Garden Girl Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Hi all. Yesterday my dog was farting up a storm - very smelly ones too. He was fine during the night then this mroning he has done a poo and had breakfast - but he is now wandering around the backyard really straining to do another poo. He takes a few steps and tries...nothing...takes a few steps and tries again. Every now and then he lays out and appears to stretch his tummy - then starts trying again. I'm not sure if our regular vet is open today as its a public holiday here and they dont open till 9 anyway so not sure if I was just calling them too early - but there is an emergency vet close by. Is it worth a trip to the vet or just wait and see how he goes? As far as I know he hasnt eaten anything out of the ordinary - but he may have picked something up on our walk yesterday without me noticing. Thanks Jaynie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Try giving him some cooked pumpkin. I steam mine. Has he been eating a lot of bones recently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garden Girl Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 Thaks Erny. He ate half a lamb leg bone yesterday - I picked up the remaining bits when he had more or less finished and what he eats he tends to chew up pretty well I think. But yes, I'm thinking it has something to do with the done. He's in the lounge room now just stretching out - feeling pretty sorry for himself I think. Our vet opens at ten so I'll take him in then. Our other dog who eats the same as he does is perfectly fine. Out of interest - I understand if a bone was stuck in his throat somewhere how that is an issue - but if he has swallowed the bone - is there still a risk or would it just get digested by his stomach juices etc...?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Not all bones digest do they? I dont know, but not all of Sasha's do (I saw the proof when she ascoffed cooked chicken bone - ouch). I had an old ACD whose stomach could not properly digest any bones (not sure why it was when i was younger), so after a few years of her eating them and getting upset tummys, she was taken off bones for life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 One of my dogs strains a bit occasionally after he has eaten a large bone - I have found the best thing is to give him a can of sardines in oil. I have never taken my dogs to the vet because they are straining - it all eventually comes out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 OH's old dog showed signs of straining - but unfortunately it was due to cancerous tumours impacting and she was PTS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 OH's old dog showed signs of straining - but unfortunately it was due to cancerous tumours impacting and she was PTS. That's sad KL. Most dogs strain because they are constipated (or have eaten something they shouldn't have). I guess if you know your dog and it's behaviours, you become familiar with what's normal and what's not and take it from there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Dogs can also strain with a tummy upset and diarrhoea!!!! if they have irritation - they strain.. however they may have an empty bowel..but still feel they need to 'go' If he is 'stretching' and not passing anything- a vet check will help find out whether it is constipation, a blockage, an injury, or a bug! Hope he feels better soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Oooops, seems I have offended a few people Sorry, that wasn't my intention. I guess I'm just so laid back and know my dogs so well, I know when something isn't right, but just take it all in my stride. I do hope the OPs dog will be fine and dandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garden Girl Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 (edited) Well we took him for a little walk up the street to see if that helped while we were waiting for hte vet to open. He took a couple of steps - tried to toilet then lay down in the middle of the road so we came home. He did a large dry-ish poo then but was still looking a bit off so took him to the vet. As soon as we got there he was the life of the party and we were still waiting after half an hour, he seemed fine so we came home. Will keep an eye on him for the rest of the day but I think he's okay. Now that we're home again he's got his sad face on! Thanks for your replies. Edited April 27, 2009 by Garden Girl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 GG - give him that steamed pumpkin. It helps bowel movements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garden Girl Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 I will Erny - he looooooves pumpkin too so at least I know he'll eat it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin-Genie Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 One of my dogs strains a bit occasionally after he has eaten a large bone - I have found the best thing is to give him a can of sardines in oil. I have never taken my dogs to the vet because they are straining - it all eventually comes out Do sardines soften the poo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 OH's old dog showed signs of straining - but unfortunately it was due to cancerous tumours impacting and she was PTS. That's sad KL. Most dogs strain because they are constipated (or have eaten something they shouldn't have). I guess if you know your dog and it's behaviours, you become familiar with what's normal and what's not and take it from there Yes it was very sad she was a lovely and youngish rescue GSD. Tell me about the constipation I think Sasha has an inbuilt cooked chicken bone detector - no matter where we go, in the most obscure places she will find a cooked chicken bone (which if I dont catch in time results in straining or vomitting - it's a lucky dip). She found one on the island in the middle of the road on the weekend, but quickly spat it out when I found her out - she knows the consequences are not pleasant (from me or her body). Glad that OP's boy is feeling a bit better (they always perk up when amongst the excitement of the vet), but I'd take him back if you are not confident he is better - dont want to leave it if he is uncomfortable for too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 One of my dogs strains a bit occasionally after he has eaten a large bone - I have found the best thing is to give him a can of sardines in oil. I have never taken my dogs to the vet because they are straining - it all eventually comes out Do sardines soften the poo? It's the oil really that helps soften the poo and helps everything 'glide' along the intestinal track. You could also just give a dog a tablespoon of cod liver oil or other oil which woulld essentially do the same job. (no pun intended ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 OH's old dog showed signs of straining - but unfortunately it was due to cancerous tumours impacting and she was PTS. That's sad KL. Most dogs strain because they are constipated (or have eaten something they shouldn't have). I guess if you know your dog and it's behaviours, you become familiar with what's normal and what's not and take it from there Yes it was very sad she was a lovely and youngish rescue GSD. Tell me about the constipation I think Sasha has an inbuilt cooked chicken bone detector I've had a couple of rescue dogs who have died within 18 months of them coming to me. As so many people say, they were with me for a good time, not a long time and I'm sure it was the same with your OH. :D Constipation - well my boy will eat tissues, paper towels, the lining off tennis balls, bits of fur off soft toys......all of which make him a tad constipated which forces him to strain. The tissues and paper towels I don't worry about but the other stuff I'm a lot more careful with. If I feed a lot of bones, it also causes straining due to constipation. To treat, I just give a can of sardines in oil and that seems to do the trick perfectly My dogs have all had 'tummy bugs' at some stage and have all strained, as an earlier poster noted - they still feel the urge to empty their bowels. Constipation and upset tummies in dogs is not hugely different to humans, it's only when you notice a significant change in bowel habits that a Dr will recommend investigation. But you have to KNOW your dogs habits to notice a difference. Cooked pumpkin is a filler and will fill the intestine which forces the food in front of it to move on out. It doesn't soften the constipated matter nor assist with straining. We eat a lot of pumpkin, it's excellent for overweight dogs because it does fill them up Sorry to hijack the thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dianed Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 My older dog is always constipated so now I mix some psyllium husks in milk or in her soft food a couple of times a week. (she likes it in milk better) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Ok, assuming it's because he had too much bone, from your description of his poo, I just had this problem with Feather last week after she ate too much bone. The vet gave me Lectade and told me to give her 30mls every hour. She's only little, 9 kgs, I would imagine it would be more if the dog is bigger. Even if you just keep water up to him to help his poo soften. The best way I got the water into her was to lay her down flat and gently syringe it into her mouth while she had her head flat sideways on the floor. When I tried to do it with her standing up it dribbled out. With her laying down she swallowed most of it and even liked it. I got half a litre into her and she hardly wee'd at all, most of the moisture went into softening her concrete poo. So, this is a long winded way of saying get him to drink lots of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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