How To Help Dogs With Constipation
Just like humans, dogs “sometimes” suffer through a bout of constipation. I stress the word sometimes because it’s not very common that dogs have constipation. As I said earlier that their digestive system defers quite greatly to ours. But when they do, it’s no fun for them.
If no other symptoms (i.e. blocked urethra) accompany the constipation and if it only lasts a day or two, then generally you can treat it at home. But as always, if your intuition is telling you something is wrong, always call your vet. Better safe than sorry!
Note: The dosages I stated below are for smaller breed dogs. Always consult your vet for proper dosage.
5 Remedies to Ease Constipation
- Canned Pumpkin. Most dogs enjoy eating it. Give about one tablespoon alone or add it into his meal.
- Milk. Most dogs are lactose intolerance. On normal days, I don’t recommend giving dogs milk. However when emergency calls, milk is your dog’s best friend. Give your dog about 2 - 3 ounces twice daily until improvement shown.
- Oat Bran. Sprinkle some oat bran into his wet diet. Otherwise you have to add warm broth to his kibbles to help make the bran easier to get down. Start with one teaspoon and gradually increase up 2 tablespoons or until result improves.
Metamucil. Psyllium is one of the main ingredients in Metamucil and similar products. Metamucil contains psyllium seed husks which pull water into the stool and help move it along. Give half a teaspoon twice daily. It can also be added into his diet. Make sure that he gets plenty of water so that the psyllium doesn’t set in his stomach. My recommendation would to use Natural Moves as it contains no artificial ingredients which makes it super safe for our dogs.
4 Preventive Tips for Constipation
- Fiber. Having a high-fiber diet on a regular basis certainly helps solve the problem. If you’re feeding kibbles, look at those package labels that have at least 5% of fiber contain. Solid Gold Dry Dog Food is one of the brands that has 5% of crude fiber, except for Holistique Blendz and Barking at the moon which have only 4%. For those dogs on home cooked meals, one third of the food portion should contain vegetables. Any supplements you give should have no less than 10% of fiber contain. If your dog enjoy eating cut apples and pears, raw carrots and celery, broccoli with melted cheese topping as snacks, by all means give it to him.
- Water. Our dogs need water as much as we do, the amount they need varies from breeds. Water is important to keeping our dog’s digestive system healthy. If Fido is on kibbles diet, naturally he will be thirstier than those who are on canned food and home cooked meals. Therefore, always have fresh water available within easy reach, areas in the home where he frequently at. Don’t forget to place one at the porch or balcony. Discard the remaining at the end of the day. You don’t want to be harvesting mosquitoes breeding.
- Walk. If you’re walking your dog twice a day, then you may have to increase one to two more each day. Also increase the distance or the amount of time spent during the walk. By increase the frequency of his walk, it will prevent Fido from holding it in for too long. The longer he keeps it in, the harder and drier the poop gets. Exercises keep ‘things’ moving in the right direction.
- Bone Treats. Whether it’s biscuit bone or raw bone, refrain from giving it too often. During the constipation period, total abstinence. Food like ribs or other crunchable bones can cause blockage inside. Give only those that are chewable but not edible.
On conclusion, while treating your dog’s constipation, be prepared to be disgusted by his wet poops and frequent farts! 
But Fido will thank you even more.
Aug 14th 2007
10:08 AM
im 12 and i think this website is gr8 thanks! =]
Aug 14th 2007
12:19 PM
Well, thank you Ellie! I hope you come visit us often and may be help spread a word or two. Cheers
Nov 4th 2007
1:02 PM
thank you so much this is very helpfull! my puppy is only 8 weeks old and only one of the three is having a problem ! so i will try some of your tips and see if that will help her. I hate to see her yep when she is trying to go “pottie” thank you again hugs linda
Nov 4th 2007
10:00 PM
You’re most welcome, Linda!
Please do let me know which method(s) you tried and was successful. This will certainly help fellow readers.
Thanks again for your comments.
Nov 5th 2007
12:46 PM
I was giving my puppy (science diet) puppy small bites and I was giving them to her dry and I gues this was not the best idea for her! so after coming here I gave her the canned pumkin in her meal and use very “hot” water to make the food soft and then let it all cool before giving it to her, and I will feed her moist food for now on!I have saved this pages for use later on if i need it. Thank You again Linda and baby DiDi
Nov 5th 2007
9:54 PM
Linda, just another suggestion.
“I will feed her moist food for now on!”
You might want to reconsider your options during DiDi and her siblings growing stages. Sticking to one diet for long is never a good idea, at times can be detrimental (psychologically and physically) especially for puppies.
A balance diet must consist of a variety of foods (protein, carbo, veggies, fruits) be it in kibbles, canned, raw, and homecooked.
Meanwhile you also might want to supplement some chewy stuff to help them build strong teeth and jaws.
Don’t limit your options; the puppies are at the learning and exploring stage. Expose them to more options will help them to be more adaptable as they grow, also freeing your future worries.
Jan 20th 2008
5:22 PM
I found your web site by looking up information for my daughter. Her Papillon was having trouble going potty. I just wanted to say Yeah for including home cooked meals in your information. Our dogs eat what we eat (with some exceptions of course) which is meat, carbohydrate, and vegetables. Our vet approves of the way we feed them which is a blessing because most vet’s do not. I sent for a book by Carol Boyle which gives recipes as well as information on how to feed your canines. (Natural Food Recipes for Healthy Dogs)
Jan 20th 2008
10:08 PM
Shirley,
One of the reasons some vets oppose to home cooked meals for fear owners aren’t providing sufficient minerals to their dogs. What they didn’t realize is that todays’ owners are very affluent (knowledgeable) especially with so much information easily accessible.
Another reason is monetary agenda. Vets get a bigger cut on commission (slightly more compare to retail stores) on those commercial dog foods (whose brand name shall remain nameless) displayed in their clinic. Sad but it’s true!
Mar 19th 2008
1:35 PM
The pumpkin remedy really worked. I gave my dog Gigi the pumpkin on a spoon and she pooped the next day. thanks so much for the tip.
Mar 24th 2008
11:00 PM
You are most welcome, Stacy!
Mar 29th 2008
11:49 AM
Thank you so much,
I have a very small dog named Buster that my son rescued last winter during the ice storm. He has had constipation several times since we have had him. If he is disrupted from his routine he won’t eat and drinks very little water, so we try to keep him on a schedule.
I am going to try the milk today and if that doesn’t work I will try the pumpkin. Milk was the first thing I got him to drink in the beginning until someone told me milk wasn’t good for dogs. Buster is the sweetest dog and loves to cuddle,I hate to see him in pain this way. Thank you for this website and information it is greatly appreciated!
Terri
Mar 30th 2008
9:16 PM
You’re Welcome, Terri!
Mar 30th 2008
10:58 PM
Well I just gave my small daschund the canned pumkin.
I hope it works. If not I will be returning to this site for
other methods.
Thanks in advance
Tammera