Why is my dog eating but only pooping small, infrequent bits?

Poor pup! If his stool seems too hard, you could try mixing a spoonful of canned pumpkin into his food at every meal to see if this helps. Switching from dry to canned food may also be helpful, since canned food has a higher moisture content and usually results in softer stools.

Travelling is always a stress on the system. Try to increase fluid intake & make sure she gets plenty of exercise while you are travelling. We often advise feeding canned pumpkin , 1- 2 tablespoons twice a day to help move the bowels. As long as she is not vomiting, try feeding her some special treats like some chicken or cooked hamburger. If she actually seems unwell, or starts vomiting, you will have to find a veterinarian to see her. I hope she is feeling better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Make sure to feed a quality dog food that is highly digestible. You could also add a probiotic to the diet, like Fortiflora or Proviable. If it continues, your vet can test a stool sample for parasites, infections, and malabsorption disorders.

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!

Good Evening....thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! When dogs are frequently straining to poop, this can indicate irritation within the large bowel of the intestines - this is called tenesmus (or straining). Diarrhea may be coming, so be on the lookout! If signs persist more than 12-24 hours, you may want to consider a veterinary exam. I hope this helps, good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! As long as he is not straining to defecate, this should not be an issue. If you would like to increase the size of the stool, I would add fiber to the diet or feed a high fiber dog food. This should help bulk up the stool. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions / concerns.

Sometimes irritation in the colon or problems passing her full amount of stool (like a constipation). If she has not been checked for parasites in the last month, I recommend to have this done. You can try changing her food as well to something like Royal Canin which tends to be low residue and very easy on the colon. If this looks more like constipation, canned pumpkin may help. Lastly, a visit to the veterinarian would be helpful as well to check for constipation or painful anal glands. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.