Dogs do the strangest things… like eating poop or in this case–eat tissue paper or toilet paper. This behavior piqued my fur parent’s curiosity and so I dug into some research to understand the reasons behind why dogs eat tissue paper. Here are 5 common causes I found behind this bizarre behavior and learn practical tips to curb this habit.
Pica
Pica is a condition where dogs have the craving to eat non-food items. Some dogs stick to one item, while others eat a variety of non-food things such as wood, cotton, tissues, rocks, dirt, clothes. According to Dr. Karyn Collier, a medical director at Saint Francis Veterinary Center of South Jersey, says that the root cause of Pica in dogs may be medical or psychological. Pica can be potentially life-threatening for your pup if the item ingested is toxic, or a choking hazard or disrupts digestive processes.
Pica is commonly seen in adolescent or adult dogs. If your puppy eats non-food items, they could just be exploring the world through their mouths by learning what is food and what isn’t. It is a phase that they will grow out of eventually.
Read more: 5 Reasons Why Dogs Roll In Poop And Smelly Things
Diet Issues
It simply could be that your dog’s diet is not feeding them the nutrients they need. To compensate for the lack of nutrition, your doggo might be eating anything just to fill the gap. This issue would most likely be the culprit if there was a recent change in your pup’s diet. It was also found in this case study published in 2017 that eating non-food items behavior is often caused by the lack of mineral intake.
Teething
Another simple reason is that your pup is going through a teething phase. It is common for puppies to chew almost anything to soothe their sore gums while their lil teeth grow out. This phase usually lasts no more than 30 weeks. If your pup is teething, you might want to buy them a couple of teething chew toys to prevent them from chewing random inanimate objects in or outside the house.
Anxiety and Boredom
Who knew dogs could also get anxiety? Some signs that your dog has anxiety- excessive barking, whining, chasing its own tail, excessive panting and pacing, destructive behavior. If your dog suffers from anxiety, it may resort to peculiar behavior such as eating non-food items as a way to cope with their anxiety. Monitor your pooch and observe whether this behavior is triggered in a stressful situation. If this is the cause, identify what their stressors are and try to remove these triggers from your pooch. Or , you could bring your pooch to the vet for further examination to ensure there are no underlying medical conditions.
Read more: How Do I Mentally Stimulate My Dog While At Work?
It Is Part Of Their Instinctive Nature
Interestingly, from the Canine Corner blog on Psychology Today, Stanley Coren made an intriguing observation about the behavior. According to him, when dogs put tissue in their mouth it activates the canine’s instincts to rip, tear and eat the material because it feels like feathers or fur.
What Happens If My Dog Eats Tissue Paper?
Fortunately, tissue breaks down easily and is able to pass through the digestive tract without causing too much of a problem. However, it also depends on the size of your pooch. If your pooch is a smaller breed and eats tissue paper on a regular basis, there is a higher chance that it might affect your pooch. So, it boils down to the size of the dog and how regular is this eating habit.
Possible side effects of eating too much tissue paper:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Bloating
- Loss in weight
- Stomach sensitivity
- Reduced appetite
These are just some of the possible side effects. If your dog is displaying some of these symptoms, then quickly bring your dog to the vet for further examination.
How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Eating Tissues? (5 Practical Tips)
Finding a solution without knowing the cause of the problem is often precarious. Here are some practical tips to prevent your pup from chewing on tissues.
- Ensure that your pup’s diet is nutritious enough so they won’t go looking for inanimate objects to fill the deficiency
- Limit your pup’s access to tissues. For example, close the bathroom door or do not leave tissues lying on the floor or anywhere accessible
- Check that your pup has enough toys and puzzles to keep them mentally stimulated so to make sure they are not bored
- Make sure your pup has plenty of exercise and walk time
- Spend quality time with your pup by giving them cuddles or spend some time playing with them. A lil love goes a long way 🙂
- Special Hack- Add something nasty onto the tissues (found this hack on quora)
Basically, it is to break the habit by teaching them that tissues are not to be eaten. What you can do is spray something bitter or awful tasting such as vinegar or hot sauce on the tissues. Use it liberally. Your pup would get a nasty full taste of this stuff and hopefully start to associate this nasty taste to their favorite tissues.
Make sure they only eat the “tainted” tissues and repeat it 3-4 times. Hopefully, it might just break them out of this habit. In the quora post, the author used Bitter Apple that is mainly used to prevent dogs from licking hot spots on their skin. You could try out this trick, it might just be the answer you are looking for.