Hi everyone
my 7 GSD pups are 3 weeks old now and i've been giving abit a welpi milk for a few days to lap then yesterday i soaked them abit of puppy food  and tryed them with that and they liked it, but i've noticed yesterday one of the pups looking like it's straining to poo and i saw one of them trying today but nothing came out again, not sure if it was the same pup, so i'm abit worried incase it's constipated and not sure what to do or how long to leave them.  I see one of them occacionally having a poo but there's never very often any in the box and the mum isn't with them that much anymore to clean them up (she struggles to stay with them long enough to feed!) so i just wondered how often should they be pooing cause they wee all the time!

It might be worth giving them a hand.
A damp, warm cotton wool ball rubbed over the bottom or a well oiled finger rubbed over the bottom should help.
If they still don't go but you feel as though they are pushing a tiny amount of liquid parafin can be given.

Have fun!!

Jo

I would get the pup to the vet to be checked. I don't want to alarm you but weaning time can show up problems that were not previously noticeable.

Hi

If your pups are othewise healthy I wouldn't worry too much.  The change of diet can cause some constipation.  As the other replies have stated, try and see if you can encourage them to do a poo by using the damp (warm) cotton wool.  You need to rub in a circular motion over their lower tummy area and towards the tail end.  Hopefully you will see them trying to poo and they should pass something even with difficulty.

If they don't poo you could try the Liquid Parafin but this does take a few days to work (it's a lubricant).  I've had more luck with some Liquid Parafin (or Olive Oil) gently introduced into their rectum (by way of a syringe).  This gets the lubricant to the spot needed and usually gets results within minutes!  Failing that and for really difficult problems you can give a couple of drops of Castor Oil.  This is also good but does cause a bit of tummy ache in the process.

I would also give them sugar water to drink (this is a laxative) and check that they are drinking enough fluids, lack of fluids is a common reason for constipation and does tie in with weaning as they get their calories from solids and not all from liquids and therefore they don't consume enough liquids (this makes the body absorb water from the poo and leads to constipation!)

Chrissy

Chris
Constipation in a pup of that age can be an indication of the very rare condition imperforate anus, so better to be safe than sorry and get a vet to check the pup.

Hi Sibbas

I don't disagree that there is a slim chance that a pup that is not able to poo has an imperforate anus (absence of an anal opening) but these pups are three weeks old.

Imperforate anus would likely have been noticed within days of birth (within 24 - 48 hrs) and a young pup with this condition is unlikely to have survived to three weeks of age (due to the build up of toxins in the body caused by lack of elimination).

If the pup has been pooing normally up until now he/she isn't likely to have an imperforate anus.  It is common for some digestive upsets to occur at the time of weaning, the pups body has been used to a liquid diet and the introduction of solids is a common cause of constipation.

I did also say in my post that if the pup was otherwise healthy then I wouldn't worry too much.  If a pup was still alive at three weeks of age with an imperforate anus he/she would be far from healthy and I would assume that the owners would already have had to seek medical advice due to the grave condition of the pup and not be posting asking for advice about constipation.

My post was written as guidance for a constipated pup and if the pup is constipated the advice given will sort things out quickly!

Chris

Chances are you're absolutely right, but I know of a pup who only had this condition diagnosed when it was three weeks old.

I have just taken my 3 week old pup to the vet as i found out this morning that she has no anus and has been going to the toilet through a hole her body had made in her vagina.  It is completely possible for them to live for this long as i have found out. Fingers crossed she has just gone to surgery now to try and fix it :-(

Very sorry to hear about your pup but could you start a new thread please if you are after advice or want to discuss your own pup further - you have replied to a very old thread (4 years old)

Thanks