Newbie with constipated older rescue

[Legoland]

Hi, we are about a month in. When I got buster he was on gravy train, I was told he had constipation issues and the had tried blue mountain and Iams but he was constipated on those. I got him some pumpkin and I bought wellness Core -reduced fat, grain free, "protein focused". It is a chicken/turkey formula. He is still having difficulty. I'm wondering if his food is too protein heavy he is one step below low energy and one step above cosmatose . He has now developed a weird smell I don't think it's bowel related. He still poops every day but not at every attempt. He's not overly gassy, he ear infection( which he came with) is gone. We're still having housebreaking issues but they have gotten a lot better. So do I put him on canned food do I put him on the home cooked chicken and rice diet. Do I find a less protein based? Could he have chicken allergies. His skin and eyes etc seem fine so far. I have been letting his kibble soak for at least ten minutes. He also doesn't drink a lot of water. I put beef broth in his water bowl to see if that would interest him but that didn't work. I put at least two cups of water in his food trying to get some water in him. Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[JeannieCO]

Hi there, Sorry you haven't gotten any responses. I'll tag a few people that might be able to assist you a bit more than I can. My first thoughts are first is there anyway you can get him off of Gravy Train and on to a better quality food? Bulldogs are quite unique and not that the food is causing his constipation but it's full of junk and filler. Try some Libby's canned pumpkin and make sure it's 100% pumpkin not the pie filler. Give him a tablespoon or two twice daily. That should help. Pumpkin will also help with diaherra too. His smell is more than likely due the bad food he's on. You may also want to check his tail pocket (those need to be checked regularily as Bulldog and get gunk in them and develope infections there.) The tail pocket is a divit that's under the tail the base of the spine. Some have small one and some have deep ones and some are hard to check due to how their tail curls.

I've learned so much about dog food since I've been here. Here's a wonder link Dog Food rating. Dog Food Ratings

I'm guessing since he's a rescue (Sally is my rescue girl and was quite finiky when we got her back in May) that he doesn't like the food he's on. Stop with the 2 cups of water and just give him the kibble dry for now. If you have a water dispenser on your fridge, fill his water from that too. Could be he doesn't like the taste of the water? Just tossing that out there for you. Hope this helps a bit, but definately check out a better food. You'll be so happy with the results trust me!!

 

[Sherry]

canned food would work for sure, if he hasn't seen a vet, a check up would be a good idea. Often seniors develope rear end problems

oh, and you could put a bit of mineral oil on his food too, a couple of tablespoons ought to get things moving

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

How did I miss this? I'm so sorry! Ok..so you have tried pumpkin and Wellness and he's going but still straining..is this right? I really hate to have you switch foods again..too much switching without a real protein problem isn't good. You could try the bland diet for a week..then slowly add in his kibble. See if any improvement. And it won't hurt..a little yogurt as a probiotic might help too..but go slow with too much change at once. @Twice has something she recommends for constipation..think Slippery Elm? From health food store. But let's let her chime in too.

Im sorry I missed this for so long..

Maybe see if he likes ice cubes? Might help with water intake..

 

[Casper]

The Gravy Train has got to go, pure junk food there, and probably will result in being a contributing factor. I'm thinking the first thing I would do is get him to a Vet, Today is Friday, get a diagnosis that there's nothing else going on. The food change, is usually a big culprit in these deals, My vet once provided me 6 tablets for my Rocky, his stomach was so tore up, switched him from Purina, to Blue Buffalo, sensitive formula, grain free. The tablets coated his stomach, One tablet twice a day, by the next evening he was eating, not much, but never the less he was eating, slowly but surely back on his feet. He's now eating blue buffalo Salmon, he loves it, its good for him and his coat, problem gone, time and patience, but highly recommend nothing else is wrong first.

 

[bullmama]

Hi, we are about a month in. When I got buster he was on gravy train, I was told he had constipation issues and the had tried blue mountain and Iams but he was constipated on those. I got him some pumpkin and I bought wellness Core -reduced fat, grain free, "protein focused". It is a chicken/turkey formula. He is still having difficulty. I'm wondering if his food is too protein heavy he is one step below low energy and one step above cosmatose . He has now developed a weird smell I don't think it's bowel related. He still poops every day but not at every attempt. He's not overly gassy, he ear infection( which he came with) is gone. We're still having housebreaking issues but they have gotten a lot better. So do I put him on canned food do I put him on the home cooked chicken and rice diet. Do I find a less protein based? Could he have chicken allergies. His skin and eyes etc seem fine so far. I have been letting his kibble soak for at least ten minutes. He also doesn't drink a lot of water. I put beef broth in his water bowl to see if that would interest him but that didn't work. I put at least two cups of water in his food trying to get some water in him. Thanks for any suggestions!

As I ponder a solution there is a few things in your post that stand out to me....

Energy level.... dogs need to have some exercise, especially older seniors, to help keep things moving. Try going for a walk about an hour after eating and see if it helps.

You've said you tried the pumpkin, but this should really help. Have you added it to every meal? If not, try it. 100% pure pumpkin, not the pie filling.... I would say a couple of big spoonfuls should do it. This is what those who have spina bifida bulldogs use to keep their poop from getting too hard and compacted (since most spina bifida bulldogs do not have the ability to "push" it needs to slide out on its own).

I would not do bland diet at this point.... it may make the poop even more solid.

Perhaps try making a pot of vegas stew and add 1/4 c to each meal. It has tons of fiber so it should help get things moving.

Pick a base food and stick with it, and try adding the pumpkin and vegas stew. You can even add some other high fiber foods to it like beans. That is what I would do

 

[Davidh]

Sorry I missed this and I see you have some excellent advise above so I'm not going to add anything else. Let us know how it goes with him.

 

[Opie CHL]

wow I never saw this thread either and I apologize. some great advice above. a trip to the vet first should be the priority. keep us posted on how Buster is doing.

 

[2BullyMama]

The gang may be a little late, but the gave you great advice! Please keep us posted

 

[Twice]

@Twice has something she recommends for constipation..think Slippery Elm? From health food store. But let's let her chime in too.

Slippery Elm it is It can be used for both constipation and diarrhea but it doesn't carry the same allergy risk as pumpkin. It's also great for vomiting, nausea, ulcers and other stomach upsets. It's even great for wounds. It's not only good for our pets but also people too. This is what it says about it on webmd...

SLIPPERY ELM OVERVIEW INFORMATION

Slippery elm is a tree. The inner bark (not the whole bark) is used as medicine.

People take slippery elm for coughs, sore throat, colic, diarrhea, constipation,hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bladder and urinary tract infections,syphilis, herpes, and for expelling tapeworms. It is also used for protecting against stomach and duodenal ulcers, for colitis, diverticulitis, GI inflammation, and too much stomach acid.

Slippery elm is applied to the skin for wounds, burns, gout, rheumatism, cold sores, boils, abscesses, ulcers, toothaches, sore throat, and as a lubricant to ease labor.

In manufacturing, slippery elm is used in some baby foods and adult nutritionals, and in some oral lozenges used for soothing throat pain.


How does it work?

Slippery elm contains chemicals that can help soothe sore throats. It can also cause mucous secretion which might be helpful for stomach and intestinal problems

.
(I deleted a line of that because I don't want to ever see it used for that purpose)

Because of the way it coats the digestive tract it should be given 2 hours before or after meals. Abby got it mixed in applesauce every night before bed. Her doctors and I believe it delayed many issues associated with her kidney failure. She never did get the ulcers in her mouth that most kidney patients get and it kept the vomiting to a minimum.

Here's a video from some herbalist guy I've never heard of, but his information is accurate

http://youtu.be/y-Jbu6RYhro