Daily Struggles (Process of Elimination)
From the day we met Sully has been having mild to moderate constipation. She does go every day, but her stools are slightly hard and she sometimes strains to go. I mix her dry food with water, vegt. oil, a LOT of peas, green beans or spinach, and pumpkin so it is basically veggie pudding with some softened dry food and some wet food. The vet suggested all of the above, which has helped, but keeping her weight down means trying to serve her 1/3 C of food 2x daily and trying to balance her nutritional need for protein with her medical need for veggies. I also give her extra veggies for snacks but even that doesn't help as much as I would expect. It is complicated further by the fact that she doesn't like to go in the snow, but she will do so reluctantly. She doesn't get much exercise other than walking, though she gets lots of that. When she doesn't want to move she lays down and makes like a rock hat has to be pushed across the floor like a box of cement. Funny but annoying. She is more speed bump than "prancer" but she enjoys walks and will walk long distances. I have never seen her run or frap. Favorite toys are blankets and pillows. I am not able to get her to any agility classes or exercise parks as we live in a very small town and I use public transportation or para-transit and it is hard to transport her that way. We do live in a rural area though so we can walk forever in the woods, though I need to take many breaks, for me not Sully. We walk much less now due to hunting season. (The roads have no sidewalks and the woods have bullets.) Have an appointment with the vet in February for a follow up. I am hoping this may be a corgi specific dietary issue that someone else may have encountered and solved already. Thanks!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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I would think that you can get away with eliminating most of those vegetables and just upping the amount of pumpkin you give, maybe add a little bit of plain yogurt as well. This will help keep her weight down and make feeding easier. If the veggies aren't helping, ask your vet about a stool softener. Some dogs need a daily or every few days dose of something like lactulose to help soften their stool. Exercise always helps but I understand its hard to force a corgi to do anything they don't want to!
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Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on
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I would also up the amount of pumpkin you are giving as well. Pumpkin can go both ways, it can cause loose stools, but also helps with constipation. Hope it is as simple as upping the amount of pumpkin.
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Permalink Reply by Abbey & Anne on
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Google fish oil to aid constipation in dogs. It is recommended with the pumpkin you give Sully daily. I add fish oil to Abbey's food each day. Hope this helps you.
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good idea anne! lance is on fish oil, not for constipation but other health issues, and he always has to go right after he eats his meal I put the fish oil on.
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Permalink Reply by Tori on
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OH MY GOSH! I wonder if this is why Winston is the way he is - all his life, he has had to go almost immediately after eating and I've always fed him foods that are fish-based. Huh. Interesting.
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Permalink Reply by Holly on
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Thanks everyone! I have an appointment with the vet next month, but I hope your suggestions solve it sooner than that. I feel bad since Sully was not having this problem before I adopted her, but she was using a dog door then and they said they may have missed any problems when she was there. Her high quality food is NOT cheap so I hope the fish oil helps. I was afraid any additional pumpkin might have the opposite effect, but I have tons of pumpkin so I will give that a shot as well. She has had some skin reactions so I never feed her anything aside from the vet recommended vegetables and dog food so I should be able to tell right away if something is helpful or not. Thanks again everyone!
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Just wanted to clarify to get plain canned pumpkin not the pumpkin pie mix
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Yes, Thanks Natalie. The vet recommended it. I never give her any additives I can avoid as she gets skin allergies that I haven't yet pinpointed.
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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Is Sully getting her daily on leash walk outdoor 24/7? It helps to regulate and move things along.
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Thanks Sam. We do walk 2-3 x daily for 10 minutes to 3 hours per trip, depending on weather. We both prefer colder weather, but I take her out in any weather. We both hate heat and humidity but that only lasts a few weeks in New England. The super cold weather with ice and snow seems to bother Sully's feet, but she will walk at 20 minutes to 90 mins.3 x daily. It is hard to motivate Sully to exercise and I am embarrassed to admit I sometimes have to offer a treat to keep her moving. She loves walks in the woods beside our house, but it is hunting season and I worry about less intelligent hunters aiming for us. She is no athlete, but I do try to get her to run through fields and such and I insist on daily walks. Still, Sully is not motivated to exercise, even at gunpoint so she tends to be a coach potato. I have taken her for walks and she actually lays down and refuses to move sometimes. Very entertaining for the neighbors and very embarrassing for me. Too smart for her own good. Working on more exercising though. You make a great point!
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