Because pet parents collect their dogs’ “poopoo”, they will directly notice if their dogs ever get constipated. Dealing with a constipated dog mostly is not hard, you just have to know what to give to your pooch to get this problem solved.
You could solve your Constipated dog problem by using treatments like; a balanced diet, plenty of fresh clean water, digestive enzymes and probiotics, plenty of exercises, apple cider vinegar, increasing the consumption of fibers, aloe juice and massaging.
If you have a constipated dog, all these methods would help your canine to get back for his normal defecating routine.
Never underestimate what constipation can dog for a dog, in many cases, it made serious problems to dogs, so always work on solving constipation problems before they turn from being mild to severe.
Let’s dive more to know about constipated dog treatments.
Table of Contents
What Can You Give to a Constipated Dog?
There are a lot of treatments, home remedies, and prescriptions, that is made specifically for treating constipation, but you should know that these treatments would work with a mild case.
Always check the severity of constipation first before deciding on only sticking to home remedies.
If your dog shows signs of weakness, didn’t poop for more than three days, won’t eat and star to vomit whenever he does, it is recommended to call your veterinarian to avoid any irreversible damages.
but if your dog only starts to show some discomfort only you could use one of these;
Balanced Dietary
One of the common reasons why pet owners usually get a constipated dog is because their diet is not balanced and thus start to bring problems for the dog.
Sometimes, it is not about being unbalanced only, along with eating dry and hard food, dogs tend to eat rocks, small sticks, clumps and many more.
So, you need to make sure your dog is getting all the needed nutrients from his food besides taking care to get some moist ingredients to his meals.
Cooking fresh food and raw meals are two of the great ways you could use to be sure your dog is getting what he needs, check What to Consider as Balanced Homemade Dog Food? to know more about how to keep your dog’s meals balanced and healthy.
Exercise and Fresh Water
The lack of exercising your dog may be one of the reasons why he got constipated, animals need to keep everything moving that also ables to their stool it needs to get moving out of the body too.
With the right amount of fresh clean water with reasonable physical activity, your dog could get rid of constipation and even avoid it in the first place.
Probiotics and Digestive enzymes
These supplements would help your dog with maldigestion, these could help you with occasional constipation episodes as well as diarrhea.
Consult your vet for the right dose and product options as every case is different than the other.
Fiber
Your dog needs a specific amount of fiber, so you need to make sure he is getting them. Wild dogs get their fibers dose from the fur of their preys, of course, we don’t put that on our canines meals, but there are alternatives;
Psyllium husk powder, grounded green leafs vegetables, coconut fibers, canned pumpkin( 100% pumpkin and not filling cans) are all sources for our dogs to get fiber.
You will need to add 1 teaspoon(except Psyllium, only add 1/2 teaspoon) for every 10 pounds of your pooch’s weight once or twice a day in your dog’s meals, this way you are giving your dog the fiber he needs without any hassle.
I would personally recommend using pumpkin as it is rich with fiber and moisture and your fido would like the taste of it so no worries about how to get it into his stomach. It is also good with diarrhea, it’s a win-win for sure.
ACV
Apple cider vinegar is another solution you could give for your constipated dog to resolve this problem, It is a wonder medication, it can rule out a lot of illnesses for both humans and pets.
1/4 a teaspoon for every 10 pounds would once or twice a day would be great for your doggo to sat bye-bye for constipation.
Olive Oil or Mineral Oil
Adding olive oil for your dog’s meals will facilitate the elimination for him, but keep in mind that a lot of olive oil could cause diarrhea, you don’t want to treat your dog from constipation and get diarrhea instead.
You could use mineral oil instead of olive oil and you would give the same results.
It is not recommended to syringe mineral oil to your dog as the texture of the fluids found in dogs mouths so it wouldn’t trigger the reflex of swallowing, so it is better to mix it with food.
Chicken/Ginger Broth
Making a chicken broth and adding ginger to it would make a great treatment for your constipated dog.
Get 1/2 a cup of chicken broth and add to it 1/4 teaspoon of ginger to it and serve it to your dog. Ginger is known to be an aid for digestive issues while the fats that are present in the broth will also help with facilitating the dog’s elimination.
Aloe Juice and a Massage
Using aloe juice is proved to do well with resolving constipation cases. Also, massaging your dog would be great with chronic constipation as well.
Keep in mind that aloe juice is different than aloe gel, so be careful while purchasing it, if you chose this method of course.
So, now you know how to deal with a constipated dog, but wouldn’t it be better if we knew the reasons from the beginning to avoid this problem from the first place?
Why Dogs Get Constipation For The First Place?
Constipation in dogs will fall into one of these three categories;
- Intraluminal causes that are describing the obstruction of the insides of the colon, partial or complete blockage. It is because of things that wouldn’t be digested like toys or tumors
- Extraluminal causes refer to the reason for constipation from the outside of the colon as when the pelvis is narrowed due to a pelvic fracture or tumors growing on the pelvic area.
- Intrinsic causes refer to injuries and damage done to the nerves, also it could be a disease like hypothyroidism or hypercalcemia
There are many causes that will get you a constipated dog at the end of the tunnel, like;
- Anal glands issues
- Pieces of toys eating, Also, any objects that can be difficult to defecate.
- Gravel or Dirt
- Side effects of some medications
- Lack of exercise
- Dehydration, to calculate how much water your pooch need, click here.
- An obstruction in or outside the wall of the colon.
- A hindrance at the anus.
- Neurological, metabolical or endocrinical related disorders.
- Enlarged prostate gland (only in male dogs)
- Hernia
- Orthopedic disorders when crouching.
- Old age
- Decreasing the number of meals
- A change in the dog’s diet
- Distress effects of a surgery
- Insufficient diet
- Hormonal disorders
All of these could be the reason why your dog is getting constipated, what to do for your canine will depend on the reason for his constipation.
Well, now you know the reasons and the solutions for treating constipation, that would be useful only if you know that your dog is suffering from constipation, so how you could know that?
What Are The Symptoms That Indicates a Constipated Dog?
If you take your dog outside to eliminate or you leave him to defecate alone in the backyard, you will need to keep an eye for his/her stool.
The quantity of the stool and urine, the color of it, its smell, the viscosity of it, the presence of blood, and the texture all of them play a quite important role in knowing if there is something wrong with your dog’s health or not.
You will need to check on your dog’s discharge often s what comes out of your dog’s body will make you notice if he is okay or suffering from any disease, not just constipation.
If your dog is constipated, you will find him trying to poop but nothing is getting out. Sometimes he will only get a small amount of discharge that you will find hard and dry.
Signs of being not comfortable and being in pain while eliminating is also a sign that you are having a dog suffering from constipation.
Other signs include;
- Circling, frequent squatting without results, scooting
- showing signs of discomfort during the elimination
- Stools that are hard and dry
- Lack of appetite
- Sporadic vomiting
- Passing mucus or abbreviated liquid stool
- Lack of energy
It is always important to check on what is getting out of your dog’s body, caring for it is no less important than taking care of what you put inside of him.
What Can You Do to Prevent Dog Constipation?
Hydration
You should keep your dog hydrated always, especially in the summer or after exercising. Be sure that your dog can access fresh and clean water all the time.
Also, keep an eye for your dog’s consumption of water so you know if your dog is consuming the right amount of water or not.
Regular Exercise
The need for exercise will differ from a dog to another so, always be sure that your dog is having an exercising schedule that fits his needs.
Exercise is also important for your dog so it will help him to avoid being obese and rule out the possibility he is going to get any disease that has to do with obesity.
High Fiber Dietary
As I said before, dogs that are raised in our houses will need to get the fiber from the meals we offer to them, in order to do that, we need to make sure that your dog is getting enough fiber either by adding it to his food or to check the labels of the food to make sure he is getting what he needs.
Bones
Sometimes, we would give our dogs some natural bones to chew on, the little fragments of these bones in many cases would lead to constipation.
If your dog is more prone to get constipation, consider to change the bones with some nylon chew toys as these kinds of toys wouldn’t help in getting your dog constipation.
Why Do I Need To Check Regularly on My Dog’s Rear End?
You may think that this is a weird thing to do or likely, you wouldn’t like to do so, but in fact, it could be a great help for you to do so.
When you look “there” you might see the problem that is making your dog uncomfortable or even can’t eliminate.
You may find that the hair around the anus is too long and formed mats that it is preventing your dog from eliminating well, and in some cases, it prevents eliminating at all.
If you find that there are mats you will need to shave them with clippers, it is not recommended to use scissors.
A mat is not the only thing you could see down there, you may see a tumor or any abnormal changes in this spot if you found any, call your vet immediately to know what to do next.
Is There Anything That You Shouldn’t Do With a Constipated Dog?
Actually, yes there are a few things you need to keep in mind while treating your dog from constipation;
Don’t give your dog laxatives that are meant for humans, don’t try any of these or stool softener without consulting your vet, some of the laxatives are safe for dogs and effective in specific circumstances, but still you will need your vet’s approval.
Don’t give your dog high fiber grain, attempting to resolve your dog’s problem with cereal, grains or other high fiber grain may make the situation worse, remember, dogs are a carnivore, their stomachs are not designed to take much of grains.
Don’t try to give your dog a home enema or a suppository, some of the available enemas (commercial enemas) are toxic for pets, so never try to use this method without talking with your vet.
Our dogs deserve to live happy and comfortable, so we, as pet parents should find the ideal solution for anything that might face our little four-legged friend.
Also, check Can Dogs Take Pain Meds? How to Deal With a Dog’s Pain to know how to deal with your dog if he is in pain.
