In this summer season, heat causes problems for dogs ranging from lack of appetite to rashes on the body. One issue that need special attention is constipation and when the problem extends beyond a certain duration, it needs medical intervention. To know the how and why of your pet’s bowel movement and to find a way to monitor it, City Express spoke to dog owners and vets who helped us out.
Puppies are more prone to getting constipated, when compared to older dogs, feels Sheila, a pet owner who has raised over five different breeds of dogs. Although not season specific, she says that summer makes them more prone to constipation. It’s also caused because the canines don’t have enough water or fibrous food. “I remember having a Pomeranian that was too lazy to drink water regularly and it was also averse to having fibrous food. She used to get constipated regularly and we remember using suppositories to inject the medicines rectally and the bowel movement would be normal in a day or two, at the most,” informs Sheila.
To keep your dog free from constipation, one needs to know what kind of fibrous food the dog has a liking for. Some of them like commercial food (like pedigree) which helps in easy defecation, while few others are ok to have ragi and milk, that is also quite rich in fibre content and facilitates easier bowel movement. Dogs that eat non vegetarian food can have chicken, which helps with the bowel movement.
There is a common belief that giving them vegetables or even bananas willhelp, she adds and says that canines, especially the older ones, don’t eat bananas. Some of the dogs, that have been all along been habituated to eat vegetarian food, consume carrots and raddish, which also help in easy defecation. While what they eat is important, when they do, matters equally. An owner of an adopted one-year-old dog – which is more of a puppy – feeds it solid food in the morning, before the sun’s heat becomes more aggressive. During the day, it is advisable to feed them more liquid food and then in the evening, giving them solid food reduces the chances for constipation, he adds.
Even after taking utmost care to check their diet, sometimes, the canines may suffer from constipation. A senior professor from TANUVAS, while suggesting that dog owners feed them commercial food more than home-cooked meals, also informs that this occurs due to several reasons like age and the older they get, they tend to have more problems. “You can give them laxatives, which will loosen the faecal matter. If that doesn’t help, then it is recommended that you bring them to a vet, who would give them some enema, which will help in excretion. If that also doesn’t help, they need to be x-rayed. It is important to note that if any dog doesn’t defecate for two or three days continuously, they must be brought to the nearest vet,” he says.
Preventive Measures