My dog recently had anal gland surgery.  It has been a nightmare recovery.  I had to medically board her for 4 days, then she had diarrhea while she was there.  They got rid of that and I got to take her home.  Then she somehow got some her stitches out on the one side (I have no idea how, she's been wearing a blow up donut thing around her neck at all times).  Anyway, I had to take her back in to get re-stitched.  She was so scared and anxious that she was resisting the sedative and wouldn't let anyone near her and ended up biting the vet pretty good.  They ended up having to use anesthesia on her again just to get stitches back in.  She was a screaming wreck after this.  Literally screaming, shes a shiba inu and they have a piercing scream that makes your teeth hurt.  Anyway, she has finally chilled out and started acting normal.  But she won't poop.  She had another bout of loose stools which I quickly got under control by continuing her intestinal meds and giving her a bland diet but she just will not poop.  I don't think she's constipated because she occasionally lets out a small soft turn when I pick her up or she barks when the doorbell rings.  Her tummy is hard as a rock and I massage it every chance I get but she just refuses to even try.  She doesn't crouch like she's going to poop or anything, she's not even trying!  I'm at my wits end, I've spent so much money already and lost so much sleep over this entire thing I don't know what to do!  If anyone has any insight or has been through this please respond!  It's been almost 3 days since any bowel movement : (

Doesn't she need to have 'loose stools' for a while until the incisions heal?   Best I can offer is, regardless of cost now, to get ontop of this situation, you just have to include your vet - definitely rather than a bunch of strangers.   This is a very nasty surgery, one we had done with our first hound, but something we've resisted repeating because of how nasty it really was.   I don't remember him being quite as bad as your poor girl however.   Could be that the food she's currently having isn't going to produce that much stool volume - which is as it should be to be honest, but having a hard stomach isn't something I'd want to be seeing.

If you are not confident that your current vet is somebody you can trust, you may have to consider at least taking a second opinion with this.   Something is clearly very wrong even if she would react again to the further anaesthetic she needed.    Her hard stomach could be her fighting the pain??    Would a gentle stroll help get her bowels moving?

she is hurting so of course she does not want to poop.  I think  you really are going to have tó get her back to vet, get her checked over & ask for stronger pain relief.

I've actually called the vet every day pretty much.  I absolutely love my dogs vet and do trust her very much I was just wanting some advice from someone who has gone through this.  My dog is VERY emotional so I think she is freaking out due to her anxiety and not the pain.  I called the vet after I wrote this and she told me to give it awhile and she will probably poop, shes just cleaned out from the diarrhea.  I'm just kind of a wreck since this whole thing and it's all I think about so I decided to post on this forum for some advice.  I also take her on 2 walks a day to try and loosen things up.  Sometimes she doesn't want to walk and I don't make her.  I will just be patient with her.

Thank you for the feedback, I do appreciate it.

of course  you love your dog.  that is v clear :)   I really do  think though calling  the vet is not as good as vet examining her ,  if she is v emotional prehapse a mild sedative for a few days
but vet  needs to see her

Just to add my Basset boy is a sensitive soul and if he ever needs surgery, even just a dental, goes into full whooz -mode.  I have successfully used Kalm Aid with him.   Might be worth considering - it's non-drug.

All is well, she finally went and is in much better spirits.  She was on an anxiety med (trazadone), 2 pain killers, 2 anti-diarrheal meds, and an antibiotic.  I took her off the trazadone and she is so much more spirited.  Only one day of the other pills left and I think we will be on the upswing.  She goes in for a final check-up next Friday.  Also, she had been to the vet a lot, trust me!  If she wouldn't have pooped yesterday I would definitely be taking her in.  Thanks again for the feedback!

I will definitely try this instead of the trazadone, thank you!

...WAS on anti-diarrhea meds, I took her off those when she wouldn't go...just to clarify : )

If she is that stressed, she may need something like Xanax to help her relax a bit - and hopefully therefore also let the poop come out more easily.  Ask your vet about getting some of that.  But I also second MamaBas' suggestion of something to keep the stools soft and easy to pass at this time. 

When dogs (or people!) don't pass poop, it builds up in the intestine and the intestine continues to take liquid from it - because the intestine is absorbing useful stuff from the poop, that's its job - this means that the poop then gets hard and dry.  And even more difficult to pass.  So it gets harder and dryer, the longer it stays in there.  And so it all goes round in a vicious circle.  And this is without having a painful surgery site to poop through.

In humans, there are things like stool softeners to keep poop soft (google DulcoEase) - they have salts in them, which cause the body not to absorb all the liquid from the poop, so it stays softer and easier to pass.  I am not sure if stool softeners can be given to dogs but I would phone your vet and ask if you can give them - I think I remember reading online that they can be given.

PS Whoops - just read that she had diahorrea.... In that case, some fibre might be useful.  Fibre is interesting because it helps both constipation and diahorrea and keeps things at an optimal texture to be pooped well!!  Protexin make a great supplement called Pro-Fibre, which is probiotics and fibre.