Pembroke & Cardigan Welsh Corgi

newcorgiowner · 08-10-2006, 05:15 AM

Greetings,
It's been a few weeks since I have been here, life has been pretty crazy the last few weeks. To top things off, my fiance had to have an emergency appendectomy on Tuesday.

I return with another problem which is starting to concern me with each passing hour. Monday morning at like 2am I had to take my fiance to the emergency room for severe abdominal pain. As I mentioned she eventually had to have her appendix out later that day and ended up staying in the hospital till late yesterday afternoon. Because of this Gizmo has to unfortunitly spend a lot of time alone the last few days. Every few hours I would drive home to walk her but she spent the vast majority of the time in her cage. I also didn't get to feed her like I should because I was in such a rush to get back to the hospital. She did eat, just not as much as she should have.

When we got home yesterday I was able to let her out and allow her to really run around. Around 8 or 9 I was able to give her a nice big bowl of food which she promptly finished off in a few minutes.

What concerns me is that she hasn't really had a bowel movement since. I've taken her out a number of times and she always seems to have to pee, but not poop. She'll squat like she is pooping but nothing or almost nothing comes out. She's done this 3 or so times. It's now 4am, she just woke me up because she was either lonely or needed to go out (she peed and squatted like she needed to poop again...nothing though) and I am getting really worried something is wrong.

Other then the no-pooping she seems perfectly healthy. She's running around the room, trying to get into things, chewing on her bone. She doesn't seem all that interested in water but her interest in that sometimes comes and goes.

My fear is that she has a bowel obstruction of some kind. She vomited or spit up once in her cage last night about an hour or half an hour after she ate, but she has done that before and hasn't done it again since. Is it possible that she could just be constipated? If so, is there anything I can give her to help her out? I'm planning on call the vet in morning if there is still nothing. Her toys look okay, I don't see anything really missing out of it. We noticed a hole in her plastic squeeker recently, but I took that away from her then and it was days ago we did so. I would not bet my life on the fact that she didn't get into anything while my back was turned or something.

Am I unreasonably worried at this point or is it somethingn I should seriously be considered about now. Please help.

newcorgiowner · 08-10-2006, 05:20 AM

I should mention that she did go I think a couple of times yesterday.

corgimom · 08-10-2006, 06:24 AM

newcorgiowner,

She may have spit up in her cage due to her being so hungry and eating her food really fast.

You can offer her PLAIN canned Pumpkin - the Libbys brand or a generic one just don't buy the one with the pumpkin pie seasonings in it. Give her about 1 tablespoon, or maybe 1/8 cup and continue to feed her regular meals to her. Try this for a couple of days and see if anything happens (my vet always recommends pumpkin for both my cats and dog if they are constipated.

If you are still concerned, contact your vet and they can prescribe something else a bit stronger to get things moving or check her out in case she got into something else.

Tell your fiance, that I hope she is up and about soon.

linda

glencorgi · 08-10-2006, 08:16 AM

You've had her off her normal routine and that could be affecting her system. Since she pooped the day before, then a blockage doesn't sound likely. She may have also pooped and eaten it (gross yes, but it does happen). I'll second the PLAIN canned pumpkin Linda made, it won't hurt her at all even if she doesn't need it.

Get well wishes to your fiance.

Debbie

Jespah · 08-10-2006, 08:23 AM

I agree with Debbie and Linda, routine is so important for pups and dogs. Her food and exercise schedule would cause her system to be out of whack. Dogs will often vomit bile when hungry - it's common. As long as she is peppy and bright then try and get her back into a routine ASAP and try the pumpkin. But if you are ever in doubt and you think there is something else wrong - always get it checked out with the vet. Hope your fiance is doing well now too.

Deb

newcorgiowner · 08-10-2006, 08:24 AM

She pooped around 5am. I have never been so happy to see poop in my life. She seemed to want more food so I fed her again and she started whinning to go out right after that. I took her out and she made a big pile in the grass. I'll probably give her a little of that pupmkin though because I think she's a little constipated still.

Believe it or not I've actually gotten a lot better with the freaking out over little things. My nerves are just a little raw (and I've had almost no sleep) because of the last few days, and I couldn't handle something being wrong with her. She's been a great little strsss reliever through all this.

Thanks for the advise.

Jespah · 08-10-2006, 08:37 AM

Super poop! So glad to hear she's okay.
Yes, you have many years of poop to look forward to. It's a good indicator of the health of your dog. Some days you'll be glad to see it, some you won't!
Hang in there, things will calm down - it's all experience - plus you've got the folks here for advice.

Take care of all of you!

Deb

Corgi_Princess · 08-10-2006, 08:51 AM

question: what is in the pumpkin that helps stop constipation?? Just curious

corgimom · 08-10-2006, 10:24 AM

Wish I knew the exact answer to that question, but it has lots of fiber in it.
I would think that peas or some other veggie would show the same results, but my vet always recommends the pumpkin and it always does the job and my cats even like the taste of it.

I was thinking that one could spoon it into an ice cube tray and freeze it
and then could just take out a "cube" when needed since the can of pumpkin spoils within a few days after opening it.

linda

Fluffypants · 08-10-2006, 10:51 AM

Isn't it funny how your life revolves around poop when you have a puppy? Since we have gotten Jackie, we have at least one poop-based conversation a day . . . did she? how was it? big? small? solid? etc. We lead such exciting lives!

CorgiMum · 08-10-2006, 11:31 AM

Glad to hear that all is well with your girl, and please give your fiance my bestt wishes for a speedy recovery.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fluffypants

Isn't it funny how your life revolves around poop when you have a puppy? Since we have gotten Jackie, we have at least one poop-based conversation a day . . . did she? how was it? big? small? solid? etc. We lead such exciting lives!

Poop is such a very important gage of a dog's health. So much so that I'm surprised that we do not have a special forum for it on all dog boards.

I have been giving 2 tbsps of pumpkin per day to each to my dogs for years now. Montrose has always had hard stool problems, to the point of causing her to cry when she was younger. Pumpkin solved that.

If your dog is constipated, it will soften their stool, and if the stool is too loose, it will firm it up. And so very few calories, great fiber, the wonder vegatable for dogs.

I checked with our Vet a long time ago, and he agreed that giving them this amount every day would keep things on track, and it has.

Also, Dylan had to have his food cut by 20% since his surgery, (do to his confinement & lack of exercise) so at both meals for now he gets 20% more pumpkin, and that is per the Vet's recovery instructions.

I have frozen it before and it was fine, ice cube trays and then popped into a container or plastic bag worked great. Like a summer treat.

darci · 08-10-2006, 11:56 AM

So glad she's pooping for you, And please tell your fiance we hope for a speedy recovery.

We laugh around here as well as our conversation once daily revolves around if the animals have pooped or not.

Chip's Mom · 08-10-2006, 01:23 PM

We do that at our house too. Funny isn't it. Chip vomited during the night and I was up most of the night worried sick that he had a blockage but he got up the next morning, ate breakfast like normal and pooped shortly after. I was glad to see poop too. He had a reaction to a new treat I had given him. No treats now only milkbone type anymore.

CorgiMum · 08-10-2006, 01:27 PM

A few years back Dylan would vomit just before he got up in the morning, then I learned about the hunger theory. Now, when they come in after last potty at 11pm, they each get a biscuit on their way to bed. He's never thown up the yellow bile in the morning again.

corgimom · 08-10-2006, 01:32 PM

Barbara,

Just as my vet suggested in giving them something to eat before bed so that
vomiting doesn't happen in the morning - in regards to the production of bile
during the night time hours - especially dogs with tummy problems.

linda

08-10-2006, 05:15 AM	#1 (permalink)
newcorgiowner Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 50	No bowel movement Greetings, It's been a few weeks since I have been here, life has been pretty crazy the last few weeks. To top things off, my fiance had to have an emergency appendectomy on Tuesday. I return with another problem which is starting to concern me with each passing hour. Monday morning at like 2am I had to take my fiance to the emergency room for severe abdominal pain. As I mentioned she eventually had to have her appendix out later that day and ended up staying in the hospital till late yesterday afternoon. Because of this Gizmo has to unfortunitly spend a lot of time alone the last few days. Every few hours I would drive home to walk her but she spent the vast majority of the time in her cage. I also didn't get to feed her like I should because I was in such a rush to get back to the hospital. She did eat, just not as much as she should have. When we got home yesterday I was able to let her out and allow her to really run around. Around 8 or 9 I was able to give her a nice big bowl of food which she promptly finished off in a few minutes. What concerns me is that she hasn't really had a bowel movement since. I've taken her out a number of times and she always seems to have to pee, but not poop. She'll squat like she is pooping but nothing or almost nothing comes out. She's done this 3 or so times. It's now 4am, she just woke me up because she was either lonely or needed to go out (she peed and squatted like she needed to poop again...nothing though) and I am getting really worried something is wrong. Other then the no-pooping she seems perfectly healthy. She's running around the room, trying to get into things, chewing on her bone. She doesn't seem all that interested in water but her interest in that sometimes comes and goes. My fear is that she has a bowel obstruction of some kind. She vomited or spit up once in her cage last night about an hour or half an hour after she ate, but she has done that before and hasn't done it again since. Is it possible that she could just be constipated? If so, is there anything I can give her to help her out? I'm planning on call the vet in morning if there is still nothing. Her toys look okay, I don't see anything really missing out of it. We noticed a hole in her plastic squeeker recently, but I took that away from her then and it was days ago we did so. I would not bet my life on the fact that she didn't get into anything while my back was turned or something. Am I unreasonably worried at this point or is it somethingn I should seriously be considered about now. Please help. __________________ "In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." - Edward Hoagland

08-10-2006, 05:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
newcorgiowner Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 50	I should mention that she did go I think a couple of times yesterday. __________________ "In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." - Edward Hoagland

08-10-2006, 08:24 AM	#6 (permalink)
newcorgiowner Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 50	She pooped around 5am. I have never been so happy to see poop in my life. She seemed to want more food so I fed her again and she started whinning to go out right after that. I took her out and she made a big pile in the grass. I'll probably give her a little of that pupmkin though because I think she's a little constipated still. Believe it or not I've actually gotten a lot better with the freaking out over little things. My nerves are just a little raw (and I've had almost no sleep) because of the last few days, and I couldn't handle something being wrong with her. She's been a great little strsss reliever through all this. Thanks for the advise. __________________ "In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." - Edward Hoagland

08-10-2006, 10:51 AM	#10 (permalink)
Fluffypants Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,447	Isn't it funny how your life revolves around poop when you have a puppy? Since we have gotten Jackie, we have at least one poop-based conversation a day . . . did she? how was it? big? small? solid? etc. We lead such exciting lives! __________________ Jessica (aka Fluffy-P) Jackie's Dogster Page: www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=262231 My Flickr Page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/71443492@N00/

08-10-2006, 11:56 AM	#12 (permalink)
darci Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,049	So glad she's pooping for you, And please tell your fiance we hope for a speedy recovery. We laugh around here as well as our conversation once daily revolves around if the animals have pooped or not. __________________ Cindy ( darci's mom )

08-10-2006, 06:24 AM	#3 (permalink)
corgimom Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 3,199	newcorgiowner, She may have spit up in her cage due to her being so hungry and eating her food really fast. You can offer her PLAIN canned Pumpkin - the Libbys brand or a generic one just don't buy the one with the pumpkin pie seasonings in it. Give her about 1 tablespoon, or maybe 1/8 cup and continue to feed her regular meals to her. Try this for a couple of days and see if anything happens (my vet always recommends pumpkin for both my cats and dog if they are constipated. If you are still concerned, contact your vet and they can prescribe something else a bit stronger to get things moving or check her out in case she got into something else. Tell your fiance, that I hope she is up and about soon. linda

08-10-2006, 08:16 AM	#4 (permalink)
glencorgi Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Piedmont Triad, NC Posts: 2,705	You've had her off her normal routine and that could be affecting her system. Since she pooped the day before, then a blockage doesn't sound likely. She may have also pooped and eaten it (gross yes, but it does happen). I'll second the PLAIN canned pumpkin Linda made, it won't hurt her at all even if she doesn't need it. Get well wishes to your fiance. Debbie

08-10-2006, 08:23 AM	#5 (permalink)
Jespah Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 1,024	I agree with Debbie and Linda, routine is so important for pups and dogs. Her food and exercise schedule would cause her system to be out of whack. Dogs will often vomit bile when hungry - it's common. As long as she is peppy and bright then try and get her back into a routine ASAP and try the pumpkin. But if you are ever in doubt and you think there is something else wrong - always get it checked out with the vet. Hope your fiance is doing well now too. Deb

08-10-2006, 08:37 AM	#7 (permalink)
Jespah Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 1,024	Super poop! So glad to hear she's okay. Yes, you have many years of poop to look forward to. It's a good indicator of the health of your dog. Some days you'll be glad to see it, some you won't! Hang in there, things will calm down - it's all experience - plus you've got the folks here for advice. Take care of all of you! Deb

08-10-2006, 08:51 AM	#8 (permalink)
Corgi_Princess Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: North Dakota- wheat field paradise,USA Posts: 72	question: what is in the pumpkin that helps stop constipation?? Just curious

08-10-2006, 10:24 AM	#9 (permalink)
corgimom Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 3,199	Wish I knew the exact answer to that question, but it has lots of fiber in it. I would think that peas or some other veggie would show the same results, but my vet always recommends the pumpkin and it always does the job and my cats even like the taste of it. I was thinking that one could spoon it into an ice cube tray and freeze it and then could just take out a "cube" when needed since the can of pumpkin spoils within a few days after opening it. linda

08-10-2006, 01:23 PM	#13 (permalink)
Chip's Mom Global Moderator Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Northeast TN Posts: 2,439	We do that at our house too. Funny isn't it. Chip vomited during the night and I was up most of the night worried sick that he had a blockage but he got up the next morning, ate breakfast like normal and pooped shortly after. I was glad to see poop too. He had a reaction to a new treat I had given him. No treats now only milkbone type anymore.

08-10-2006, 01:27 PM	#14 (permalink)
CorgiMum Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 931	A few years back Dylan would vomit just before he got up in the morning, then I learned about the hunger theory. Now, when they come in after last potty at 11pm, they each get a biscuit on their way to bed. He's never thown up the yellow bile in the morning again. __________________ Greentrees' Top Royal Escort - DYLAN HIC, CGN, CD, FDN Texanda's Montrose - MONTROSE (aka Monty) HIC

08-10-2006, 01:32 PM	#15 (permalink)
corgimom Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 3,199	Barbara, Just as my vet suggested in giving them something to eat before bed so that vomiting doesn't happen in the morning - in regards to the production of bile during the night time hours - especially dogs with tummy problems. linda

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Pembroke & Cardigan Welsh Corgi

No bowel movement