Puppy Problem!!

[Hayleigh]

Hello,
New to the forums.

My lab pup, Zoe, who is 6 months old, seems to be having trouble passing feces.
This all began yesterday morning, I took her out to the toilet and as she tried to pass feces she let out a loud yelp and continued to cry while trying to pass.

We rang our local vet, they told us to give her plenty of water and soft food. We did this all day, but she still was having issue passing feces.
We then took her to our 24 hour vet clinic and he couldn't seem to find a reason why this was happening.

Today she is still having trouble going to the bathroom.

She is still very energetic and her usual self. There was no blood in her stool and it didn't look any different than normal. She doesn't seem to have any blockages as she is able to pass feces.
The only pain she seems to have is when she is pushing the feces out.

I was just curious to see if anyone else has had this issue, or would possibly know what is causing this to my pup.

Any feedback would be wonderful.

Thanks,
Hayleigh

[MikeLynn]

I'm no expert on this; there are lots of more knowledgeable people here who will hopefully chime in soon. Most of them are, "unfortunately", Canadians and Americans and the time difference can be a pain if you need some advice urgently. The only thing I can think of is a presence of a foreign object lodged in Zoe's intestinal tract or close to her rectum that could make the evacuation unpleasant and painful. However, you've already been to the vet and I assume that your girl had X rays taken to exclude the possibility of blockage. Other than that, I have honestly no idea what it could be. The Forum should start to be a bit more active in a few hours, so hopefully someone who's been through something similar will show up and give you some real advice. Good luck, hope Zoe is back to normal soon. M&M

BTW, hello and welcome!

P.S. To increase the probability that your post is discovered soon by the "right person", try to post it one more time here:
Puppy Health and Care

[Hayleigh]

Thank you for your advice.

We didn't actually get her x-rayed yet, that will be our next option if the problem still persists over the next 24 hours.

Thanks again!!

[SunDance]

Two other things come to mind.....

Perhaps she has something going on with her anal glands....impaction, infection....that makes squeezing the sphincter painful.

Maybe she tweaked something in her legs/lower back that makes straining uncomfortable...the position, not the actual bowel movement.

Good luck....welcome to the board....hope it turns out to be something that straightens itself out.

[Hayleigh]

Thank you SunDance!!

I actually did some research about the anal glands and thought that may be the issue. If she continues to have this problem, I'll make sure to mention to my Vet about the anal glands.
I don't think it's the position she squats in as she urinates just fine when squatting.

Thank you for the feedback, we both appreciate it

[Hayleigh]

UPDATE ON ZOE:

Took her to our local vet today and talked to her about Zoe's anal glands. They were full and they have now been expressed.
Bought her home and she went to the toilet, she passes a bit more feces and she only seemed to cry a little bit.
We were told by our vet that if she continues to still have the issue in 24 hours, give them a call and we will need to get her x-rayed.

Other than that, Zoe is perfectly healthy

Thanks to the people who gave us advice, we greatly appreciate it!!

[MikeLynn]

Thank you for the great update. Hope it was just the glands and Zoe is back to perfect health in no time. Looks like it was a good catch from SunDance I've never had this problem with any of my girls in more than fifteen years, so I would've never thought of that. Good luck and keep us updated. M&M

[Berna]

What diet is she on? Did she, by chance, eat too much bone?

[Hayleigh]

Hi Berna,
We give her dry biscuits in the morning, we add water to them as she is a little stubborn and won't eat them without it and for the rest of the day we feed her wet food.
We don't ever give Zoe bones and as far as we know, she hasn't eaten anything she shouldn't have.

The vet said she is very healthy and doesn't seem to have any blockages.

If the problem still persists in 24 hours, she will have to go get some xrays done. The Vet did mention that it could be her back or back legs that could be giving her the discomfort.
We hope that by having had her anal glands expressed today, she'll be able to pass feces no problem.

Thanks guys for the advice

[BaconsMom]

Hope to hear an update for a good poop!