Hi all,

Me for a change :(
My dogue has become constipated and passed a hard poo on wednesday morning then strained all day, i gave enemas throughout the day on advise of my vet, thursday he had to go in for sedation and full enema, again yesterday and again this morning, this morning my vet has said he may have to refer in another day or so for surgical removal as the hard poo wont shift.

My boy is bright and eating ok so vet is happy to try another enema tommorrow and then re-think if still nothing.

My concern is he has told me how risky opening up the bowel is due to the risks of peritonitis so i have been in tears all morning as if we end up referred for surgery i am concerned i will lose my big lad.

Just to add he is raw fed so it is bone that has blocked him, he has been raw fed for 3 years and never had any probs at all, but i feel so responsible for what has happened as i am the one that feeds.

Any experiences of constipation for several days and the outcome or surgery would be greatfully recieved

Cant believe i am going through more upset and my dog is in a serious condition, what a start to a new year :(

Hi there have you tried liquid paraffin in his food once a day its an old tried and tested remedy

Hi Mandy

Sorry to hear about your poor boy.

The enemas will only affect the lower portion of the bowel, if the hard poo is higher up I wonder if the vet could prescribe or give advice about a laxative and/or stool softener to be given orally to get the bowel shifting things from above?

As he's still eating I'd be mindful that what's going in at the moment is not able to come out due to the hard poo blocking the way and perhaps compounding the problem.  Perhaps a lighter diet and foods known to have a more laxative effect may also help restore the normal peristalsis of the bowel.

Hope all goes well for you and him.

Chris

Hi,

Thanks for the replies, the hard poo is at the very end of his colon, i have felt it (yes on with the gloves for me) and the vet has each day too, its is logged and just wont shift so we are trying to break down the hard poo with the enema, my vet said it felt a little softer today but not enough, he has been having oil in his food to help keep the small meals he is eating softer.

He is having only a small meal due to the fact as you said that whatever goes in at the moment cant come out, am so worried that we cant shift it as surgery terrifies me!

Is he drinking plenty too ?

Hi ff yes he is drinking well.

Thats good dehydration doesnt help . Will they give stool softeners like you do with humans been through something similar with my daughter when she was about 10. Fortunately things improved and she didnt have an operation.  I presume he is eating just meat now bone and maybe some offal that sometimes gets things going.
Fingers crossed you can get things going without an op

Poor boy :(

Could the vet give you something to soften his poop?

My last dog got ran-over by a car (had to jack the car up to get him out as he was wrapped around the axle :( ). He had no broken bones but suffered a lot of bruising, it hurt him to do even a normal poop so bad he would scream :(
The vet gave me something to put on his food to soften his poop, it worked a treat. I can't remener what it was called, but know it was a powder or crystals that were sprinkled on his food and the stuff could also be used for humans.

Like someone else suggested, I would try liquid paraffin. It's something I have to use on a dog who has a perineal hernia - he can't pass hard stool at all. Trust me, this stuff softens poo!!

I'm sorry to hear of your trouble :(.
If it is right at the end and can be touched, could they not try manually break it and remove in little bits through a tube or something?
Could loads of lubricant be put in and it might help it slide out if it is not going to soften...

Most stool softeners take a little time to work and not sure they would if the poop has gone almost all the way through...
My dog used to have Movicol to keep her poops soft when her AF flared up, pooping hard poops hurt her so she would refuse to go.

The same dog we thought got constipated and did not go for 5 days... Vets were going to have to open her up but on a day we were going back she did go and what had blocked her was a massive block of leafs/grass she had eaten and this had not got digested.

Thanks.

My vet has had forceps on it but is reluctant to poke around when he cant see what he is poking at incase he damages or tears the colon. He has put in lubricant each day too. He is having oil and lactulose but as you say not sure thats going to help at this stage as it is at the very end of the bowel and just seems lodged right between his pelvis.

He wants him to have a days rest tomorrow as he has had 4 sedations 4 days running and then in again on tuesday, if nothing by tuesday evening he is refering him to a specialist centre for surgery :(

The risks of peritonitis with opening up the bowel are high which is why i am so worried.

I am sorry to hear your dog is having problems.

I have no suggestions sorry other than what others have said.

I hope he does something at the last minute and doesn't need the surgery but if he does wishing you luck and I hope it solves the problems with no nasty consequences.

I would keep exercising him lots - keep him moving - exercise and excitement stimulates peristalsis (contractions of the bowel which carry the poo through). 

Take him somewhere which he thinks is really exciting; his favourite walk, or to see someone he gets really excited about seeing, then take him for a walk there and try to keep him active.  Play tuggy, run with him, try to keep him moving. 

If it's any consolation, I had a dog operated on to remove a foreign object and the intestine had to be opened.  The dog recovered well.  She was on a high dose of antibiotics at the vet, but once she left the vet, they didn't give us any to continue with - because they said ABs can mask an infection and hide the signs of it.  They said the critical time is 3-4 days post-op.

Good luck!

Thanks rabid, i have been running with him several times today, got him bouncing around and playing games, he is very bright in himself but still nothing!!!! he is trying and its clear he is uncomfortable immediately after his efforts bless him, i can feel just by palpating his pelvic area the very hard stool :(

He is going in again for sedation and another enema but after that i think we are going to have to go for surgery which i really wanted to avoid, The risky part with his surgery is that the poo is at the very end of the colon so because the vet cant left that part out of him he has to remove the blockage inside the dog allowing bigger chances of bacteria entering his abdomen making peritonitis a big risk...very scary.

Thing is while he is bright and bubbly i feel even more reluctant to go for surgery but there has to be a limit of how long he can be left, if he hasnt shifted it in a week then i dont think he is going to :( :(

Thanks again.

Poor boy- must be so uncomfortable. I hope he manages to pass it before surgery. But if he does go for surgery- better that it is when he is still bright and well in himself as will give him more of a chance to fight any infection off.

Thank you....yes this is where we have to get the balance right, dont want to rush in too quick but dont want to wait until he is acting unwell....tough call....will all depend on what my vet finds tommorrow afternoon when he is sedated again.  Been worried sick now for days and just want it to all be over

thinking of you mandy hope he starts passing it vsoon! xxx

Thinking of you Mandy.
Will have my fingers crossed this afternoon for your boy xxxxx
Lea xxxx

Everything crossed here. xx

Hi
Don,t know if it would help at this stage
but we have found giving ours  milk usually gives them the runs.
a couple of years ago the vet operated on one of my boys who
was constipated he came through it okay and afterwards it was recommended
we fed  him  tinned Chappie original  so we usually add half a tin to a meal daily.
and so far he has been okay.He is 9 now
everything crossed for your boy
Jay Jay

Thanks everyone. Alfie went in this morning and after a sedation and internal it was clear nothing had changed so there was no choice but to open him up, my vet was great again and let me stay throughout the whole operation, the stool removed was huge and alf never would of passed it on his own. The op went as well as it could of so now its just crossing everything that he heals with no complications and no infection. After my vet had finished i put on some gloves to dissect the poo (yes i know lol) but i had to know what was in it to cause such problems, there was no bone pieces at all just a large volume of solid poop!

My boy is sleeping at my feet now and although extremely sore he is resting nicely and wagging his tail when i talk to him. Please god he will go on to make a full recovery.

Thanks to everyone for their kind words and the advice, i wish it had passed on its own but after seeing it, that was never going to happen.

so glad hes made it though the op sending lots of love his way and a speedy recovery for him mandy all the very best to you xxxx

Mandy, wishing Alfie a swift recovery. Fingers and paws crossed for you both.

> My boy is sleeping at my feet now and although extremely sore he is resting nicely and wagging his tail when i talk to him

Ahh, bless him :)

All the luck in the world for a full & speedy recovery for him.
xxx

Hope he makes a full and quick recovery. X

So glad he's had the op and now keeping everything crossed for a swift recovery. Like you, I'd be in there poking about seeing what had caused the problem, only dog people will understand :)

Glad your ordeal is over but what a shame it had to come to this. You tried your hardest but some things are meant to be. I hope his recovery is swift and uneventfull. Best wishes to you all.
Aileen

Wishing him all the best and a speedy recovery.

So the vet doesn't know what caused it? How strange. Everything crossed here for Alfie to make a good recovery now!

hi any news how is he ? getting better i hope .

Well its not good news today.....Alf was back at the vets this morning as he is constipated again and after examination it appears that he has yet another hard stool lodged in his pelvis.

I am sooo upset after all he has been through this last 8 days and now just 2 days post op he back to square one but with the added risk of peritonitis from the surgery. He is being given laxative today and is back to vets in the morning where we will have to decide what we are going to do....he cant go on like this.

can i ask jayjay, your boy who was operated on due to constipation, did he have any trouble at first afterwards, or how long was it before he defecated on his own.
I know that constipation can sometimes follow surgery but i feel we are back to where we started and am gutted for my big lad, dont want him opened up again :(

Did own a bitch that had bloat and had to have her stomach opened (3 times) to remove the offending food & damaged tissue, she did not have movement for 5 days despite the vet giving enema we then tried liquid paraffin which worked on the 3rd day when she shot my OH in the foot - she went on to make a full recovery.

Oh dear you have had a real bad 12 months Mandy. I am sorry he is not so good today. Fingers crossed it is something that will resolve spontainiously this time. It is quite common the be constipated after this kind of surgery, it is possibly sore for him and putting him off straining. Maybe some stool sofener will help him this time. Fingers crossed for you both.
Aileen

i am so sorry, fingers crossed there will be some good news soon

:( Am catching up and sorry to read about your lad Mandy.

I hope you dont have to have him opened up again and that the laxative works.  What a worry for you :(xxxx

Hi sorry to see your boy is still not well.
What happened with my boy was he was constipated .When we took him to the vets they could feel he was blocked up.so had him in for xray couldn,t find anything wrong on the xray so it was decided to open him up.still didn,t find anything wrong only that he was blocked up so cleaned him out and stitched him up.the day after the op he was only fed light meals of chicken.then next day he was back on normal meals I cannot remember exactly how long it was before he passed his first motion I think it was as soon as he had normal meals I know he was okay when he went back for his check up at the vets  we had no worries at all with him after the op.
we do keep a close eye on him and if his stool looks a little hard he gets half a pint of milk and as I said
he always has half a tin of chappie everyday. and so far he has been okay.
Do hope your boy soon starts to recover it is such a worry.

It all seems very strange.  I've never heard of a dog becoming constipated like this, due to nothing other than hard poo - and for sure never heard of them needing to be operated on. 

How long is it since he has actually pooed?  I do know of certain humans in my family who haven't pooed for up to 3 weeks and have managed to resolve things without surgery.

I am pleased to say that Big Alf passed a very hard poo this morning, i have never been so excited to see a poo!!!!

The poo he passed today was the first one in 9 days

It is all very odd as there was no bone pieces in his poo which was removed surgically but it was totally compacted and very large and after 7 days of it being totally lodged there was no alternative but to go in.

We will have to keep a close eye on things still as he is still no totally out of the woods but very happy that he isnt going in today for a second surgery, am crossing everything now that he makes a full recovery.

Why this happened we dont know which is a worry, we will have to see how things progress.

and we have never been so pleased to hear a dog has poohed :) long may it continue Xxx
Lea :)

How about adding alittle liquid paraffin to his dinner until he's healed inside? :)

Hooray, well done. Only dog people could be excited about a poo :) Hope it's the first of many; you have been having a horrid time :(

I would definitely go down the liquid paraffin route and would have from the start.

So glad that he's OK after the second op. and hope he continues to improve.

I am very pleased to hear he has managed a pooh.  Long may it continue.

Hi so very pleased your boy is on the way to recovery
fingers crossed all goes well for you from now on.
My boy had only been constipated a few days but the milk
and liquid paraffin were not working which is why we took him in.
He is never fed bones and although a greedy boy has never as far as we know
eaten anything he shouldn.t so we will never know what caused it.
but he has been okay for the past 2 years so fingers crossed it was a once in a lifetime thing

Fantastic a poo may it be the first of many good ones !

LOL, there is one thing we all love next to our dogs and families it's a nice healthy poo, well done Big Alf please bring Mum something nice to admire tomorrow.

Brilliant news, hope he has no more trouble.

I think the stool softening crystals are called Peridale. Extremely old product but it may be worth checking if you can still buy it and adding a tea-spoonful each meal. It looks as though the crisis is over, thank goodness.

Mandy

G.Rets has suggested Peridale as an old product and said not sure if you can still get it.  Well, if you do consider using it, it is cheaper online than at your local chemist.  HTH   Jean

http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/search_results.php?q=peridale

> I think the stool softening crystals are called Peridale.

Well you learn something every day, and twice a day on Champdogs!
Peridale is made from Sterculia and here's the Wiki about that -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterculia
...used as a thickener and emulsifier in foods, as a laxative, and as a denture adhesive.