My dog not pooping after surgery. What can I give him to help?

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would definitely give Buksi another 24 hours. Any surgery, especially abdominal surgery, can cause an ileus, or slowing of gut movement. If not watched, it can lead to constipation, but I would not worry yet. If she is eating, you can give her about 1 teaspoon of canned pumpkin ( not pie filling ) a couple of times a day. The fiber will act like a natural laxative. If she has not had a BM by Tuesday evening, call your veterinarian. They may recommend a stronger laxative. Take care.

He should start having an easier time pooping but could be difficult at first due to the pain and/or swelling. If you aren’t giving any stool softeners right now, I would contact your vet and ask for some to help with recovery. They may also want to recheck his incision. You can also add some canned pumpkin (~1 teaspoon) to his diet twice a day to help make the stool pass more easily. I hope this helps.

You need to feed him something high in fiber for the next couple days and also make sure he is taking in enough water. He probably has some dehydration that is causing him not to poop. High fiber foods can be bread, cooked squash or pumpkin, high fiber cereals (if he will eat it). You can also give him some chicken or beef broth to drink - the high salt will make him drink more water. Hope this helps.

So sorry that Penny had to have surgery. Not defecating is a very common problem after this type of surgery. As you said, it is hard for them to squat because the leg hurts. She will figure it out. The best you can do is to use a towel as a sling to help her walk to steady her so she can poop. If she is taking a pain medication called Tramadol you want to talk to your vet about decreasing the dose or stopping it completely. It can cause a decrease in colonic motility. It is worrisome for us for them not to poop but really it's not a huge problem at this point. The suppository will not help so don't bother. You can try feeding her some canned pumpkin to help the poop along - 1/4 cup 2-3 times per day. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnEoT07QEJI ) Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.

I would definitely not add salt as this can cause him to have salt poisoning and subsequent neurological problems. I would suggest adding 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) to his food daily which will add fiber and hopefully allow him to go #2 a bit easier. If he is still having issues then I would have his prostate examined to check if it is enlarged and possible the underlying problem as to why he can't go easily. An enlarged prostate will push up on the colon, making the hole narrower so that poop can't easily pass through. The cure for this is to have him on a laxative through your vet and ultimately getting him neutered can resolve this issue for good. I hope everything works out for your pet Kitty. Take care.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She may be constipated. You can start by trying to use something to try to relieve her if she has constipation. You could start giving her 2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin with her meals which may help with cases of mild constipation. If that does not improve this, have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment though it is likely that this will resolve. Good luck and have a great day!

Hello. You can offer Maggie 2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin ( not pie filling ) twice a day. This is a very safe laxative. If she does not produce a stool in another 24-36 hours, or she seems bloated, starts vomiting or stops eating, please have her evaluated by your veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.