i'm confused. we recently adopted two rescue american eskimos. both were constipated
as a result of their stay in a shelter and our vet recommended pumpkin or green bean
baby food. he said both had fiber to help loosen them up. i'm confused as it seems some use these for loose poop. 

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1/2 Canned pumpkin have 3.6g of fiber. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to the stools (firm up to take better shape) and speeds up the passage of stools through the colon. It will not make the dog constipated.
CannedPumpkin definately will help either constipation or loose stools :)
If the stools seem to be getting really loose then you know that you probably need to cut back on the amount of pumpkin.
I agree with Sam use the pumpkin. Maybe your vet meant loosen them up in the term of.. help them go?

take it from someone who just had her gallbladder out and uhm.. had the same issue afterwards ;) Fiber helps for both situations. Though pumpkin is probably more tasty for the dogs then the powdered junk I had to drink.. bleh..
all i have to do is feed my dog a little wet dog food and and that causes him to have diarriah
Soluble fiber found in pumpkin will aid with either constipation or diarrhea. It helps regulate the passage of stool through the tract by holding appropriate amounts of water, among other things. This quote is from a HUMAN site on dealing with IBS: http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/fiber1.asp

"Why is soluble fiber so special? Because unlike any other food category, it soothes and regulates the digestive tract, stabilizes the intestinal contractions resulting from the gastrocolic reflex, and normalizes bowel function from either extreme. That's right – soluble fiber prevents and relieves BOTH diarrhea and constipation. Nothing else in the world will do this for you. "

And here's a list from the site of foods containing soluble fiber (as opposed to bran, which is insoluble fiber):

Rice
Pasta and noodles
Oatmeal
Barley
Fresh white breads such as French or sourdough (NOT whole wheat or whole grain)*
Rice cereals
Flour tortillas
Soy
Quinoa
Corn meal
Potatoes
Carrots
Yams
Sweet potatoes
Turnips
Rutabagas
Parsnips
Beets
Squash and pumpkins
Mushrooms
Chestnuts
Avocados (though they do have some fat)
Bananas
Applesauce
Mangoes
Papayas (also digestive aids that relieve gas and indigestion)

You'll notice many of those ingredients in various commercial kibbles. More:

"How is this possible? The "soluble" in soluble fiber means that it dissolves in water (though it is not digested). This allows it to absorb excess liquid in the colon...." I've left out the really descriptive parts. :)
Oh, thank you, I should have added that was from a HUMAN site and not all those items are safe for dogs! My mistake. Thank you for your excellent point.
I would check the little grocery stores that don't have many customers but might have some left from the Christmas/Thanksgiving baking season. There was a growers' issue and much of the harvest was lost. I stocked up a bit, but I'll be out soon. I don't give it to mine all the time though.
Can you order it online from like a peapod.com store or something?
pumpkin kind of the cure-all for the poo issues :) just watch them closely so you know if they are getting better or not
This is the secret of fiber! Fiber can slow you down and speed you up(lol).
Like Sam said, fiber adds bulk to poops. It keeps them "fluffy". If they're "fluffy" then they're not hard and difficult to pass. If they're "fluffy" they're also not liquid and flying out of your dog at a hundred miles an hour.
Science! If it can't give you a cure for cancer, it can at least explain poop texture.
Haha!

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