My dog strains to poop, but nothing comes out. Is she constipated?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 1 year and 7 months old | 45 lbs
Hi there my dog is trying to poop and she keeps squatting to do so but nothing is coming out despite her attempts to try and push should I be concerned? She may have pooped this morning we aren’t sure and we don’t think that she ate anything that would be blocking her intestines
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on April 29th, 2018
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She may be constipated. You can start by trying to use something to try to relieve her if she has constipation. You could start giving her 2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin with her meals which may help with cases of mild constipation. If that does not improve this, have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment though it is likely that this will resolve. Good luck and have a great day!
4Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on August 2nd, 2019
Poor Kimmy. Pets can have constipation for many reasons and I recommend to try a different diet. Often times the right combination of fiber can help pets have more regular bowel movements. The diet I recommend is Royal Canin. Most pets on this diet have good stool quality. I don't think beef liver will help but canned pumpkin and a diet change might. Here is a link about constipation: Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.co/article/constipation-in-dogs-101-what-you-need-to-know/ I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
-
Published on December 29th, 2016
Poor Bette! I can see how this is frustrating for you. It could be that the Science Diet food didn't have enough fiber in it, and it was causing the constipation. I recommend trying the Science Diet maintenance food, but adding a tablespoon of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) in with each meal. You could also try a teaspoon of mineral oil or olive oil instead of the pumpkin puree. Adding this may help with the constipation. Should this not help, I would find another vet for a second opinion, as she may have a food allergy causing her symptoms.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
-
Published on June 10th, 2018
Hi there and thanks for your post! You can try giving her a couple tablespoons of plain canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) twice daily with her regular meals. Canned pumpkin is a great natural source of fiber that can help soften stools. If that doesnt help, I would reccommend a veterinary visit to make sure there are no underlying medical causes for the constipation. I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
My puppy cries while taking a poop and we can see that her butt is vibrating while trying to poop
How to unstop my dog he can't poop
My dog just started with tight tummy and having trouble sitting and looks like he's constipated.
My 10 year old female Beagle seems to be constipated. She eats and drinks fine but I haven't noticed her having a bm for several days. What can I do?
My dog is,constipated! What can I give her??
My dog seems to be constipated bad her water drinking has increased a lot, but she will not hardly eat at all is there some kind of stool softener that I could give her to help her move her bowels
My dog is still active and hyper and doesnt seem to be in any pain. But as of 3 days ago she has started to strain when using the restroom. Some liquid poo comes out each time. Yesterday she got sick to her stomach as well. She hasnt had a change in
My dog is a Maltese who recovered from a stomach flu on 4/16. He had diarrhea and watery stools at the time. Since 4/16 he started feeling better and started to eat. However, it had been 3 days (72 hours) and it is now 4/19, and he still had not take
Hi since we are in journey and away from home, Ellie did not Stool for 48 hours. note: her eating reduced unreasonably pls advise
My dog has not been able to poop and he is in a lot of pain. He cries if you lightly touch his stomach and he has lost his appetite. This has been going on for about 2 days now. He tries to poop but he can’t. The vet is just giving him shots and enem
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
