Having made the decision to welcome a dog into your home not only implies accepting a great responsibility, but also receiving affection, company and daily presence, as a dog becomes a loyal and faithful friend.
On the other hand, they only need enough attention to cover all their physical, psychological and social needs, so it is important that we observe our pet and know how to identify those signs that indicate that something is wrong.
Intestinal transit disorders in dogs can become a common disorder, that's why in this article on our site we talk about constipation in dogs, explaining its causes, symptoms and treatment.
Constipation in dogs
Constipation is defined as that situation in which faeces evacuation is not possible or it decreases in frequency, being able to observe that our pet defecates small, hard and dark stools, which it also does with difficulty and, sometimes, with pain.
Constipation in dogs can indicate an unbalanced diet or lack of physical exercise, but it can also be the manifestation of serious pathological disorders, such as tumors that obstruct the digestive tract.
We can distinguish three main causes of canine constipation:
- Interluminal causes: constipation is caused by a partial or complete obstruction of the digestive tract.
- Extraluminal causes: Constipation is caused by abnormalities that are outside the colon, but still contribute to obstruction of the digestive tract.
- Intrinsic causes: it is not possible to evacuate stool due to neuromuscular pathologies or other disorders such as hypercalcaemia or hypothyroidism.
Any dog can be affected, however, constipation is more common in older dogs, due to physiological changes that your body suffers and the normal reduction in daily physical activity.
Symptoms of constipation in dogs
If our pet suffers from constipation, it can manifest itself through the following signs:
- Lack of stool evacuation
- Smaller, darker, harder stools
- Stool with presence of mucus or blood
- Dog remains in evacuation posture but unable to defecate
- Signs of pain during defecation
- Swollen abdomen
- Loss of appetite
- Weightloss
- Vomiting
As we will see below, some of these symptoms should be interpreted as warning signs and require immediate veterinary attention.
Warning Signs
We must urgently go to the vet if we observe any of the following situations in our pet:
- Constipation does not resolve in 1-2 days.
- The constipation stops in 1 or 2 days but it keeps coming back.
- Dog has loss of appetite, vomiting or lethargy.
Any of the situations mentioned above can indicate a serious he alth problem, therefore, veterinary medical attention will be essential.
How to stimulate a dog to defecate
There are various hygienic-dietary measures that are very useful for treating constipation in dogs, here we show you what they are:
- Ground green leafy vegetables: add 1 teaspoon per 4 kilos of body weight to the usual diet, 1 or 2 times a day. day, this rapidly increases fiber intake.
- Pumpkin preserve: pumpkin is a natural remedy that contains large proportions of water and fiber, we must add 1 teaspoon to your diet for every 4 kilos of body weight, 1 or 2 times a day.
- Coconut fiber: Administer 1 teaspoon for every 4 kilos of body weight, 1 or 2 times a day.
- Organic apple cider vinegar: promotes digestion and proper intestinal transit, administer half a teaspoon every 4 kilos of body weight, Once a day.
- Pure aloe vera juice: the juice of this cactus is also highly beneficial for our pets and it will be enough to administer half a teaspoon each 4 kilos of body weight, 1 time a day.
- Olive oil: Enriching our dog's food with olive oil is a simple way to relieve constipation, and it will also the food more appetizing.
- More water: It is essential that the dog drinks more water if he is constipated, we can try placing a second drinker in another place of the house.
- Daily physical exercise: Dogs must perform daily physical exercise and this must be adapted to their individual characteristics and physical limitations.
This information is merely indicative, remember that the veterinarian is the only person qualified to recommend a certain treatment.
Treatment for dogs with constipation
It is important that under no circumstances give our dog laxatives, since laxatives approved for human consumption may not be suitable for In addition, many of these substances increase motility in the body of dogs since they act by contact, irritating the intestinal walls, which could be harmful for our pet.
Nor should we apply any enema or enema, as we could hurt the animal's rectum and cause significant imbalances in its bacterial flora.
Only the veterinarian can decide if our dog should undergo pharmacological treatment and, in this case, drugs can be chosen prokinetics, which act by improving all the processes of the digestive tract and are less aggressive than laxatives.
Likewise, the veterinarian will determine the need to prescribe probiotics if he considers that the constipation is due to anomalies in the intestinal flora
Prevent constipation in dogs
As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure and it is important that you can offer your dog enough resources to avoid alterations in his intestinal transit.
To prevent constipation in dogs it is important that you take into account the following tips:
- It is important that your diet is based on dry feed (it contains more fiber) but that this intake is balanced with wet feed, since it contains greater amounts of water.
- If your dog is on medication, consult your veterinarian, some drugs such as antacids, antihistamines or diuretics can cause constipation.
- If your dog needs to take a nutritional supplement with iron, consult your veterinarian beforehand, since iron can cause constipation.
- Make sure your dog exercises daily.
Are you worried about your pet's he alth?
If you have welcomed a dog into your home and want to provide him with the best care, we recommend that you consult the following articles to keep his he alth in perfect condition and prevent conditions such as constipation from developing:
- Types of dog food
- Daily amount of dog food
- What to do if my dog is stressed
