Health & WellbeingMy dog appears to be extremely overweight, I've tried exercising her and putting her on a diet, but she's eating toilet paper and paper towels, so she isn't losing much weight. I'm not sure if there's another fix to this problem?
Hi, I'm Dr. Johnson. Thanks for using Boop by Petco! I understand your frustration! Trying to get pets to lose weight is hard! There are metabolic changes that can occur when dogs age that can predispose them to weight gain. The most common is hypothyroidism ( low thyroid). Dogs can exhibit heat seeking behavior, act more lazy, have skin issues and gain weight with a low thyroid. If you are struggling with her weight you can have your Veterinarian test her thyroid. At home, I'd try to eliminate as many treats as possible especially things like rawhides, which contain a ton of calories. Limit or eliminate table food. Try to slowly cut back the amount of dog food you feed her by 25% and replace the missing volume with green beans. Try to increase activity. As for eating paper towels and toilet paper-some dogs just have a desire to tear it up and eat it. I don't think it's contributing to her weight gain. Just be careful about how much paper she eats it could cause GI upset or an obstr
Updated on August 12th, 2025
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