My dog has hard poop. Will Lactulose or wet food help soften it?

Hello. There is no need to give the Lactulose at this time. If he is not constipated or having difficulty defecating, the Lactulose could give him a very soft stool that might get stuck even more. In most cases, clipping the hair around the rectum & keeping it short is the best remedy for this. Thanks fpr contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Do not discontinue the Lactulose without the advice of the prescribing veterinarian. This may lead to constipation again. The dose and/or frequency of Lactulose will likely be adjusted by the veterinarian. In the meantime, a short fast followed by a bland diet fed in small, frequent amounts may help to resolve the diarrhea. You can discuss the use of veterinary probiotics, such as ProViable, ProStora or FortiFlora, with your veterinarian. These may promote gut health and aid in resolution of mild diarrhea as well.

Ah, gross pictures are part of our lives as veterinarians! This does look like a good poop to me. Remember that it can take 18-24 hours for new poop to form from food that was eaten, and if your vet removed most of the feces from the colon, there shouldn't be much left. The stool is also very soft, which is the purpose of lactulose. I would say you are ok staying at home tonight, but continue to monitor Georgie's bowel movements for the next week. If he isn't having at least 1 per day or if they seem abnormally firm, he may need to see the vet.

As far as I'm aware, there are no interactions between ingredients, however if Romeo is experiencing constipation, I would let your vet know just to make sure it's still OK to give him the lactulose if it was originally prescribed for something else. Since melatonin can sometimes cause a bit of dehydration, making sure he's drinking enough water can also help with hard stool.

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.

The ingredients in the diet you are currently feeding are fine and quinoa would not be more beneficial than potatoes or carrots unless there was a known issue with them. I see Luca's stool in the pictures and they are definitely loose. It also appears that he is straining to defecate. Without knowing more, I'm suspicious that there is a problem in the colon causing him to have diarrhea. This could be an infection, or an inflammatory bowel disease. Infection is a common cause of diarrhea in younger dogs. Either way, it's best to have him evaluated by your vet, because I'm not sure that a diet change will help his current condition. A vet can test his stool ( make sure to take a fresh sample with you) and possibly do other testing to help identify the cause. Once the cause of this is identified, the correct treatment and diet can be advised. You can help him get through this by feeding bland food (boneless chicken and rice is good). Feed small portions (1/2 cup or less) three times a day. You can also add probiotics to the food (can get this at the pet store), which has demonstrated some efficacy for improving diarrhea. Ensure fresh, clean water is always available. I hope this helps and Luca gets better soon.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Romeo. Constipation is an extreme form of constipation. This occurs when the dog is not able to pass any feces at all. Based on your description, this does not currently seem to be his problem. However, you do not want this to occur. Feeding more moisture such as canned food or warm water over the dry kibble can help to soften stool. You can try a low dose of his lactulose, but beware that it can cause diarrhea. I hope this information helps!