Dog had diarrhea, bland diet. No poop in a day. Should I give pumpkin?

I am assuming Charlie was previously having diarrhea and that's why you are giving chicken and rice. If Charlie is not vomiting or showing signs of other issues I would not be overly concerned. You can start to switch him back to his regular dog food now and add a little canned pumpkin into the food to see if that helps stimulate a bowel movement. If he does not have a bowel movement by tomorrow or he vomits or stops eating then he should be examined by your veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If Buzz has not had a bowel movement in 3 days, this is likely because his intestines are still normalizing stool and developing a healthy stool after the diarrhea. It can take time for stool to return to normal after having diarrhea. Up to 5 days is typically the average I see before normal stool resumes after multiple episodes of diarrhea. If he is not actively trying to defecate with nothing coming out, it is likely that is is not constipated and just needs more time for the stool to be re-established. You can try and add pumpkin (canned) to the diet and see if this helps establish normal bowel movements. I would add 2tbsp of canned pumpkin to each meal. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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.

I am sorry Benny is not feeling well. If you really think he is constipated you can try to add caned pumpkin into his food to help increase the fiber. However it might actually be he is having diarrhea. I think taking him to a vet would be the best idea for a full physical exam,. that way the cause of the crying can be detected and addressed.

The short answer is...yes. Plain canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) can be used to add fiber to the diet, promote healthy stool and a healthy gut, but may cause loose stool if too much is given or if Romeo has an allergy to pumpkin. The rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight once or twice daily. Decrease the amount if the stool is soft. As long as he is behaving normally, he does not need to be seen by your veterinarian. What you can do at home is withhold food for 12-24 hours. Allow small amounts of water or unflavored PediaLyte. Resume feeding a bland diet in small amounts until the stool is normal then transition slowly back to his regular diet. You can try the pumpkin again at a later date, but if he develops loose stools, then discontinue it and consider an alternative. Make sure he has plenty of fresh, clean water to drink at all times. Dehydration may cause firm stool. Monitor for lethargy, vomiting persistent diarrhea, loss of appetite or abdominal pain. These are symptoms that should be addressed right away by your veterinarian or at the nearest veterinary ER.

Poor Penny. You're doing the right thing by first trying to fast her. Try adding in 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin (not the filling) in her food once a day. If she is still having really loose stools by tomorrow, then she needs to see your vet. She may have a parasite problem or another internal illness (i.e. Pancreas, Liver disease, Gallbladder disease) that subsequently causes abnormal stools. The vet will know what to check and test for to determine the cause. I hope Penny gets better soon.

Typically after dogs have diarrhea they will not defecate for a few days. If he is straining to go or he still has diarrhea I would recommend a veterinarian. It is never a bad idea to take Moko in to have the veterinarian perform a rectal and make sure there is no cause for concern but it is fine to wait another day. Your veterinarian can check his stool sample for intestinal parasites, dispense a prescription bland diet and even medication to help with his diarrhea. I hope Moko feels better and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.