Title: Your Dog Can Suffer From Constipation Too
Author: Lee Dobbins
It is not only humans that suffer from constipation, but our
pets can too! Dog constipation is normally caused due to a lack
of exercise and an incorrect diet. In this article we will look
at ways that dog constipation can be treated using some home
remedies.
As previously mentioned ensuring that your dog's diet is good
and that they are getting sufficient exercise are the most
important components for ensuring that your dog's bowels work
correctly. Any dog that is kept in the home should be walked 2
times a day whilst their diet should be correctly maintained.
However if your dog does become constipated a good way of
alleviating the problem is to add 1 or 2 teaspoons of bran to it
meal. This allows extra moisture to appear in its stools.
Another way that you can treat your dog should it become
constipated is by adding Psyllium (Metamucil) to their diet.
Just giving them ½ teaspoon each day plus providing them with
lots of drinking water will help to alleviate the constipation
that they have.
The next option you could try is to add 2 teaspoons of mineral
oil to their meals twice a day for a week and this is especially
good where there is a large build up of hard stools in your dog.
As you can see there are a number of steps you can take in
order to help your dog if they should suffer from constipation
but by keeping his food moist (add a little water) will help?
Or if your dog is a little more mature then include some raw
meat and vegetables into their diet.
Often there are certain signs which will alert you to any
potential problems your dog may have and for which you can act
on immediately. If your dog has a long coat then sometimes the
stools can become entangled in the coat and it is vital you keep
your dog properly groomed.
Also dogs have a tendency to eat everything in sight so make
sure there are no bones or other materials that they may ingest.
Dogs may also suffer from constipation because of a medication
that they are on. But there may even be a psychological reason
as to why your dog has become constipated (they could be
stressed even dogs get stressed to).
Although it has been suggested that dogs of all breeds and no
matter what age can be prone to constipation and so there may be
some other factors that need to be taken into consideration
which may be caused by you as an owner. Do not ever feed your
dog from the dinner table as you are contributing to his
constipation.
It is important that you do not feed your dog food which
contains flour, sugar, rice, dairy or are high in protein as
they will on excacerbate the situation. Also included in this
would be ice cream, cooks, bread, chocolate or any other foods
that we consider to be unhealthy.
Not only can constipation in dogs be caused by lack of fiber or
fluids but also by a mega colon (an inflamed colon which
prevents your dog from discharging their stools).
The time you should decide to visit your vet if your dog is
suffering from constipation is when they have a loss of
appetite; begin to pass small amounts of blood and general they
look and act very lethargic.
It is important that you are very vigilant to any signs of
stress and make your that your dog's diet and exercise regime is
appropriate for them and hopefully this will alleviate or
prevent dog constipation in your pet.
About The Author: Lee Dobbins writes for
http://www.colon-
keeping a healthy colon and read more about constipation in
humans and animals.
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