Home > Pets > Constipation > Constipation Q&A > Help Needed for Small Dog with Dehydration and Constipation

Help Needed for Small Dog with Dehydration and Constipation

Posted By Jody (Texas) on 05/26/2016

I was hoping I would find a remedy for my little 10 pound dog (or supposed to be 10 lbs.) who is moderately dehydrated. He's dehydrated enough that he hasn't had a good poop in about a week and a half. He's had a few little tiny one's that have been like pudding as well as feel like a piece of wood when I've picked them up in their bag. His abdomen is bloated to the point that he looks like he should've exploded a week ago. The only time I SAW him go... he was doing quite a lot of straining. After he drops what will come out he can't get any more out. I've given him canned pumpkin, a couple of days, ACV a couple of days, vegetable oil a couple of days, mineral oil at the advice of one vet I talked to... three times (a teaspoon the first day, waited a day and then about a tablespoon, waited a day and then another tablespoon the day after that) I ended up having to mix the mineral oil with a tiny bit of soft dog or cat food because he wouldn't let me put it down his throat. But, None of it has helped so far. I was able to figure out by pulling up his skin on the back of his neck that he's about a 4 to 5 in the dehydration category. In other words... counting by seconds how long it takes for the skin on his neck to go back into place. I thought I could maybe get him to drink some chicken broth made from a bouillon cube but he won't drink it unless it's mixed with soft food. He sounds like a cat does when they are throwing up a hairball. And up until today... he wasn't throwing up anything. To my surprise.... before all of this came to be, I found out that one of the neighbors had been feeding him bones (chicken bones, steak bones, pork chop bones or whatever kind they had ate that day). So there were days he wasn't eating anything here that I would fix him. And then within two or three days of finding that out... his gut has bloated up like it has. He's OLD enough that he has the white on his eyes and his bottom teeth between his eye teeth (in the front of his mouth) are worn down to the gums. So, I'm thinking he couldn't have chewed up those bones too good when he ate them. But, any ideas for dehydration would be appreciated.

Replied by Theresa

Donate

(Mpls., Mn) on 05/27/2016

Theresa

The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.

About Theresa

Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.

Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.

Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.

-----------------------------

How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation

If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.

http://www.piperslegacy.org/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Bobo-home/1409993732632080?sk=timeline&ref=page_internal

http://ted.earthclinic.com

Hello Jody,

Please take your dog to the vet. While it is possible you can make him drink enough to rehydrate him, getting fluids subcue/injected under the skin is far more efficient at this late stage in the game. This level of dehydration can cause organ failure. The bloated belly could be caused by congestive heart failure, which also has a nasty cough as a symptom. Please take your guy to the vet for a diagnosis first -and then when you know what is going on please report back.

Replied by Suseeq (Sydney Australia) on 05/27/2016

Jody any cooked bones is a no, and pork bones are a no raw and cooked. To get your dog to drink add a little low salt liquid chicken stock to the drinking water, your dog could have a bone stuck internally and thats a vet job. Please ask your neighbour please don't feed your dog as you like to keep a eye on what he eats.

Replied by Debbie (East Sussex) on 05/28/2016

I agree, you need to get to the vets ASAP.

Any cooked bones are a no no. He could have a blockage or other things going on.

He will probably need an x-ray or CT to see what is going on.

Replied by Jody (Texas) on 06/05/2016

Theresa in Mpls., MN....

I'm glad for the suggestion of heart failure that was given... because... the little dog who I thought was constipated.... and had the bloated stomach wasn't constipated and it had nothing to do with constipation.

I finally got him to the vet on the second of this month since that's when I got my check and didn't have any money before then to do so (which is a whole other story in itself).

As it turned out.... when the vet (before he even walked all the way into the room) took one look at Chico... and because of his years in practice... he said he could tell from looking at him that he had heart FAILURE. The vet also said that because it was in such a advanced state (he said it was a grade 6) that he didn't feel that anything he could do for the little dog would actually help him. The vet also said he couldn't understand HOW Chico had survived even that long b/c he'd been in that state for quite some time. The vet never said how long exactly.

He proceeded to explain to me HOW Congestive HF comes about and he also said that Chico was suffering at that point and that even if he were to do anything, he said he didn't believe that Chico would've lived any more than about two months at the most. And that for the procedures he would've had to do there would've been a bill for upwards of 500 bucks. And that would've included the three meds that would've been prescribed that Chico would've had to been on until the end of his life.

The vet at the end said that the most humane thing I could do for Chico was to put him down. I have to wonder that IF I would've been able to afford that vet bill WITHOUT having to make payments (which I was actually rudely made aware of in 2014 when I had to take two months to pay for one of my cat's shots.... that it's UNACCEPTABLE to them) if the ENTIRE story would've been different. Or at least the part where he was too bad off to be helped. Because the vet also made the statement that he didn't think that Chico had but a couple of DAYS left to live. And that supposably his kidneys had also shut down. I just wonder HOW they can make that determination without doing blood work. I DID mention that I was able to figure out that he was dehydrated. But then, the statement was also added that even if I'd brought Chico in two weeks earlier, there still would've been NOTHING that could've been done.

So, I'm trying to get over having to do all of that while at the same time trying to figure out if there are any things I can do to SLOW DOWN that sort of thing from happening to the four remaining dogs. Are there preventative things that can be done at all?

Replied by Theresa

Donate

(Mpls., Mn) on 06/07/2016

Theresa

The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.

About Theresa

Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.

Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.

Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.

-----------------------------

How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation

If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.

http://www.piperslegacy.org/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Bobo-home/1409993732632080?sk=timeline&ref=page_internal

http://ted.earthclinic.com

Hey Jody,

I am sorry to hear about Chico. I will say that vets who have seen a lot and seen it all really can tell by one look what a problem might be. Sure, they need tests to confirm, but sometimes you just have a hunch; I kind of had a hunch when I replied.

I will also say that some critters know - know that money is tight, know they don't want their life extended by drugs that aren't good for them, know it is simply their time to move on. I have a feeling Chico was one of those super smart dogs that knew in the end that looking bad when he did was all the time you needed; dogs can hide illness very well, so if he looked worse or acted worse you might have had to spend sooner than you did even more money you did not have on expensive treatments that would maybe buy him a few months more time, with maybe not so good side effects. I have had more than one pet check out on me when I did not expect it, and only later realized the wisdom of their timing as I truly believe they do have a sense of timing.

So HUGS to you and to Chico a true warrior and caretaker to you. It sounds like he was a blessing to you and he will live forever in your heart if not in spirit.

As for the 4 remaining pack members, much as I hate to say it, it would be good thing for a vet check. BUT you can likely find ways to do simple vet exams at home for heart rate and feel for lumps and bumps. What isn't so easy to do at a home check is lab work and blood work, which is always expensive. Lab tests on the blood show if the organs are working correctly - even before obvious symptoms of organ failure like bloating or changes in skin color.

What I would do if this were my pack is: read up on home vet exams and do what you can to rule out lumps and bumps and the like. If you can take pulse do so and make sure it is in the range of normal. If you are not already, feed a diet without a bunch of grains as they can cause problems down the road. Ideally you would feed a home made diet - which might be cheaper than store bought, especially compared to special prescription medical diets. I would do a vet appointment for one dog at a time so to spread out the expense - maybe oldest first. I would ask for an exam ONLY and then discuss concerns -lumps and bumps, or what is advised. Let the vet know as soon as you walk into the exam room that you want an exam and to discuss the results so YOU can determine the next steps. Do NOT let them give any shots - if you see them pull out a needle to give a shot shut them down and tell them you will NOT pay for something you did NOT authorize. Remember YOU are the one calling the shots. So listen and take notes about old dog problems and what you might expect given the history of your particular dogs. They might look in the mouth at the exam and say the teeth are bad/need cleaning/need extraction - and this may be so, but you can try things first at home to save on a dental cleaning, so you want to have that chance instead of just pay, pay, pay.

Things you can do that are really easy and cheap for long term health are Ted's Borax protocol for dogs and also alkalzing the drinking water with baking soda. Read up on EC's pages on how to do this.

And finally if you vaccinate yearly STOP. The ONLY vaccine required by law is rabies. No kennel cough, no lymes, no more of anything UNLESS you have young puppies or dogs under 1 year.

Please report back!

Replied by Jody (Texas) on 06/10/2016

Theresa,

Thank you for your advice and condolences. I'd never thought of that about dogs knowing when it's time to move on.

And before you'd mentioned about it possibly being heart failure.... I didn't know any more about it besides the fact of one person I met back home who had it. I just always presumed that it meant the heart just stops. Thus being the end of life.

Then, it's been a while ago (I don't even remember where I read it) that I read about vaccines not being necessary but every three years. Even for cats. I wish I'd known that with my little Beagle mix when he was still alive and we lived back home b/c I was getting his vaccines every year as with the cats.

The rest of this pack (there's only TWO left of the ORIGINAL pack who were already here before we ever moved over here). That being the case... I don't know if ANY of them have ever had their vaccines. I don't know if anyone else even knows. And don't know anything about their health other than what I've seen since they've been here. I did read though that with one being a Golden, and the other one having Lab in her, they're also (b/c of their breed) susceptible to the same thing that Chico had.

Although, the Pitbull has or supposably has had his rabies shot since he was a pup (he's three now). But according to the guy who had him, that's all he's gotten him. He's about two months over do for that. As is one of my cats.

I'll be looking into the info. that you left me here and again thank you.

Back to Constipation Q&A