when I need information. I Googled and Dogpiled (pun intended) for some possible solutions and learned what to try and what to absolutely NOT do.

These yellow spots are caused by the nitrogen in your pup's urine. Nitrogen is the agent in fertilizer that helps green up your yard, but in high concentration, it basically burns your grass. If you do not use fertilizer on your yard and water your yard regularly, you may only see the occasional yellow spot.

Some people recommend this solution: As soon as your pup urinates, grab the hose and water the area well. Doing this dilutes the nitrogen in the urine making it harmless to your grass. Unless you accompany your pet each time he wanders out the door, this isn't a reasonable solution.

Get your dog to drink more water which possibly reduces the potentcy of the urine. One way to encourage your dog to drink more is to place ice cubes in the water. Your pet is likely to drink more as he goes after the ice. Another way is to add a little bit of sodium free broth to the water. I'd check with your vet on this one - and realize adding a food product to the water means you need to change it frequently.

Give your pup a food supplement to neutralize the nitrogen in the urine. Some B vitamins and yucca extract are said to be the ingredients that do the trick. Petco sells a product called NaturVet. I contacted our vet's office and they see no harm in trying this product. A trip to Petco is in our near future.

What not to do! Do not put baking soda in your pup's water! This idea has been going around for some time and I am glad I never tried it. Baking soda is high in sodium and can cause an increase in kidney or heart problems in your pup.

Always, consult your vet when considering adding anything to your pet's diet or water. If you have had success eliminating yellow pee spots, please let me know. I love my pups and I like my green yard.

Article submitted Friday, August 05, 2011 & read 425 times.

Leave your comments through My Pet Tale:

» left by Priestess Kandi (198 days 6 hours ago.)

Honestly I've never seen these "Yellow Spots" you write about and further more I have never heard of or considered putting baking soda in any drinking water, much less an animal's drinking water! I appreciate you sharing your discoveries with the world. I do not live in a place where lack of rain often occurs. I will keep in mind what you have written. Thanks for sharing
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» left by Lorrie Davids⁽⁶⁷⁵⁾ (195 days 21 hours ago.)

Thanks, Kandi, for reading and commenting. Some years, the dead (yellow) spots are rare, but this year, with our drought, they are all over the yard.. I've heard many things about the spots..that females (we have 2) have more acid=more spots, but I've got friends with male dogs and still have the spots. Watering where the puppy pees seems the most effective, though tedious. Here in Houston we usually get a lot of rain and most of the time, I don't see the spots. But this year is the exception.

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