Three year old Maltese eats toilet paper

Question
Our female Maltese as a puppy would grab the toilet paper roll
and drag it out of the bathroom to eat the paper.  After telling
her "no," she still continued to do it.  We then finally took off the
rolls so she could not get at them.  Every time we put back the
rolls, she sneaks in and scratches at the roll, pulls off the paper,
and eats it, she is now three years old, and has been spayed.

Because she eats it, usually the next day she will not eat her
"Natural Balance" kibble until it gets out of her system, and the
color of her stool is pale yellow from the paper.

How can we stop her from doing this, and is it harmful for her to
eat the toilet paper since it is bleached white?

She also has a lot of tear stain caused by her tears.  I have used
the eye wipes, wash the area every two days and have used
products to try to keep the hair white (Diamond Eye and #1 All
Systems Super Whitening Gel) and it does not help that much.  
She likes to lick her feet and even the white hair on her feet
turns a reddish brown.  Can any physical problems cause this
and any suggestions on how to control tear stain?

Answer
Toilet paper eating! Not to be rude, but have you thought about always closing the bathroom door when you leave the bathroom? If you don't have a door to the bathroom, I would invest in one! My dog doesn't go after toilet paper, but he does 'kiss' the toilet. He also doesn't jump up on anything. Perhaps the jumping up is a problem. Maltese aren't that tall to reach the toilet paper roll. Perhaps you should raise the toilet paper roll holder to a higher setting. (This may require a drill or some sort of handyman.) Really, your dog has what is called a 'paper fetish'. I wouldn't be surprised if she may steal dollar bills and magazines (glossy paper, yum!) in the future. Many dogs don't get cured of the paper fetish.

The toilet paper is NOT good for her at all. It can promote a blockage in the digestive system. I would get her checked if she gets lots of those yellow poops. I would also bring in a stool to the vet for a routine examination. They appreciate it, and it saves you money (you are normally charged for the collection process, but if you bring in your own stool, it saves time and money.) If your maltese lays around a lot or cries or whimpers when you pick her up, she definitely needs a scan or test of some kind to determine why she may have inflated bowels. Under no circumstances is toilet paper ok to eat. If it isn't meant to be edible, don't let her eat it.

When you say 'no', do you say it in a low voice like a very big dog? I could say 'no' in regular human tones and my dog never listened. Now, I was tipped off to sound like a deep male dog. That really helped. Of course, I can say anything and my dog's spite is permenant. Does your dog only do this when you are not looking? It could be spite. I would close the doors and not let the dog in. Also, raise the toilet paper roll holder. Malteses generally aren't that tall, so they can jump and run into the wall instead of grabbing the toilet paper. That will probably stop her from doing it again if she finds out the wall is there!   

As for your dog not eating his natural kibble, she is either holding out for more toilet paper or is definitely not feeling well. When she gets hungry enough, she will go for her natural kibble. If it is a considerable amount of time that she doesn't eat, feed pedialite pops and crushed ice. Chances are that she is not feeling well from the toilet paper ingestion. If she is, in fact, not feeling well, visit the vet immediately. Malteses have very fragile digestive systems and can get blockages easily. They may want to run a test where they inject an element and view it over a period of hours. That is what they do if there is a blockage or a strange case of pancreatitius.

As for subsitutions, I give my dog the cardboard toilet paper/paper towel rolls (the left over cardboard part.) It keeps the dog entertained and I can pick up the pieces later (if he/she doesn't get to them first!) Your dog may just want this part under the toilet paper. I also give my dog empty cereal boxes for chewing during the teething process. These items will usually keep the dog busy enough for her to forget the toilet paper rolls.

And--tear stains. My dog rarely, if ever, has tear stains & he is a maltese. Does your dog go to the groomer often? The groomer may be able to recommend a better item...and if you are getting your current tear stain items from the groomer, check around with the other groomers in your area. Check what they have in stock. Also, if your dog has really, really bad tear staining, I am sure the vet may be able to prescribe something for it. It could be red yeast. Please check out these 3 websites. I got it by typing 'tear stains' into google. It talks about your 'Diamond Eye' in the 2nd website. Eye Envy may be a good idea; it comes up as an item in google for tear stains (the 3rd Website). I really don't like recommending any one product, but this Froogle should help you see some more options. If you decide to bleach the dog's stains, I strongly advise you use a professional groomer for that, especially one that does dog shows on the side. Making a dog look 'perfect' is the kind of groomer you need. This aim for perfection will probably give your dog the best care in the 'aim for no tear stains.' I hope I've helped out, even though I really can't give much personal advice. Good luck with this.

http://www.bhejei.com/tearsta.htm

http://www.malteseonly.com/tear.html

http://froogle.google.com/froogleq=tear+stain+remover+dog&hl=en&btnG=Search


Oh yes, and the bottom of the feet. Does your maltese go out in the rain? It may just be dirt on the paws/fur around the paws. Don't be alarmed if a dog's foot smells like fritos. It is perfectly normal for that smell. Hmm, you say reddish brown color? Does she bite her nails? If yes, she may be eating the nails and then the nails are bleeding. Also, if she has loose teeth, her gums may be leaking blood onto the fur. If she is using her feet as a teething device, that really isn't the best idea, but red-brown on the fur could be the blood from the gums. I may or may not be correct about my theory. Also, if your dog does have 'red yeast' from the excessive tear staining, could the 'red' part be related to the red on the fur? I am really not familiar with any of these kinds of problems, so don't fret terribly about the red part unless it is more like a rash or inflammation.

On your next checkup for your dog, talk to the vet about these problems. Many vets will rush you in & out, so try to point it out before they try to leave & collect their money. Banfield at Petsmart seems to give a good amount of time for evaluation, so try them.

I wish you good luck for your Maltese and her paper fetish. Many dog owners have this problem, and there really isn't a definite solution. A private, in home trainer may be able to see and help your dog with her fetish as a one-on-one trainer, and not an internet question-answerer. Many behavior problems can be solved, but fetishes can turn into obsession for your dog. I would definitely spend the money carefully in the search for a solution to the paper fetish because of the amount of poor trainers out there. Be careful & Good luck on the health and behavior of your female maltese pet!