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My dog strains to poop, but nothing comes out. Is she constipated?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 1 year and 7 months old | 45 lbs

Hi there my dog is trying to poop and she keeps squatting to do so but nothing is coming out despite her attempts to try and push should I be concerned? She may have pooped this morning we aren’t sure and we don’t think that she ate anything that would be blocking her intestines

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on April 29th, 2018

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!

4Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Elizabeth
Veterinarian
Published on August 2nd, 2019
Poor Kimmy. Pets can have constipation for many reasons and I recommend to try a different diet. Often times the right combination of fiber can help pets have more regular bowel movements. The diet I recommend is Royal Canin. Most pets on this diet have good stool quality. I don't think beef liver will help but canned pumpkin and a diet change might. Here is a link about constipation:
Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.co/article/constipation-in-dogs-101-what-you-need-to-know/

I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on December 29th, 2016
Poor Bette! I can see how this is frustrating for you. It could be that the Science Diet food didn't have enough fiber in it, and it was causing the constipation. I recommend trying the Science Diet maintenance food, but adding a tablespoon of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) in with each meal. You could also try a teaspoon of mineral oil or olive oil instead of the pumpkin puree. Adding this may help with the constipation. Should this not help, I would find another vet for a second opinion, as she may have a food allergy causing her symptoms.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Vanessa Yeager DVM MPH
Veterinarian
Published on June 10th, 2018
Hi there and thanks for your post!

You can try giving her a couple tablespoons of plain canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) twice daily with her regular meals. Canned pumpkin is a great natural source of fiber that can help soften stools.

If that doesnt help, I would reccommend a veterinary visit to make sure there are no underlying medical causes for the constipation.

I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She may be constipated. You may add a bit of canned pumpkin to her meals to help with that. If no improvement is noted, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!

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Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can add about 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin to his meals which may help with constipation. If that does not help, I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They can at that point check on that and recommend therapy accordingly. This would be especially important since he is having trouble seating which may be seen with discomfort for example. Best of luck!

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Hi there and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A few tablespoons of plain canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) or a tablespoon of Psyllium powder (unflavored) can help move things along. However the other symptoms you mentioned do sound concerning to me. Decreased appetite along with drinking more water frequently and constipation may signal a kidney function issue, liver issue, or may be due the development of diabetes among other causes. My recommendation would be to have Pretty girl seen by her veterinarian as soon as possible for an exam and perhaps some blood work to check her organ function as there may be an underlying health issue here. I hope this helps and thanks again for posting!

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My dog is straining, not pooping, and vomited. Is he blocked?

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My puppy hasn't pooped in 1.5 days. Is it constipated? What to do?

Hi there and thanks for your post! Dogs should defecate at least once every day. If it has been 1 and 1/2 days since Luna's last bowel movement but is still eating and drinking normally, she may be a little constipated. You can try adding a tablespoon or two of plain canned pumpkin to her food twice daily for an extra fiber boost to help move things along. If that doesn't help, I would recommend Luna sees her veterinarian to rule out other causes of constipation such as a parasitic infection or other cause. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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