Why is my 10-week-old puppy straining and crying with hard poop?

Poor girl! You can try to give her 1/2 teaspoon of canned pumpkin twice a day to help increase her fiber. Also make sure she is drinking enough water. You can add some warm water to her canned food if you need to. I hope this helps!

Poor pup! If his stool seems too hard, you could try mixing a spoonful of canned pumpkin into his food at every meal to see if this helps. Switching from dry to canned food may also be helpful, since canned food has a higher moisture content and usually results in softer stools.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can make sure that there is enough fiber in his diet. You can add canned pumpkin to add fiber to his diet which may help firm up his stools. You can add 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin to his meals. You can also add probiotics such as Fortiflora. Best of luck!

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!

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.

Hello. If Nero was severely infested with intestinal parasites/worms, it is possible that the dead worms are causing a blockage. You can try feeding him a teaspoon of canned pumpkin with each meal as this can act as a mild laxative. Make sure there is no accumulation of feces at the rectum that can literally plug him up. Sometimes sitting in a warm bath of Epsom salts can help relieve a blockage, too. If he is still having problems passing feces tomorrow, please have him seen by your veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It looks like he might have a little rectal prolapse. If your vet isn’t available, you can try to treat this at home as follows: This will sound weird, but bear with me. ;) Get some table sugar, dissolve it in a little water (say maybe 3 tablespoons of sugar and just enough water to dissolve it. Soak the corner of a washcloth, paper towel, or a piece of gauze with the sugar water and then apply it directly to his bottom. Let it be in contact for 10-15 minutes. (Be PATIENT here.). The osmotic pull of the sugar will reduce the swelling in the prolapsed tissue and it may got back in on its own. If it does not, using a gloved hand, use some KY jelly and VERY GENTLY try to push it back in. Be aware that it may pop back out. If it’s a recurrent problem, he may need to see a vet to have a temporary “purse string” suture placed. Make sure he’s been dewormed. Add a little fiber to his diet, about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of canned pumpkin daily may help “regulate” him, and a dog probiotic would also be a good idea. I hope that’s helpful! Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!