Lily is constipaed...Help please!

Lily did not poop after she ate last night for several hours. Normally, she goes within 30 mins. This morning same thing, she didn't go until 3 hrs later. Last night I couldn't see her poop, but just now, she strained for a while, and then a huge poop came out but she couldn't pass it. I had to help :yuk: She then went some more, but had to strain. Nothing in her diet has changed and she hasn't gotten anything she shouldn't.

Could it be because she didn't have much water yesterday? We were gone most of the day shopping and she was in her crate. She also was off schedule yesterday. I did put a lot of water in her food yesterday morning so she would have liquid, but she didn't drink again until about 6:30 PM. Would adding water to dry kibble cause this. I have been adding water to her food for about 4 days because she is teething.

Any suggestioms from anyone? She is alomost 4 months.

If you are really concerned, I would call your vet because it is really easy for young babies to get dehydrated. Really moniter her fluid intake.

A good way to check if she is dehydrated is to gently pinch the skin on the back of her neck, if the skin flattens out quickly she isn't dehydrated, but if it stays in the pinch form then she is. When i called my vet about Cody when he had terrible diarreha, that is what she instructed me to do. He was, so we took him in to get fluids.

When my boys get "stopped up" I give them either canned yams or pumkin. The high fiber makes them more regular. Don't give her too much or she will get the runs. Just about a tablespoon should do the trick.

You can give a single pitted prune as well -- roughage is good for them too. If she's still a pup then maybe half a prune.

Her skin snaps right back, so I don't think she is dehydrated. I will run to the store and get some pumpkin.

Thanks

Shay said:

Lily did not poop after she ate last night for several hours. Normally, she goes within 30 mins. This morning same thing, she didn't go until 3 hrs later. Last night I couldn't see her poop, but just now, she strained for a while, and then a huge poop came out but she couldn't pass it. I had to help :yuk: She then went some more, but had to strain. Nothing in her diet has changed and she hasn't gotten anything she shouldn't.

Could it be because she didn't have much water yesterday? We were gone most of the day shopping and she was in her crate. She also was off schedule yesterday. I did put a lot of water in her food yesterday morning so she would have liquid, but she didn't drink again until about 6:30 PM. Would adding water to dry kibble cause this. I have been adding water to her food for about 4 days because she is teething.

Any suggestioms from anyone? She is alomost 4 months.

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Shay,
If you have to leave Lily for longer lengths of time like this, you might want to consider a different set up for her. She is too young to hold it that long anyways.

I would set up an x-pen with her opened crate in it for sleeping and wee wee pads for her to use, along with drinking water, and toys for her to play with. Puppies need access to water at all times during the day and evening. You should only be withholding water from her from 9:00 pm and during the night. (In the state of Ohio, it is a law that dogs must have access to clean drinking water at all times.)

Her problem was probably caused by not drinking enough water. Be careful with the pumpkin, as it can cause diarrhea. :flwr:

We were not supposed to be gone that long. I know this may sound stupid, but what is the difference of being in her crate all night with no water as opposed to day time? Actually from 11:00 AM until 6:30 PM. She did have toys and we leave the tv on for her when we are gone. She very rarely is alone for more than a couple of hours. I don't want to be a bad Mom, but why is there a differecne between day and night?

I don't know how to explain it but our trainer explained that at night their bodies go into a different "rhythm" which allows them to hold it longer. When my guys into their crate at 9:00 they go to sleep and are sound asleep all night until 6:00 in the a.m. During the day they tend to nap rather than deep sleep.

Cathy T said:

I don't know how to explain it but our trainer explained that at night their bodies go into a different "rhythm" which allows them to hold it longer. When my guys into their crate at 9:00 they go to sleep and are sound asleep all night until 6:00 in the a.m. During the day they tend to nap rather than deep sleep.

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I was told this too. As I couldn't understand how Murphy could hold all night, but was having the odd accident during the day
But can I stress how important it is to leave your puppy water

I feel terrible if this caused her to be constipated, which it probably did. She hasn't had any problems before. I will have to get another set up when we leave. Poor little baby. :cry*ing:

Thanks

If she isn't having accidents in the crate, I would just get one of those water bottles that attach to the side of the crate. Problem solved! I would always keep it filled with fresh water so that when you are gone, this won't happen again

She is not havng accidents in her crate. I am going to get one of those bottles today!

Don't feel bad Shay....it's all live and learn. I can't tell you how many things I did wrong with Jake. Luckily Shelby was better off :lol: Poor Jakey...my little guinea pig boy!

Sorry to upset you, Shay!

I had signed on during my lunch break at work, then I had to sign off.

I guess the point I was trying to make is this: a crate is fine for an hour or two, but puppies shouldn't be closed into a crate for more than that. When we had our puppies, it was recommended by both their breeder and our puppy trainer to use the x-pen with the open crate. A four month old puppy can only be expected to hold pee for maximum 4 hours. So we need to provide a wee wee pad for the puppy to use.

Also, puppies need to move around and play - it is very hard on them to be in a crate for long periods during the day time, plus very boring to be boxed up. If the crate is open in an xpen, they can go into when they want to sleep. :flwr:

Puppies/dogs are just like humans when it comes to sleep -- our metabolism shifts into low gear and we don;t have to relieve ourselves unless we have really had a lot to drink or, due to age or illness, our bladders weaken. We normally can go 8 hours without needing the bathroom during sleep therefore... but we'd be hardpressed to last this long all day, even if we have stopped and napped. That's because we eat and drink all day and are active. Dogs and puppies too but especially puppies!

Puppies generally can only hold themselves for an hour for each month of age, plus an hour or so extra, but that is not if actively playing, eating and drinking, when it may be only 90 minutes or so. So a four month puppy should never be left without being taken out for longer than 5 hours and onl;y rarely would a puppy be able to hold itself that length of time anyway -- and this is terribly, terribly long and boring time to be in a crate for a puppy.

Consider that it would be like sticking a young child in a small room for five hours or more and expecting them not to have to go, or to keep themselves entertained. :shock:

Even with adult dogs I never try to leave them longer than 6 hours max without taking them outside -- that's about the comfort limit if they are doing absolutely nothing. A puppy will be up and playing about which stimulates the bladder and bowel. Then they have to go and are trying hard to not dirty their crate -- very tough on a little guy. An xpen is a much better option. It allows a puppy to move about more naturally and play.

More generally, I really hate crating as a long-term daytime option -- eg putting a dog in for a full day while humansd are at work. That reduces the dog's normal active life down to the period between end of work and bedtime when they are often crated again -- meaning a day is 16-18 hours in a crate for a dog, which would outrage us if zoo animals were kept in such conditions. By the time a dog is about 6-7 months, they can generally do very well in say a full room like a kitchen, made dog/puppy proof. This is a far more comfortable option that a crate with only enough room to stand and turn around or an xpen (which is useful for young puppies). Crating has become a very popular option in some places but I think there really is not enough debate or comparison-thinking on this -- eg that in all other situations for a similarly social and active animal we'd be shocked by such constant confinement to a tiny place. Plus other solutions are so easy -- a room inside.

A crate is a GREAT housetraining tool though and crate training in my mind is a must as it means the dog always can travel safely. And there are many times when it is safer for the dog and useful to be able to have a dog that can be happily crated in the house -- if people are working or a baby is around, for example. Otr if small kids might pester the dog -- then a crate can be a quiet haven. Also night crating suits many people very well.

I agree with all this- I look forward to being able to remove the crate from the kitchen and reinstate the dog basket. Holly especially likes her little wanders, I know.

BUT- for me, I'd dearly love to be able to leave Amber with the crate/xpen setup you described, and had it all fixed up. As I've said before, my pen is not the most stable, so it took some engineering with it to get it rock solid. .....The first time I left Amber like this, with crate and xpen, the whole contraption thoroughly covered by a KING SIZE duvet cover (the fabric, not the actual duvet itself) ... I came back and she'd managed to escape! The crate and pen were as I'd left them, but duvet cover pulled into enclosure and puppy bouncing at the door... She's gotten out of her little crate a few times too, which is why I now crate her with Holly in the larger houdini-proof crate.

Not ideal, but what can I do?!

Sorry to hijack thread.

Which reminds me. Didn't you have Lily for her MRI today?

I appreciate the feed back. As I stated, we had not planned to be gone as long as we were, but had to finish our Christmas shopping. I don't work outside the home, and my husband works from home, so someone is always here with her. I would never leave her in a crate all day if I worked. I have never left her for more than 2 hours, ever. I do not have an Xpen, so the crate was the only option. Had I left her in a room, all of my base boards would have been chewed when I returned. We just built a new house, and my husband would not have liked this, but neither would I. I kept telling my husband that we needed to get home, but he wanted to get finished, and time got away from us.

We talked today and we will get her an Xpen, or some other suitable option. I feel terrible about leaving her that long, but her stool is back to normal this evening. Thank goodness, she seems fine now.

Lisa....No, I did not have an MRI on Lily today. Her insurance is not in effect until tomorrow. I will be getting her to the Vet soon. Thanks for asking.

Maybe you should ask Cecily for the specs of the crate-and-run setup they had for Rio? The pictures of it are great. If Amber was still tiny and I could find someone to build it, that's what I'd do. Very sturdy- MUCH better than a standard xpen arrangement.

I got my crate and x-pen from digitpet.com. Their prices were very reasonable. My puppy likes her set up. I put a piece of vinyl underneath just a little larger than the pen to "puppy proof" the floor.


I did have to add the divider to the crate because she would get out of her bed and go potty next to it even though there was a potty pad in the pen.

We had the crate and pen set up for both of mine for a long time until I could trust them gated off in the family room/kitchen area. I'm still not comfortable leaving mine for more than 5 or 6 hours tops. But I have that luxury since I work at home. I've turned down offers to go on all day trips because I won't leave the dogs. When I go out of town and hubby is working all day we have a pet sitter who comes in at noone for an hour and gives them a walk and a play.

I do know that if I got stuck somewhere and couldn't get back they would be okay.

These look like good options. I have a large foyer area downstairs as you come in from the garage that is tiled. That would be the perfect spot for the setup that you have Lexie. I will check out the website.

Thanks