Why Do Dogs Eat Toilet Paper?

Many pet owners know how it feels like to come home and find tissue paper all over the house. A vast number of dogs seem to have some fetish with toilet paper. Besides just shredding it all over, many end up eating some. Therefore, it is essential to know how to stop this habit and its causes.

Why Do Dogs Eat Toilet Paper?

1. To Have Fun

Many dogs will eat toilet paper because they find it fun or exciting. What's more, some like how the roll unfolds or rolls away as they play, while others love the paper's feel and texture. A toilet paper's consistency allows it to be shredded easily, which further appeals to the pups.

2. Pica Syndrome

When your pet has Pica syndrome, it can eat almost anything as the condition gives it the urge to chew on non-nutritious things. Therefore, if toilet paper is easily accessible, your pet can end up eating lots of it to fulfill the desire brought about by the medical condition.

3. Teething

When puppies are teething, they can chew almost anything to get relief. Hence, if toilet paper is the easiest thing they can access, you can be sure they will end up chewing and ingesting some in the process. By chewing things during teething, puppies can soothe sore gums.

4. Boredom

If your pet is bored and with nothing exciting to do, it can keep busy by playing with toilet paper. Since the pet uses its mouth to interact with most things, it eats some as it tries to kill boredom.

Is it Safe for Dogs to Eat Toilet Paper?

Since toilet paper is soft and breaks up with ease, dogs will not have any issues chewing and swallowing it. Therefore, there is little risk of choking on toilet paper unless the pup was to gulp on a considerable chunk.

Since tissue paper hardly contains any toxic substances, it passes quickly through the dog's system without causing problems. Also, it softens as it absorbs moisture and breaks into even smaller pieces, minimizing the risk of intestinal blockage.

However, the toilet roll and cardboards that usually hold the paper in place are more dangerous since they do not break up easily. If the dog swallows them, there is a significant risk of choking and intestinal blockage.

How to Stop your Dog from Eating Toilet Paper

• Always Keep Toilet Paper Out of Reach: If the pup cannot get to the toilet paper, it will not eat any. Therefore, it is essential to keep the bathroom door closed and keep any other toilet paper in the house locked away.
• Give the Dog Enough Play Toys: Since dogs will eat tissue when playing, it is a great idea to make sure it has safe things to play with, such as chew toys. These chew toys are also effective at preventing teething puppies from eating toilet paper.
• Teach Your Pooch Obedience Skills: Some dogs have destructive behaviors that can drive them to do things like eating toilet paper. Therefore, teaching proper behavior and obedience skills can be very useful in stopping this tendency.
• Seek Medical Attention: Taking your dog to a vet is the best way to determine whether its strange habits result from underlying conditions like Pica Syndrome or even neurological issues. For such cases, the pet may require treatment, which should stop the bad habits.

Conclusion

Besides the annoying mess you have to deal with when your pup eats tissues, in most instances, this habit does not pose significant health risks to your pet. However, it is still important to stop it, and some of the best ways to do this are keeping the toilet paper out of reach, providing chew toys, and teaching the pet basic obedience skills.