Stuck on glue

I love to give our dogs, Megan (13) and Alex (10), empty toilet paper tubes and empty paper towel tubes. They love to shred them and also like to lick the treats inside. I have been told that the tubes are not good for them due to the glue that is used to keep the paper on the tubes. Please let me know if it is all right to give the tubes to our dogs.

Stina Foxford, by email

Alex Campbell of the Veterinary Poisons Information Service said:

I presume the dogs do not eat much of the shredded card and they are not getting these packages several times a day? If that is the case, I think the amount they might manage to ingest of a glue used as a paper/card adhesive from shredding the occasional paper tube is not likely to cause severe toxicity.

I'd be more worried about some of the treats. A recent report by the PDSA found that many dog owners still give their dogs food treats like chocolates, grapes, nuts, cheese and onions that could potentially have rather more harmful effects.

This is from the PDSA PASW Report in 2011 – available from their website: “Seven per cent of owners give their dogs human chocolate as a treat. This is extremely concerning as human chocolate contains theobromine which can cause severe illness or even death in dogs. Other human foods that can be poisonous to dogs include grapes, raisins, sultanas and onions.”

(Please note, the Veterinary Poisons Information Service is not a public access service.)