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My dog ate toilet paper. What obstruction signs should I watch for?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Male | neutered | 10 years and 3 months old

My 10 year old chihuahua got into the bed side trash can and shredded the toilet paper in the trash can that I have been using since running out of Kleenex. I am not sure if he actually ingested any of the toilet paper or just shredded it. The majority of the shreds I picked up were wet with slobber. This happened just about 2 hours ago and so far he is acting like his normal self. I am worried about an obstruction, what signs should I watch for? How long before symptoms would start?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on May 24th, 2017

Oh dear! Dogs do love to chew and shred toilet paper when they can get to it - this is a very common occurrence :) The good news is, if he did swallow any of the paper, in most cases it will pass through without any problems. Toilet paper is very soft and tends to break up easily when it gets wet, so it would uncommon to see an intestinal obstruction caused by eating this. As long as Magnum is acting normal, you shouldn't need to worry.

Signs of an obstruction would normally develop within 2-3 days, and would include vomiting, acting lethargic, not wanting to eat, and/or not having regular bowel movements. If you see any signs of a problem, it would be a good idea to take him to your vet to be checked.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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