I’m looking after my parents’ dog for a few days. Yesterday, she was fine when I walked her. But this morning, she seemed constipated. The first time she squatted, she yelped after passing what looked like bird seed. She kept stopping to squat, but only a little bit came out at a time, along with some cloudy fluid. I’m really worried she’s in pain or has a blockage. But I have to wait until tomorrow to take her to the vet since that’s when my parents will be back, and they’ll pay for the vet visit.
She’s still eating, though. I fed her soft dog food mixed with water. Is there anything else I can do to help her pass the seed? Should I be more worried about this?
Some dogs are real garbage disposals. Years ago, my 60-lb mutt ate a whole bag of almonds and pooped them out whole with no issues. I suggest you try giving her canned pureed pumpkin (not pie mix). It’s great for most stomach problems in dogs. As long as she’s eating and drinking, she should be fine, but if you think there’s a blockage, definitely take her to the vet. If it’s your parents’ vet, they should be okay with being paid when they get back.
Also, have you called your parents? They might know whether their dog eats everything in sight. My dog has eaten tons of random stuff, so I would just tell a dog sitter to keep an eye on her. Your parents should have a good idea if this is serious or not.
@Vic
She has gotten into things she shouldn’t before, but usually that just gives her diarrhea. She still has an appetite, so I’ll try giving her some pumpkin next. I called my parents, and they spoke to their vet friend. The vet said to give her plenty of water and keep an eye out for vomiting or other signs. So for now, I think she’ll be okay, and hopefully, she’ll pass more of the seed soon.
@Vale
People on this forum tend to get upset about these types of questions, but they probably haven’t had a dog who eats everything. By the way, she’s probably the best dog ever, despite eating anything she can find. When I open a can of pumpkin, I freeze it in cubes for later. It’s helpful when dogs have upset tummies. If you give her pumpkin, she might even like it. My dog loves it, and during the summer, I give her frozen chunks. Hopefully, yours will like it too. I hope everything turns out okay.
@Vale
As long as she’s still eating and not vomiting when she tries to eat, she’s probably passing the seed and it’s working its way out. If there’s an actual blockage, she would have trouble eating.
@Vic
My husky once passed a whole wine cork! And even half a silicone brush! We were worried about the other half, but she ended up throwing it up six months later. The worst scare we had was when she ate a corn cob, but luckily, she threw that up too. She’s three now and much more selective about what she eats, except for dirty Kleenex. She still loves those.
Did you call your parents? They might be able to pay for the vet over the phone. If you don’t drive, you could take her to the vet with an Uber. I think there’s a special option for transporting animals.
If she doesn’t pass a good amount of poop in the next few hours, you might want to treat this as an emergency. Do you have a regular vet you could ask for advice?
Dallas said:
It definitely sounds like there’s a blockage if she’s yelping and not passing anything solid.
She only yelped once at the start, but she is passing the bird seed, just in small amounts. I fed her some soft food, and if she doesn’t pass more soon, I’ll probably have to take her to the vet.
Make sure the bird seed doesn’t have any raisins in it. Sometimes they add dried fruit to the mix, and that could be toxic for dogs. My mom’s dog had an issue with that before.
Rafe said:
Make sure the bird seed doesn’t have any raisins in it. Sometimes they add dried fruit to the mix, and that could be toxic for dogs. My mom’s dog had an issue with that before.
This is really important. Raisins and grapes are toxic to dogs.
The dog might have eaten something it shouldn’t, and dogs don’t have the enzymes to digest certain things. You should contact your parents to see what they think. It might resolve itself, but it could also need professional help.
If it were my dog, I’d be heading to the vet, especially with the cloudy fluid. I’ve had labs before, and I’m convinced they had iron stomachs. One of them even pooped out cloth turds after eating his toys. But I’d be concerned if my dog was passing seeds and cloudy fluid. A call to the vet would be a good idea.
My childhood dog used to eat bird seed from under the feeder. My mom hated it because it scared the birds away, but I think it just gave him a full stomach!