dog not pooping

Question
hi, my dog has not pooped in like 6 days. she is not eating and had been having problems pooping before. so i switched her dog food to iams but its not helping. shes drinking water and peeing but that is it. what do i do? please help. i have lost my job a month ago and have no money otherwise i would have brought her to a vet. i have no money to pay one ...i dont know what to do?

Answer
Hi Adam,

You didn't say how long ago you changed your dog's food, or if you changed food gradually or abruptly. Changing a dog's diet quickly can cause an upset stomach. If your dog's stomach is upset, she may not feel like eating, and if she's not eating she wouldn't be having bowel movements.

I can't diagnose your dog's problem. It could be a simple case of constipation complicated by changing diets, or it could be something more.  Is your dog  just turning up her nose at just the new dog food, or can she be tempted to eat something?

If you can get her to eat scrambled eggs, grated hard boiled egg,  or some cottage cheese that would be a good start. If you're able to jump start her into eating, adding a small amount of dog food into the tempting food might work, eventually adding more and more of the dog food, and less and less of the tempting food.

When a dog is constipated, just as when a person becomes constipation, they need more fiber in their diet, assuming there isn't medical problem causing the constipation. Giving your dog a couple of baby carrots, or a few apple wedges (without seeds!) every day, is a good way of adding some roughage and most dogs really love these treats. Alternatively, you could add bran to each meal (1/2 to 1 tsp).  A simple, isolated episode can be treated with a stool softener such as Laxatone, which you can buy at one of the giant pet warehouses. When adding fiber to your dog's diet,  it's best to start out using less, to see how it effects your dog and add more as your dog tolerates it.

If you can't tempt your dog into eating anything, then you have to think it's more than a simple case of constipation, and she needs the care of a veterinarian. I understand you're having financial concerns at the moment, but it's not something that can be avoided. You should contact your regular vet, to see if you could pay a bill off over an agreed upon period of time, or contact your local animal shelter or humane association to see if there are any reduced cost clinics in your area. Asking friends or family for a loan is another idea.
There are special credit cards you can use for medical bills, including veterinary care:   Credit Care: http://www.carecredit.com
Citi Healthcard:  www.healthcard.citicards.com

The following is a list of organizations that provide financial assistance to pet owners in need. Please keep in mind that each organization is independent and has their own set of rules and guidelines. Therefore you will have to investigate each one separately to determine if you qualify for assistance:

IMOM Inc.: www.IMOM.org/
Help-A-Pet: www.help-a-pet.org/
The Pet Fund: www.thepetfund.com/
Good Sam Fund: www.goodsamfund.org/
United Animal Nations LifeLine Fund: www.uan.org/
Angels for Animals: www.angels4animals.org/
Brown Dog Foundation: www.browndogfoundation.org/home/
The Mosby Foundation: www.themosbyfoundation.org/
God's Creatures Ministry Veterinary Charity: www.all-creatures.org/gcm/help-cf.html


Best of luck,
Patti