I have a six week old maltese and for the past day she has been feeling down and turning in her cage unable to do poo. What if anything I can do to help her go? Is this something I should consult with the vet? I would really appreciate your prompt response. It breaks my heart to see her that way.Thank You.

Sincerely Lqqknsxc99

go to boots and get her some califig,its great stuff and she will soon go,good luck

You could try Micralax. You can get it from any chemist & it is used on Human Babies.

Sorry if i have this wrong, but are you saying she is in her cage and that's where she poos normally?

Or that she is uncomfortable in her cage BECAUSE she can't poo?

If it'sthe former, getting her out and giving her exercise would be best; dogs can get stimulated by certain things, one of them being a walk, grass, movement etc.

Also maybe check the food she is getting, and get vet advice. 6 weeks is very young - have you just got her? She in which case she may be constipated due to stress, although pups usually get diarrhoea rather than constipation...

Has she eaten anything that could cause an obstruction?

Be careful of human medicine - not all may be safe for a dog esp. a small dog.

Lindsay
X

Micralax is certainly safe for dogs, was given it by my Vet for consipoation in a pup. Just costs a lot less from the Chemist.

Micralax may not be suitable for all puppies, a Maltese puppy at 6 weeks is going to be tiny.  Many newborns of larger breeds will be heavier than this puppy

There is a product called Catlax - basically it helps cats pass furballs.  It's a mixture of petroleum jelly (vaseline) and flavourings, as it's for use on cats/kittens it should be safe for your puppy and the dosage should be easy to work out.  Only a little is needed and it is very gentle, doesn't cause diarrhoea ;)  It can be bought in the petshop.
If you need it regularly or it doesn't work I would go to the vet.

What you need to find out is what's causing the constipation, perhaps the food she is eating doesn't suit her.  Are you giving puppy milk?  If using the powdered variety this can cause constipation in some pups.

Have just done a web search on Micralax.  If this is the one you are talking about it is an ENEMA!!  I certainly wouldn't recommend an enema for a Maltese puppy, reading about the way it works 'by drawing liquid into the lower bowel' I would be very wary.  The liquid has to come from somewhere ;)  and having been the victim of an enema (when having 1st child) I would NOT inflict one of this nature on a young puppy of a small breed without veterinary supervision.

OOH DILL,did you have to bring back those awful memories.

I was only making a suggestion. I have used this method a few times over the years & as it was prescibed by my vet with 40 odd years experience it can't be that bad. Now I remember why I very rarely reply to any of the topics on this board.

Sorry SHEDOG didn't mean to do that but they are awful memories aren't they ;) :D

Zalamazu,

I am not critisizing your use of the product, merely pointing out that tiny puppies of toy breeds need special consideration when recommending medication.  When making suggestions on the forum it is good to remember that people other than the OP are also reading and may try a remedy in totally unsuitable circumstances ;)  Even a vet would not prescribe an enema over the internet - no matter how long they were experienced.

Hi Dill,Its horrid i know but i was young and did not know any better :( but i certainly would not go through it again (and did not for the next two births) and i also would not want any of my dogs to go through it.I have to say after reading this site(over a period of time) i think i will be questioning my vet if i have to get anything from him as most things that the vets recomend(sp) to people seem not too be that suitable.(from the post that people put up that is)I don't visit the vets that often but just recently took my 4 month pup and he told me he had only one testicle and that if it did not appear in the next few months it would be best to get him done,after speaking to a few people with my breed they told me to wait and that vets were too quick to neuter young dogs these days.

hi there
the best think i have always find works is liquid parraffin you can give her by syringe 2.5-5ml by mouth and then using another syringe put a few drops up her back passage ,dont worry you wont hurt her you will find she will most probably go to the toilet within a hr of giving the parraffin (was told to do this by my vet and its never failed)hope she's well soon

just to add i would not use the product someone has suggested giving an enema to a puupy should only if need be done by a vet,try the parraffin,which can be bought from your local chemist or superstore,it works a treat,must add though when you put some up her back passage you only have to put the tip of the syringe in,

Shedog,

I find that usually Vets use a 'big guns' approach straight away rather than using more conservative methods (not talking about emergency treatment here!).  Unfortunately a dog can't tell you when the treatment he's been given is making him feel worse :( 
As far as pups are concerned, yes I have experienced the same thing, re. early neutering.  My question was whether they could guarantee that the dog would get cancer if he kept his testicles.  Of course they can't guarantee anything !!   So I went with my instincts and waited.  Luckily they descended, but if they hadn't I would only have had the retained one removed (not something the vet would normally suggest), after all we wouldn't have bits of our own bodies removed on a maybe :) and there are downsides to neutering which the vets never mention :( 

Angel1,
Forgive me if I'm wrong but administering Liquid parrafin via the anus is the same procedure as giving an enema surely?  to be done only under veterinary supervision :)

I am horrified at the thought of someone on the board giving advice re; Enema's.  Please, please never take this advice. Only the most experienced people will even know what to do.  I have done it, but only as a very last resort, and I know how to administer Enema's.  For an Enema to even have the minutest possibility of working the nozzle which is usually 1.5 inches in length has to 'enter' the puppy fully. Do you even realise the damage you can cause internally by doing this? 

Please can I just say, that a lot of the people coming onto the board for advice are novices and should not be given advice willy nilly. I have given Enema's, injections etc, but would never, ever advise anyone else to do this.  Please be carefull of the type of advice that is given,

Kay

i would'nt class putting a couple of drops of paraffin into the pups anus as a enema,its only to lubricate the obstruction and as said you only need to put the tip of the syringe in the anus ,if you dont feel confident enough to use a syringe you can just rub a little paraffin around the  anus,i have bred owned and shown dogs for 15 yrs now and my parents before me and would never give any advice i think we be harmful to anyone,and have posted here for at least 2-3 years

kayc,

Thank goodness!! I was beginning to think that I was over-reacting :rolleyes:  What worries me is that so much damage could be done unnecessarily.

angel1,
If you have bred owned and showed dogs for 15 years you are not a novice owner.  The person who originally posted is not likely to be as experienced or they wouldn't be asking questions about puppy constipation, they would either know what to do or if it was deemed a serious case they would have seen the vet.  There are also total novices who read the board and could well end up with serious problems if they tried your recommendations without veterinary guidance.
By the way, what was your username before December 2004??  Just curious as I don't recognise your writing style etc ;)

hi dill,
yes i have bred owned and shown dogs for the last 15yrs with some great success and still dont think my recommendations to help a constipated puppy,would do any serious damage, i was given this advice myself by my vet when i would still have classed myself as a novice owner and had not occurred any problems with this method only relief to see a poorly puppy well again,if the person who orginally posted is worried in taking my advice he could maybe call his vet and have a chat as i have said i will only post advice that i think would help and not put any puppy in any danger,i do understand there are many novices  using this site,and would never give the advice to give a puppy a enema,this should only be done if need be by a VET