Urine Lawn Burns

Alkaline urine, urine with a high pH, is generally the reason for grass burning. You can try 1 tsp-1 Tbsp cider vinegar (doggie salad dressing) on the food as a urinary acidifier. Use the smaller dose for small dogs, and 1 Tbsp for large dogs. If that does not work you could try prescription urinary acidifiers. These work in 95% of urine burn cases.

The problem (for the homeowner, not the dog) is worsened by high urine concentration on the grass, especially in dry weather. If you flood the spot with water immediately, it will dilute the urine and the grass won’t scald. The ammonia in urine is a great fertilizer, however, and you may also notice that the grass at the edge of the scalded spot is wonderfully green and fast growing.

Some local farm and garden stores recommend gypsum pellets for urine spots in the grass. They recommend sprinkling it specifically on the brown spots in the spring and doing a more generalized sprinkling (amounts are on the bag) on all areas the dog uses before snow falls in the fall. There is some improvement with this method, not huge amounts, but it is inexpensive and could be worth a try.