My dog has impaction and a fever. How can I help her poop?

Your dog probably feels like she needs to poop but there is nothing left in her colon if your veterinarian did a complete enema. At this point I would try offering her a small now easily digestible food like some plain boiled chicken and rice, and see if she eats. She may need additional pain meds for a few days to get through the discomfort being impacted. I would also recommend you put her on a prescription diet that is specifically made for dogs with G.I. issues because it will help her stay regular. You may also want to ask your vet about a medication called lactulose. This medication can be given daily and can help keeps two songs and make them easier to pass. Make sure Coco has plenty of water as well. If she becomes dehydrated it will make it more difficult for her to poop. If she is still straining to poop, starts vomiting, stops wanting to eat, or has diarrhea, then I would recommend taking her back to your vet for a recheck. Otherwise just trying to keep her comfortable, exercising regularly, and drinking plenty of water and hopefully her stools will return to normal. Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

All of this could be caused by her being dehydrated and still impacted with feces. Her panting is a sign of possible pain, from her impaction. Also she may not want to eat or drink because she is full of poop and/or nauseous. It is hard to say for sure without looking at her myself, but it sounds like she needs another enema, subcutaneous fluids to hydrate her, an anti-nausea medication (Cerenia) and then be placed on an easily digestible diet (i.e. Any hypoallergenic food or Iams limited ingredient, Evo brand, or Royal Canin hypoallergenic hydrolysis protein). Also your vet should rule out any type of foreign body in her intestinal tract. I hope your fur baby feels better soon.

No, it's not normal for Klowbi to not be passing feces. Constipation can be caused by anal sac impaction, intestinal parasites, a foreign body, too little fiber in the diet, lack of exercise, or even tumors in the GI tract. I recommend giving him a tablespoon of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) mixed in with his food to see if that helps. If he is still constipated in 24-48 hours, he will need to see a vet as he will likely need a laxative or an enema. Your vet can diagnose the cause of the constipation as well. I hope Klowbi recovers from distemper!

Poor Abbee! It sounds like she could be constipated. Dogs can become constipated from ingesting a foreign body, intestinal parasites, anal sac impaction, neurological problems, too little fiber in the diet, too much fiber in the diet, lack of exercise, or gastrointestinal tumors. Dehydration can also be a cause of constipation. As feces pass through the colon, water is normally reabsorbed via the colon. When a dog is dehydrated, the colon absorbs more water, leading to dry feces and causing constipation. Neurological problems can include injury to the spinal cord or the nerves leading from the spinal cord to the intestines. Exercise helps stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, and not having enough exercise daily can prevent a dog from passing feces normally. I would try adding a tablespoon of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) mixed in with her food to see if that helps her poop. Canned dog food will add moisture to a dog’s diet, and it may help with constipation. Taking her for a walk may stimulate her to pass feces as well. If it does not help after 24-48 hours, or she stops eating, drinking, becomes lethargic, or starts vomiting, then I would have her seen by a vet right away. Do not give her a human enema to try to help her poop. This can cause electrolyte imbalances in your dog, which can be fatal. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Poor Samson! I'm sorry to hear that he's having this problem. By impacted, I'm assuming you mean that he's severely constipated and isn't able to poop - if you mean that he can't urinate, please post again because this is a very different situation! If he's severely constipated, odds are that he will need to have a manual enema under anesthesia at the vet's office. I would NOT recommend trying to do this at home, as it would be very painful and uncomfortable for him, and you could also accidentally cause damage to his colon. If he is vomiting, painful, or seems very distressed, then I would recommend taking him to an emergency clinic tonight to be seen. If he's acting fairly normal other than having difficulty having a bowel movement (eating and drinking, no vomiting, etc.) then you could opt to monitor him tonight and take him to your regular veterinarian first thing in the morning. If he's willing to eat and drink, you can try offering some canned pumpkin, regular canned cat food, or even low-sodium chicken or beef broth - these are all good ways of increasing the moisture in his GI tract, which can help with constipation. Since he's had this problem twice now in a short period of time, I would recommend talking to your veterinarian about starting him on medication to help prevent additional episodes in the future, such as lactulose or Miralax, once his current impaction has been relieved.

Poor Alexia! This constipation could be due to impacted anal sacs, not enough exercise, GI tumors, a foreign body, intestinal worms, not enough fiber in the diet, or a neurological disorder among other causes. I would try taking her for a short walk to see if that helps her poop, and mixing in a tablespoon of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) in with her food to see if that helps her poop. Because this has been going on for a few days, should these methods not work, I would take her into the vet tomorrow. She may need a laxative or an enema to help her pass feces, and the vet can diagnose what is causing the constipation in order to treat her appropriately.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I’m sorry to hear that CoCo seems “off.” If you have not noticed her straining to pass stool, it is unlikely that she, as a young dog, is constipated. Most commonly whining will be due to pain/discomfort, stress, or boredom. Since she is eating and it doesn’t sound like she’s vomited, as long as her attitude seems normal (not dumpy) it is reasonable to give her some time and see how she is in the morning. However if she seems dumpy/lethargic, if she is limping noticeably or is not wanting to walk, or is having any vomiting, I would recommend you take her to a vet tonight. As far as a laxative, for future reference, hold off on giving any laxative until a vet has evaluated her and given specific instructions. A laxative could make another underlying problem worse due to its potential to cause dehydration. I hope you can both get some rest this evening! Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!