constpation in puppies

Question
i have a 9 week old mini pinscher/chihuahua mix puppy. this morning she was having a bowel movement and started to cry out. it seemed like she was straining when she was going. i feed her iams puppy dry food and she also gets iams puppy bones as a treat when she does good. like when she goes on her puppy pad to relieve herself. she is fed 2 days daily once in the morning and then again around 4 0r 4:30 in the afternoon. she has a full bowl of fresh water at all times during the day. she is eating fine and playing and not acting sick at all. she runs around the house all day long playing with my other dog. both my dogs are inside dogs and never go out unless its with us in the car. can you please help me with this problem thanks so much. oh and she just had her second set of puppy shots on 3-19-09. please let me know thank you millie

Answer
You might want to cut back on the Iams bones treats.Those can be fairly constipating since they are not as nutritious as the regular food. If you want to give her a treat, just give her one piece of her usual food.

If the food keeps constipating her then you might need to put her on a food with smaller pieces that is formulated for small breed dogs such as the Science Diet small bites puppy growth. I have never known a dog in 30 yrs get constipated from this food.

If you do switch her do it slowly over to the new food over a seven day period. Before you switch you should talk to your vet about her being constipated at all.

I hope she feels better soon.