What happens if a dog eats paper towels

Normal paper usually breaks down with fluids and stomach acids — for example, if your dog ate a kleenex, they should pass it without problems.

This kind of material is capable of absorbing a great amount of water and still remaining very hard to break down. People tend to underestimate the consequences of eating paper towels, but this kind of accident can easily cause harm to your dog and in the most serious cases it can even kill your pet.

Even when your dog is eventually able to pass the paper without serious consequences, at the very least you can expect an upset stomach. Stomach discomfort or pain is common if a dog ate tissues , napkins, or any kind of paper. Your dog will most likely experience vomiting or diarrhea, or both. When your dog has stomach-ache it would be better to suspend their normal diet and keep them on a bland diet of rice and white meat chicken or rabbit , or canned pumpkin.

It would be better to feed them several times per day but in small amounts, rather than a few bigger meals. A blockage in the stomach or intestines caused by foreign objects is a fairly common problem in dogs.

Although far from rare, GI obstruction can still be very dangerous and painful for your pet, not to mention expensive for your wallet. This is unlikely to happen with one-time ingestion, but if your dog has the bad habit of eating paper towels often, it may be harmful. Malnutrition is especially dangerous for puppies and small dogs because their stomachs are smaller and therefore easily filled.

If your puppy ate paper towels, contact your veterinarian immediately. Dogs are intelligent creatures, often full of curiosity.

Sometimes their curiosity can get the better of them and you may suddenly find your pet with their nose in the trash, rummaging through the rubbish and working their way through a pile of dirty paper towels. What do you do when you realize your dog ate paper towel?

This is a guide on how to deal with your overly curious pet and the incident of the paper towel snacking. Please note: if you discover that your pet has eaten something potentially harmful it is always best to call your veterinarian immediately. Paper towels, toilet rolls, and tissues like Kleenex are all made from wood pulp. Dogs cannot digest paper towel.

This means that paper towel and tissues can form a blockage in a dog. Whether this blockage forms depends on the amount eaten, how small the bits were, and the size of your dog — as well as some luck. The other danger of dogs eating paper towels is that they may contain harmful substances, depending on what they were used for.

Cleaning products, bleach, nail varnish remover, and rubbing alcohol can all be dangerous to dogs if eaten. The first thing you need to check is what exactly your dog has eaten and how much. If your dog ate paper towel, this information is vital to share with your vet as it will affect the treatment plan for your dog. Is it a small piece of clean paper towel fresh off the side?

Or is it a scrunched-up pile of kitchen roll used to wipe up the bacon grease from breakfast this morning? Or perhaps it is a handful of toilet roll that was used to clean up a bleach spill in the bathroom? However, this is a really important step, particularly if the paper towel was used to clean up spills of things like grease, bleach, or nail varnish remover, which can be harmful to dogs if eaten.

Hopefully, if your dog ate paper towel, you caught them in the act, so you know exactly when they ate the paper towel. However, some dogs prefer a little privacy for their snacking, and you may only notice an upturned bin or a mess by the kitchen counter when you return to the scene of the crime hours later.

If they have eaten something that could cause harm, there are a couple of time-sensitive treatment options that your vet may perform. For instance, for some types of towel, removing before it gets into the guts is best — either by causing vomiting or using a long, flexible camera called an endoscope. The contents of the stomach move into the guts within around two hours, meaning if you wait, rather than call your vet, you might miss out on these easy and safe treatment options.

Depending on the amount and content of the paper towel consumed, dogs may react very differently:. Some may appear perfectly fine and continue their day as normal, including eating and drinking without difficulty. Others may start to vomit, particularly if they have eaten a large volume of paper towel, or if it contains substances such as grease or bleach.

How much does a roll of paper towels cost? Paper towels are classified as a functional supply chain product, which means that the product is a basic necessity for most households. Looking for a good paper towel, but want to save some pennies?

Use Paper Napkins Instead And paper napkins are cheaper than paper towels. Paper towels cost cents for a 40 sheet roll. The most severe complication of your dog eating paper towels is blockage… 2 Sour Stomach. A less severe side effect is an upset tummy, as his system works to pass… 3 Prevention Tips. If your dog has eaten paper towels,….