impacted

[chachi]

Give him a little bit of olive oil.

[rox626]

Plain canned pumpkin is good because of the fiber in it. They like it too. I've heard it's good for constipation and diarrhea as the fiber soaks up the extra liquid. If your dog has decent bowel movements, I don't think that you'll ever have to worry about the anal glands. Debbie is four now and we've never had any trouble with them nor have they ever been expressed. (Knock wood)

[baseballmom22]

Mine had the same thing and the vet said that his anal glads were very enlarged. The groomer normally cleans these out when I take him, but I hadn't had him there in a couple of months. It's really gross to clean them out, so I recommend taking them to the vet or groomers. Mine has done our dogs for 20 years, and it is just something that she does on a daily basis. I also try a little honey to help move them along if they get plugged up.

[snorsworthy]

Puppies tend to gulp their food and this can cause problems when they go potty. Making sure they chew their dog food is the first step. If they just eat it whole you may want to change to a bigger size nugget so they will chew it up.

Puppy or adult, moisture is a key part of keeping your dogs pooh soft and pliable. Dry food is a good aid in cleaning tartar off their teeth but too much dry is harder on their digestive track and can lead to their pooh being too dry to pass so they can tend to back up. Less moisture means a more solid bowel movement. Try mixing part dry and moist food together, making sure your puppy is drinking lots of water. Putting ice cubes in their water bowl will make a water mess but you will find many dogs who fight drinking will find a cube in the bowl fun. Thus while they play, they get more moisture.

[SnowWa]

Keeping the hair trimmed around their little bottom - is very important.

I had a little dog that occasionally went to the bathroom outside, then it would stick to her hair, and then she would scoot around on it --- and we'd end up with the same problem you described. When she scooted around, she was trying to wipe it off - but, instead, she was just smashing it more firmly against herself...creating a greater problem. And, I, like you, would have to take her to the sink and clean up the mess.

So - I learned to constantly keep an eye on her bottom and whether or not she needed to be groomed in that area. I can honestly say that my little dog never had an "impaction problem" --- it's what I would more accurately call a "grooming problem." And, believe me, this little mess can become very firmly lodged or "stuck" to their little bottoms.....no fun!


Good luck! Carol Jean