My puppy is constipated on a bland diet. Should I change his food?

Hello. It is very uncommon for puppies to have constipation, so I would be worried that maybe a piece of stick or mulch or bone (most common culprits) may be stuck in the colon or rectum. You can always look and if something is stuck try to gently manoeuvre it out, however be very careful not to cause a cut, as a cut in the bum is hard to heal due to the bacteria in the poop. If you are seeing something stuck it may be best to have it removed by a vet. If it is constipation, I would be switching the food that you are feeding to a better quality food. Canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling, just plain canned pumpkin) is very good as well at increasing the fibre and helping with constipation. Also, if you are feeding any bones then stop this, and it could be that Boo has a colon full of re-formed bone bits and this will require a veterinarian to remove bit by bit, likely under anaesthesia. (yet another reason to never feed bones to dogs). I would overall recommend that Boo be seen by a vet as there could be many different things causing his issues. Good luck with Boo.

Sorry Aubie is having this issue. It is not recommended that you feed a homemade diet to a dog unless you have it balanced nutritionally by a veterinary nutritionist. You will be causing vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Low magnesium can be the cause of the GI tract slowing down. Here is a website you can refer to if you want to make a homemade diet: https://secure.balanceit.com/ If you want to stick with feeding a softer food and do not want to continue the homemade diet then I suggest you buy canned dog food instead as it is nutritionally balanced for dogs. If hard food seems to hurt her to chew she may have an issue with her teeth or mouth that needs to be addressed by your vet. A 6 year old dog should not have problems chewing hard dog food. To resolve the current constipation issue I would recommend you feed her some canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin, not pie filling) ~1/4 cup twice a day. Feed it right out of the can. Do not mix it with her regular food. And you should also get a probiotic like Fortiflora and feed that to her for at least 2 weeks: https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets/dp/50029 All of that being said, I strongly recommend you have her spayed if she is mix breed and you are not breeding her. Problems with her uterus can cause issues with the colon - if it is enlarged or has a tumor in it, that can push up on the colon making it hard to defecate. Also hormones can contribute to this issue. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Constipation can be a huge issue with bottle fed puppies and kittens. I recommend mixing 2 different types of puppy formulas together and adding extra water. Hopefully that will help. She will need to be seen by Friday by a Vet if she still hasn't pooped. Constipation can be a huge issue in puppies this young. I would also recommend early weaning, starting around 4 weeks. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry that Coby isn't feeling well. I recommend following the diet plan that his veterinarian outlined for him. Often, bland foods that are easy to digest are recommended, canned food such as Hills I/D or Proplan EN are often recommended. If he has any more vomitting (especially after medications), straining or is painful/uncomfortable I do recommend having him evaluated or hospitalized overnight. It can take anywhere from 6-20 hours or so for food to move through the digestive tract, a lot depends on what food was ingested. If he has any further signs, additional diagnostics such as an ultrasound or contrast study may be recommended to further rule out GI obstruction or other disease. I hope Coby is back to normal quickly!

Poor Penelope! This is not normal and yes, her diet may be playing a role as boiled chicken is mot a balanced diet and lacking in fiber as well as many other nutrients. I recommend converting ger to a high quality, meat based canned food with additional fiber to promote 3 bowel movementsa day. Offer little and often and take away if not eaten, top with boiled chicken initially. A range of medical conditions and birth defects may also be involved and a full vet check should be considered if not responding

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, switching to a dry diet can help. If no improvement after switching to a dry diet, you could consider adding a probiotic to her diet to see if that helps as sometimes that regulates the gastrointestinal system as sometimes there is an imbalance of the good gut bacteria. If no improvement, have her re-evaluated by your veterinarian to look for other reasons such as food allergies or sensitivity or intestinal malabsorption. Good luck!

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!