[magscher]

My 4 year old Caring has had trouble having a bowel movement for a few days now. Her appetite is good and she seems fine otherwise but she strains and strains with no results. We even gave her an infant suppository with no results. She is on a raw diet and usually goes only every two or three days but this is the first time she has tried and tried without results. Any ideas?

[Merricat]

Of course, I can not make a diagnosis without examining her, but if she is straining to go and can't I would be concerned about a couple of different things. I certainly would never advise giving any over-the-counter medication to a pet without first getting approval from your vet. Some medications are okay for us to use but are actually harmful for pets because their bodies process the medications differently. Additionally, at this point, you don't know what you are trying to treat, so you may be using the wrong type of medicine.
I have no real problem with the BARF diet, but realistically we do sometimes see pets on this diet with intestinal parasites. I would have that checked. I would have her anal glands checked. Make sure she's drinking plenty of water. Going a couple of days without a BM is not so bad, but if she's trying to go then she may need to be evaluated by a vet. They may recommend a fiber supplement once underlying causes have been ruled out.
Good luck, let us know how things go.

[labman]

It could be a blockage. No more home remedies until examined by a vet.

[amermonstarsgir]

I would talk to the vet. My dachshund was having problems also but she was having diareaha accidents and was getting dehydrated. My vet told me to give her pepto bismo in small amounts and if that didn't work give her a small 1/3 piece of an anti diareaha pill. Maybe some over the counter constipation pills would help. I know for my dogs they are about 15 pounds and I can give them baby asprin and other baby things. The amount would depend on your dogs size. Ask the vet before giving anything.

[magscher]

I talked to my vet today. She is homeopathic so most of the remedies are "natural." She suggested I try asparagus (very lightly steamed) and drizzled with coconut oil. I tried, my dog only ate a couple of bites. I am hoping for results!

[gctts]

Constipation is a major symptom of dehydration. Please check for other symptoms such as dry or sticky gums (as opposed to normal wet ones), tenting of the skin when a handful is pulled up (it should snap right back and not hang in the tented position or go back slowly to the body). Please do not use any treatments without first determining if the dog is dehydrated as that will become life threatening, and the cause must be determined buy a vet.