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Bad for dog to eat paper?

Species: Dog
Breed: shitzu poodle
Age: 6-12 months
iv had Lexi 4 almost 6 months now, and she just loves to chew paper. i know she is only a puppy and im hoping she will grow out of it, but im more worried at the fact that she also eats alot of it aswell. the other day i left an A4 piece of paper on the table and she jumped up and started to tear it apart. when i finally got it off her, i realized that she tore just over half the paper up, but only a few pieces of paper were on the floor.
can eating paper harm Lexi?


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Tiny chunks of paper are not likely to do harm. But, if a whole piece of paper was eaten it definitely could act as a foreign object and cause an intestinal obstruction.

You may want to try to curb the habit by setting some booby traps in the house. Leave a piece of paper out and spray it with "Bitter Apple" spray. It tastes awful and it should teach Lexi that it is not enjoyable to eat paper. You may need to do this a few times to get the message across!



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Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.

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Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

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