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new yorkie pup

20 11:39:00

Question
I bought a new pup she is 8 weeks old and she is constipated. I took her to the vet and he said rub her but with a warm rag well I did and she still hasn't used the bathroom.

Answer
Charity,

What are you feeding her?  Often times new puppies get constipated because their tiny bodies cannot digest the food well.  All puppies are different and while some can start eating hard dog food at eight weeks others cannot.  The reason the vet told you to rub her butt with a warm rag is because that sensation simulates the mother licking the puppies butt which in turn makes them poop.  If the mother did not care properly for the puppies for whatever reason that could also be the problem.

My suggestion would be to get some Gerber baby cereal (rice works best) it comes in a box and it looks like tiny white flakes.  Mix it with warm water till it is a loose consistency and then feed it to the puppy.  You will have to experiment with the consistency at first but you will get it right fairly quickly.  As the puppy gets older increase the thickness of the baby food till it gets like oatmeal.  Then switch her to puppy chow or something similar.  When you first give her the puppy chow you will need to soak it in warm water at first so it is mushy and easy to chew.  Gradually decrease the water until the food is hard and water is nolonger needed.

The whole process should not take more than a month and if she is still constipated you will need to revisit the vet because there is something wrong.  You must be careful with constipation in puppies so if she doesn't poop at all after three days I would call my vet to see what he thinks you should do.

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