Dad of Lulu - sweet Lulu has crossed The Bridge

Hi Fred,

Quote:

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But lately she has been a bit constipated, and her stools tend to be a bit looser.

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If the stool is loose, she isn't constipated. A constipated pup will have very dry, hard poop, go for several days or more without a BM, and strain to eliminate when they do go. I wouldn't take any action to help constipation if the stool is loose.

How is her appetite? Any accidents, more frequent urination, or more water intake lately? Any signs of nausea? Is she displaying more weakness in her back end in general? Has she eaten anything different lately? Any new meds, supplements or herbs? Has she been checked for parasites recently? Just some things to look at....

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

As a sidebar note to anybody who does use Metamucil with their dogs: just as is the case with humans, the Metamucil probably should not be given within two hours before or after any other medication. The Metamucil can affect the absorption/effectiveness of other drugs if they are taken too close together.

Marianne

Thanks we tried some pumpkin with Lulu, about 4 tablespoons as she is 82 lb. She had to be encouraged to use it, by putting in a couple of small treats, then she ate it all. I am going to take her out right now and see if she goes. The reason I think she is constipated is because she just goes a small bit. Sometimes she has a normal stool. But I haven't seen in the last couple of days. She may have gone on her own. But she is trying to go, often and she is straining. I just see a bit of stool and it is soft.

Her normal habits have been she waits to go until I walk her morning or evening. She will go and has a normal stool. Sometimes she will go again and that stool often is a bit softer.

She is having a hard time bending and going. She had major surgery on both back legs, ACL surgery. Now with the muscle weakness she is having, the same thing a year and a half ago when her Cushings was full-blown. I am thinking that, the extra assistance of a gentle laxative is all she needs. I will watch her. She isn't nauseous or vomiting. She eats okay, though her appetite is down since she has been on the medicine. She seems quiet now, and that is why I am taking her out to see if she is still trying to strain and go.

I will update here! :)

Good results with the pumpkin. Lulu had two bowl movements late this afternoon, and though soft, they were formed and just about normal size for her. I did not see her trying to go since. She almost did not get the first movement out as she tried to go without squatting. Then she did, and I can see she has a hard time doing this. I think Cushing's must also affect the muscles in the rectum too. She was a bit tired today, and rested. I did take her out for another walk after dinner and she did fine, and she did not have a need to squat. I am anxious for her to have her test, which is scheduled Thursday. :)

Hi there,

I only read the last several posts and have not gone back very far, but my dog has had some BM issues as well. My vet told me to give her about a 1/4 tsp. of Miralax (I gave a little less) twice per day and she is 12 lbs. She was not going often, and when she did, she would strain and push and her poops were hard. After the Mirolax they were a little softer and she was not straining. She sometimes has a little worm-like poop at the end that she has to strain to get out. Not sure what that is. Now she is on several meds and the poop is softer anyway so I am not adding the Mirolax.

Anyway, I was also wondering if you think there is any chance your dog has any back or leg pain. Hannah was having back issues and that made it really difficult to poop. She also has weak back legs, so I wasn't sure what the main issue was. She also sometimes would start to poop before squatting. She has had acupuncture and laser treatment several times for her back (and legs) and it has REALLY helped. She can maintain a squat again with no problem when she barely could go at a ll a few weeks ago. I don't know if laser or acupuncture are options for you, but I highly recommend it. I'm wondering if it is more pain from the position (either back or leg) rather than actually having difficulty defecating. Again, I didn't read back really far, so maybe this is not the issue, or something you already know, but I wanted to mention it in case it would help.

Hope things continue to improve regardless!

Julie & Hannah

Jmac, thanks for post. The pumpkin has worked. I looked at the link Harley PoMMom gave. I am thinking maybe a slight bit less tomorrow. Lulu has been more tired today. I have been concerned about her ACTH levels that I wonder if I should try to get her ACTH test moved from Thursday to Wednesday. I know it's only one day. But I want to know as soon as possible if her post level is lower. She laid around on the cool floor more today. But you know too I was home more. I will be tomorrow too.

I like the idea of acupuncture. There used to be a lady that did this in the Thumb of Michigan. I will have to look into. I know at Wilson's Hospital there is a therapy center across the driveway for dogs. So I could check there. But I'm not a rich person, so I don't think I could afford. Lulu has had ACL surgery on both back legs and that complicates the pain. Yes, she has some, the Cushing's, the affects of the ACL actually turns the bones so it gives the dog sort of like a bowed leg appearance, which happens after surgery but this gives the dog tighter connections for the bones and ligaments, hence they aren't crippled when they walk. The surgery was so successful in 2005-2006 that Lulu had to let the dog world know that she was Queen of the homestead. She would fly off the porch at night, especially during the cold and snowy winter evenings and bark at other dogs and herself, as her bark bounced off a neighbor's barn and she thought it was another dog! LOL.

And finally Dr. Wilson who performed the ACL surgery said she would still get arthritis.

So yes, the defecating problem is pain induced, and softening of the stool with pumpkin has helped today. I hope it continues to work tomorrow. I'm taking that one day at a time.

My main concern now is keeping a close eye on her, because I want to know what to do if she should become more tired before her next test and results are in.

She came up the stairs fairly good tonight and seemed relaxed, and she does pant a bit, so the fan is on. She seems comfortable and relaxed tonight. So will report again tomorrow. It's almost 11 pm. I want to do just 10 minutes of programming, for one of my jobs, and then set coffee up for morning, clean the kitty litter. Yes we have two beautiful blonde and reddish blonde cats, the same color as Lulu.

Sounds like you have a great plan!

I paid $80 per treatment for acupuncture and they said it is best to do 3-4 initially, one per week. So it was a bit pricey initially, but it really helped her and we didn't have to do it again for several months. The laser treatment is a bit cheaper than that here. I was paying $60 for one or $150 for 3, but at another vet they have a tech do it and it is $35 for one and $180 for 6. It can provide significant relief for arthritis too. That might be something to look into. My husband and I are both teachers so money is not unlimited for us. :) I am lucky we are able to do the acupuncture and laser treatments from time to time, but we are also not currently paying for meds or ACTH tests, which I know are pricey. Hannah has had a few rounds of acupuncture in the last year, but now the plan is to do something every month or two to maintain things, rather than to wait until she has another problem. It is certainly something you could check out and see what the cost is by you.

For now I am glad to hear the pumpkin worked. I have some in our cupboard for Hannah in case we need it. I hope Lulu will perk up, but I think it is great that you are watching her so closely in case she needs to be seen earlier. I'm sure someone else will come along to give you some good advice on that.

Julie & Hannah

I wanted to share an experience:

My Zoe has IBD/colitis so diahrrea is her usual problem. A few years ago her colitis flared and then she got constipated. She would go outside and strain to go and nothing would come out. Zoe would strain for a long time. When she would finally get something out, it was very loose stool, not alot. I took her to the ER and they said it was diahrrea. I told them this is not what normally happens to her and I also thought Zoe was constipated. The ER vet said no, so kept pressing and insisted on an xray and sure enough, she had stool blocked up. She was given a medicine, I dont rememebr which one, I could look for it in my notes, to soften her stools. It took us a few weeks to get normal again with normal stools and it never happened again.

If the pumpkin does the same thing, that is really good news. Julie has so good feedback on acupuncture.

Hope things keep improving.

Addy, glad things worked out, so to speak for Zoe. Lulu seems perkier today, though she has strained a bit. She has gone, and the stools are more formed, but slightly smaller in diameter. The pumpkin has helped so I am going to get my wife to measure out some more pumpkin. :)

I did call Dr. Wilson's office this morning and move the ACTH test from Thursday to Wednesday. That way maybe we can get the results before the weekend, and I just feel that each day is important. If the dosage needs to be changed or stopped I want to do it as soon as possible. :)

Lulu about the same. Good spirits. Tomorrow is her test, so will be up early for her. Let you know how she fared tomorrow evening. Pumpkin has been working fairly well, as she does eliminate and the continual straining is greatly reduced! Yeah!