Will eating a paper towel hurt my dog? What to Know

Putting your dog under a general anesthetic to remove the paper with an endoscope

As previously mentioned, vets can pass a long, flexible tube called an endoscope into your dog’s stomach to remove objects. This is not always possible—some vets don’t have access to this equipment, some dogs are too big or too small to use it, and some paper is too fragile to be pulled out like this. This technique can also only be used where the object has been in the stomach for less than a couple of hours, as once it is in the guts the scope can’t reach it.

Putting your dog on a drip if they are dehydrated or if toxins need to be flushed out

If your dog has been vomiting already, or they have eaten something toxic, your veterinarian might recommend that your dog is placed onto a drip. This involves putting a needle into their veins and giving them fluids to rehydrate them. This is especially important for vomiting dogs, who might not be able to keep water down.

What Should I Do If My Dog Eats Paper Towels?

If you catch your pup in the act of gnawing on a roll of paper towels, you may wonder how to best react in this situation.

To help you offer your pup the best chance at recovery, let’s list the steps you should run through.

First, it’s important to gather as many details as possible. This means reviewing the roll to get an idea of how much they ate, looking for evidence of simply shredding the paper towels rather than eating them, and determining whether or not the paper towels were covered in/contained any harmful ingredients (such as household cleaners, fruit pits, food grease, etc.).

Next, it’s important to create a timeline of when this happened. If you walked in right as they were eating the paper towels, this makes treatment easier when relaying this info to your vet. If you found the shredded paper towel mess after returning home, try to give your vet a potential time frame of when it occurred.

Once you have a clear picture of what happened, it’s time to reach out to your vet. They will likely instruct you on what to do next, or recommend that you bring your pup into their office to be seen.

What To Do If Your Dog Ate A Paper Towel (Or Toilet Paper)

If your dog has eaten paper towels, call your veterinarian immediately. Your vet may inform you to wait it out or bring the pooch in, but medical attention is imperative. If your dog continues to eat paper towels, despite your best efforts, visit your veterinarian to determine the root cause of the behavior.