My senior dog has hard stools. Can I give her Colace for constipation?

Hi Rose, good question! Miralax powder is easier to give and very safe. You will have better luck with it versus docusate. I suggest you start by giving them 1/8 teaspoon mixed in a bit of canned food once a day. You can increase to twice a day if needed. You can even go up to 1/4 tsp once or twice a day but start out slow. The other thing you may want to do is to try to increase water consumption by getting them a water fountain to drink from. Many studies have shown that cats prefer to drink from running water and if offered a fountain they will drink more. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

You can try the Psyllium husk but that will require him to eat. Also it isn't guaranteed to work if his GI tract is not pushing food through. Poor guy. He may have responded to he medication before but this may be different. I would suggest taking him in to get an enema done if he is truly backed up and won't eat. I hope that Ronan is able to get some relief soon. Best of luck!

It sounds like Nal is experiencing some constipation, which would cause her appetite to decrease. You can try to make her feces softer by getting more moisture in her diet and trying a home remedy. I would soak her food in gently warmed low sodium beef or chicken broth, or by mixing her dry food with some canned food. In addition, mix in a tablespoon of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) to see if that helps with her constipation. If these methods do not help over the next 48 hours, and her appetite continues to be less than normal, I would take her into the vet for an exam.

Hi, the best course of action is trying to understand the cause of constipation and address it. If it is not possible, try to help making sure that Maddy is hydrated and that she has a reasonable amount of fibre in her diet. In terms of ailments you can use, what is safe in dogs to use is lactulose, you could start with a small dose such as 2.5 ml twice a day and if it seems to help try to reduce it to once a day. Hope this helps !

Dehydration can be a cause of constipation in dogs. Give Honey canned food and add water to it. Lack of exercise can be a problem, so I'd take her for a walk. Too little fiber in the diet is another cause, and you can add a tablespoon of canned pumpkin puree (no pumpkin pie filling) to her food. Other causes include a foreign body, blocked or abscessed anal sacs, or GI tumors. Having her checked out by a vet for a health check is a good idea. Best of luck.

Hello, sorry to hear about Tomas. I would be worried that if he is having complications from his diabetes that a laxative could do more harm (cause dehydration) than good. Most constipations in pets are associated with dehydration, so administering a laxative could worsen his dehydration and thus make him feel more ill. For this matter, I would recommend having Tomas evaluated by his veterinarian so that you can rule out any complications with diabetes and administer the appropriate medical therapy. In the interim, ensure he has adequate to plenty of water. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hi there. If your vet prescribed lactulose for him to help with this specific issue, then yes - you could definitely use that according to the instructions you were given, as it often helps to make stool softer and easier to pass. Feeding wet food only might also be helpful, as this can be a good way of increasing the moisture content in the diet and often helps to make hard stools softer.