My dog is crying for two days, I think he's constipated. What to do?

Constipation can be a very serious condition, it can be caused by a physical blockage (foreign body like a bone) or a functional peristalsis deficiency of the intestines. In order to treat simple constipation, you should increase the fibers in the food (e.g. canned pumpkin) and can add a little mineral oil to the diet. I strongly advise taking your dog to the vet in order to check if there is a serious condition causing the constipation first.

As long as Benny isn't straining or attempting to defecate without producing stool I wouldn't worry about lack of defecation. Sometimes after diarrhea resolves things can slow down through the gastrointestinal tract and it can take several days to resume a normal frequency of defecation. Sometimes adding fiber to the diet such as canned pumpkin can help with diarrhea, but since Benny hasn't had diarrhea in the past 24 hours I would simply continue the chicken and rice and begin a gradual transition to his usual diet in a day or two. If he goes more than three days without defecating I'd recommend seeing your vet.

Why don't you just try giving him some canned pumpkin for a few days. Dogs usually eat it readily. I suggest 1/4 cup twice a day. Used only pure pumpkin puree - not the pie filling. If he won't eat that the you can use canned dog food. I wouldn't change the diet unless this becomes an ongoing problem.

Poor Benzo! Sometimes after they have diarrhea it takes a little while to build up a full bowel movement so he could be straining simply because he has the urgency to go but there isn’t much there. On the other hand, with the hair he could be constipated. Either way fiber will be beneficial. You can give him 1/4 teaspoon of canned pumpkin twice a day to help balance his GI tract. If the chicken and rice, has any chicken broth or water in it then that could be why he is having decrease water consumption. If not, you could certainly add some water to his meal to help him drink more water. I am concerned that he is more lethargic. Since he is so small, I would have your vet take a look at him to assess his hydration and make sure he doesn’t have any parasites or anything more serious going on like parvo. Your vet will be able to give him some fluids if needed and prescribe his some medicine to help make him feel better. I hope this helps and he feels better really soon.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lily. There are two common causes for a dog struggling to defecate. The first is constipation which I suspect you are hoping to remedy by adding the pumpkin to her diet. This can be helpful, but she needs to eat it. With constipation, the dog can become so uncomfortable that she will refuse to eat. The second common is scenario is actually diarrhea. The dog can strain to pass very small amounts of liquid stool. It is easy to miss and most people will assume they are not defecating at all. The treatment options are different for the two causes. Since she is refusing food, she is not feeling well. She will need to see her veterinarian. In the meantime, continue to give her water so that she does not become dehydrated. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can add about 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin to his meals which may help with constipation. If that does not help, I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They can at that point check on that and recommend therapy accordingly. This would be especially important since he is having trouble seating which may be seen with discomfort for example. Best of luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She may be constipated. You may add a bit of canned pumpkin to her meals to help with that. If no improvement is noted, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!