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My dog had diarrhea. How long can she go without pooping safely?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 1 year and 4 months old | 45 lbs

How long can my 45 lb lab mix go without pooping? She had diarrhea on Friday & before rushing to a Vet we waited to see how she would do with rice & eggs. Saturday she managed to run in the backyard unseen in the dark and were assuming she pooped then but aren’t sure. We waited all day Sunday for a poop and all day today Monday and nothing yet- we are waiting Bc we want to see if the consistency got harder, & if not we need to go to a Vet but now I’m concerned she hasn’t pooped since sat night

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 12th, 2018

It is common for them to have a pause between the diarrhea and having their normal bowel movements again. As long as she's not showing signs of constipation (straining to defecate, bloated belly, painful, etc.), then it's nothing to be concerned about. She will likely have a bowel movement in the next day or two. If she went a week without defecating, or had other signs of GI problems (vomiting and not eating), then I would be more concerned and recommend she go to the vet for an evaluation. Otherwise, she should be fine and back to normal soon. I hope that helps and all is well with Bella.

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