[CorgiPaws]

I need to make Annie's stools looser.
She developed a small hemerroid (sp?) on her little bum, and the vet said that we could put her on stool softeners, but that they're a little bit harsh for her tiny 10 week old body, and that we could try to just add more canned food to soften them naturally. Well, the breeder sent her home on Purina Pro Plan Puppy mixed with canned, and even after upping the canned portion, she's still solid. I even did the big no-no and switched her canned food cold turkey over to merrick Puppy Plate and mixed it with her pro plan (Merrick canned foods have a history of making my dogs stools loose) and she just pooped, totally solid.

I can't believe that I am trying to induce loose stools after months of trying to make Grissom solid. I don't want to upset her little system too much, but at the same time, I need to make sure she's not straining to poop while we treat her hemerroid, so it doesn't get any worse. It's not bad at all right now, much smaller than a pea, and looking much less red and angry after only a day of treatment.


Sooo.. any ideas on how I can get her stools softer, without totally ruining her tummy? We are planning on switching her to Innova puppy, and have 30lbs of it coming with our food order at work on Saturday. I know a cold turkey switch would do the trick with the poop, but would it damage her in any other long-term way?

What are the odds, that of my four dogs, only one seems to have zero food or digestion issues? Actually, I guess Annie's issue is a PERFECT digestion system, producing solid stools no matter the intake, and I do NOT want to destroy that in the long run!!!

 

[DaneMama]

Dang girl...you sure can't get a break right?!

So, softening her stool eh?

Well, the addition of fiber to her diet is a very simple way to treat constipation. Best way to do this is with canned pumpkin, not pie filling. The fiber cannot be absorbed thus moving things along their intestines. The added bulk in their colon stimulates it to move things faster. I would say giving her 1/3 can (~12-13oz can) per meal would do it.

Fiber is one reason why dogs do better on a prey model raw diet...they just can't digest fiber, but it does help in this situation. I would say that she became constipated for other reasons such as stress of being switched to a new home :biggrin:

There are other things but try this first! Hope this helps!

 

[CorgiPaws]

Dang girl...you sure can't get a break right?!

So, softening her stool eh?

Well, the addition of fiber to her diet is a very simple way to treat constipation. Best way to do this is with canned pumpkin, not pie filling. The fiber cannot be absorbed thus moving things along their intestines. The added bulk in their colon stimulates it to move things faster. I would say giving her 1/3 can (~12-13oz can) per meal would do it.

Fiber is one reason why dogs do better on a prey model raw diet...they just can't digest fiber, but it does help in this situation. I would say that she became constipated for other reasons such as stress of being switched to a new home :biggrin:

There are other things but try this first! Hope this helps!

I thought of trying this, but it might be important to add: she wasn't ever constipated. The hemerroid literally popped up overnight, no bowel movements in between. The vet thinks it could be stress or diet related. (I think I mentioned she came home on pro plan. yuck) She has healthy and solid stools, and doesn't really seem to strain any more than what is usual for a healthy bm, but the vet wants us to keep things very soft, so minimal pushing is involved.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the added fiber bulk the stool, creating larger poop? We're aiming for smaller, looser, so while we're treating it with the cream (yay! bum cream!) minimal stress is put on the area.
Also, I don't know if it's important or not- it doesn't seem to bother her one bit, and we're not overly concerned, just trying to make it pass and heal as quickly and easily as possible.

 

[rannmiller]

Hmm well when my dog got ahold of all my pumpkin trimmings last year around this time, she definitely loosened up in the stool department! Or maybe just adding some super fatty raw ground beef to her diet would do it as well.

PS - the irony of this actually made me laugh out loud! Sorry for the annoying troubles you're having though, it's just that irony and sarcasm are my favorite types of humor

 

[tpdtopcop]

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought dogs did not get hemorrhoids? My puppy developed what I thought was a hemorrhoid because of her loose stools and thats usually a sigh of a prolapsed rectum.

 

[DaneMama]

I thought of trying this, but it might be important to add: she wasn't ever constipated. The hemerroid literally popped up overnight, no bowel movements in between. The vet thinks it could be stress or diet related. (I think I mentioned she came home on pro plan. yuck) She has healthy and solid stools, and doesn't really seem to strain any more than what is usual for a healthy bm, but the vet wants us to keep things very soft, so minimal pushing is involved.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the added fiber bulk the stool, creating larger poop? We're aiming for smaller, looser, so while we're treating it with the cream (yay! bum cream!) minimal stress is put on the area.
Also, I don't know if it's important or not- it doesn't seem to bother her one bit, and we're not overly concerned, just trying to make it pass and heal as quickly and easily as possible.

Ah. Well the fact that she was never constipated is an important note :biggrin:

You can still add in pumpkin, but MORE of it. Too much fiber in their diet will usually cause diarrhea or at least soft stool, just like rannmiller's case as seen below LOL

Hmm well when my dog got ahold of all my pumpkin trimmings last year around this time, she definitely loosened up in the stool department! Or maybe just adding some super fatty raw ground beef to her diet would do it as well.

You don't want to shock her system that much with super fatty foods...that really isn't good for her liver and you don't want lasting effects at all.

 

[CorgiPaws]

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought dogs did not get hemorrhoids? My puppy developed what I thought was a hemorrhoid because of her loose stools and thats usually a sigh of a prolapsed rectum.

I'm rather new to this, but between the research I've done, and talking with my vet: this is my understanding.
They are very very rare and often time more serious problems are misdiagnosed for hemerroids, and it's never ever a good idea to assume that just because it looks like a hemerrhoid that it is.
My vet was certain that this is in fact one, and it is responding to the cream, so I'm confident in her diagnosis. (though I must admit that after researching how rare they really are in dogs, I had my doubts)

Now can anyone tell me what EXACTLY a polyp is in terms to the anal region? The cream that I was given for him says it is intended to treat polyps (noticed this today) , but in looking online, I'm still a little confused because the vet kept saying hemerrhoid, not polyp, and I didn't find any information on polyps on the anal area. I'd call for clarification but they're closed. This is probably a totally stupid question, but this is the first time I've delt with anything like this with my dogs. I know a thing or two about nutrition, but funky growths are rather new to me. lol

On another note, Merrick Campfire Trout Feast loosened her up just enough. Stools have definate form, but zero straining druing bm's.

 

[debussyj]

Hi Linsey, You just can't get a break, huh? From one extreme to the next! For what it's worth my Vizsla when he was a pup was on the Innova puppy. His stools were always loose and I felt it was because of the turkey. It might just do the trick for your new baby. I love Boxers, they're like Vizslas in many ways! Congrats on your new addition! DJ