It Smells Like You
Let’s face it, dogs do things that are pretty gross to us humans. Digging in the trash to eat tissues that are covered with your snot is pretty high up there on the gross continuum. Why do they enjoy this stomach-turning snack? It might be because they love you. They love you so muchthat they literally want to eat you up.
Your bodily fluids smell like you and not just the obvious armpits after a long workout variety. The part of a dog’s brain that is dedicated to deciphering olfactory information is proportionally 40 times bigger than the comparable area in a human brain. Using a comparison we can all see clearly, former director of the Sensory Research Institute at Florida State University James Walker said, “If you make the analogy to vision, what you and I can see at a third of a mile, a dog could see more than 3,000 miles away and still see as well.”
A dog’s sense of smell is insanely keen. They smell you in your used tissues, dirty underwear, and socks and because of this, they often consume them in a statement of ultimate rapture.
Why Do Dogs Eat Toilet Paper?
Whether they are chomping it or scattering it across the bathroom floor like snow, dogs eat toilet paper for a variety of behavioral or medical reasons.
Puppies indulge their curiosity as they investigate their environment with their mouths. Biting, chewing, and eating toilet paper can be a sign of a puppy in search of relief from teething pain. Adult dogs may also be attracted to toilet paper out of curiosity, as tasting different textures helps them understand their world.
Dogs may crave paper because they are missing crucial minerals, like iron, in their diet. Dogs lacking proper nutrition or enough caloric content for their size often try to ingest other substances to satisfy their appetites.
Other medical conditions could be to blame as well, as dogs dealing with gastrointestinal problems, diabetes, or worms turn to toilet paper out of hunger. Dogs may eat toilet paper because of a medical condition called “pica,” an eating disorder that makes dogs (and even humans) crave non-edible substances, often due to anemia or zinc deficiency.
Anxiety can also lead dogs to chew or shred paper in an effort to soothe themselves.
Dogs may also eat toilet paper simply because they are bored. If a dog isn’t receiving the attention that they crave, they may eat toilet paper to be noticed. To a dog, even negative reactions count as attention. Some dogs will eat toilet paper simply because they think that it’s fun.
The Diet is Out of Whack
It’s commonly thought that pica is connected to a gap in nutrition that the dog is attempting to fill and the scientific community agrees. A case study published in 2017 states that this habit of eating non-food material is often caused by a mineral deficiency.
There are a staggering number of options available when it comes to dog food and it’s hard to know if you are making the best choice. If your dog seems to always be on the hunt for more, it could be that his diet is lacking in some key vitamins and minerals. Strange as it seems, rocks, dirt, paper products, wood and more are sought after in search of nutrients.
✅ Dog suffers same coronavirus symptoms as owner after chewing her used tissues
Dogs eat tissues for the simple fact that they are rather indiscriminate eaters and will gulp down things like theres no tomorrow. This is the short answer. The longer answer takes a look at a dogs health, behavior and sense of taste. Veterinarian Dr. Ivana shares reasons dogs eat tissues and what can be done about this behavior.
Many dogs eat tissues. Have you ever found your dog holding a tissue box with its paws and devouring the tissues stored inside? Or even worse, caught your dog eating used tissues from the trash can?
Well, it is no secret that, when it comes to eating, dogs do not have particularly high standards, and given the opportunity, would eat just about anything.
Are tissues bad for dogs? Yes, if eaten in larger amounts tissues can cause serious health problems in dogs. The situation can be worse if the tissues have been used and are stained with food leftovers or chemicals.
Although there are many reasons why dogs eat inedible items, when it comes to tissues, there are two main reasons: the tissue’s leasing texture and the smell retained on the tissue after it is being used.
Dogs are genetically wired to chew and there is nothing you can do to prevent this behavior. However, you can sustain the damage by providing objects that suitable for chewing.
Eating tissues in puppies and dogs is therefore common, but it is definitely not safe. In this article, we will briefly explain why dogs are prone to chewing tissues, what happens if they eat tissues, and what you should to contain the damage or ideally, prevent the tissue eating scenario.
Here are some of the most common reasons why dogs chew or eat tissues in general.
Obviously only puppies can use this excuse for their love of eating paper. When a puppy goes through teething, its gums are sore and chewing on tissues can be comforting.
The chewing itself is soothing enough, not to mention, the fact that tissues are soft, and thus, adding to the overall soothing effect.
Dogs are curious creatures and they tend to experience the world through their mouths. Basically, dogs are willing to put inside their mouths anything that smells intriguing.
The canine’s curiosity is more pronounced in puppies and younger dogs, but adults are not resistant either.
Dogs with any form of anxiety find comfort in destructive chewing. When feeling anxious they do not seek the actual destruction component, however, they do find comfort in repetitive activities and chewing is the perfect example.
A bored dog is a creative dog and when we say creative we actually mean destructive. Boredom is a serious behavioral trigger.
A dog that is not provided with proper entertainment will find ways of keeping itself busy on its own.
Pica is a medical term indicating abnormal appetite, basically, a tendency to eat non-edible items such as paper, dirt, rocks, wood, plastic, nylon, or fabric. There are many theories why some dogs develop pica, from nutritional deficiencies to intestinal parasites. However, the exact underlying issues cannot be pinpointed.
This reason applies to tissues used to wipe food plates or the pan after you cooked something taste.
For example, if used the tissues to wipe the bacon grease your dog will definitely be tempted to feast on the greasy tissues, even if your shared your bacon (which is highly inadvisable).