beagle problem with defecation

Question
We adopted a 4 yr old male beagle from a shelter about 11 months ago...we know very little about his background except the manager said the family moved to an apartment and could not keep him.. he was an outdoor dog she said, but when we got him home, he never had an accident inside.  he is loving and wonderful, how ever, every time there is a storm or heavy rain, he will not go out in our back yard to eliminate.  We take him in the front yard and he will urinate, but he will never defecate.  The back yard is fenced and he loves running around in it...he is always inside with us and when he is outside, it is only when we are with him.  I asked the Vet about this and he had no answer.  He has gone 4 days without a bowel movement this time and it worries me.  I am a nurse and he is non tender in his abdomen. He is eating, drinking and plays with out other dogs.  How long can he go safely without a BM?  Any idea why the rain affects his desire to go outside? ( even several days after the rain has stopped!) Thanks in advance for any guidance!

Answer
Hi Cinde;
I am surprised the Vet didn't have an answer for the going without defecating.
I think several days is certainly too long.
He is afraid of storms. NOT unusual in dogs.
The way I get mine over fears is with the T-Touch method of animal massage.
Go to this site and read about the massages and what you can accomplish with them.
The first time I used it for fear was with my 1 year old English Setter.
We had a really bad storm, and she was so terrified she was going into shock.
I gave her a 5 minute massage on her face and ears, and the video instructed, and she lay down and slept through the rest of the storm, and was never afraid of storms again. She died last year of old age, at 132 years old.
   
     www.lindatellington-jones.com

Takje him for a walk about 30 minutes after he eats.
Excercise will help their bowle muscles start to work.
He could be bound up from not going for so long.
I would think the Vet would have a remedy for constipation.
Maybe a new Vet is what you need most.
Not all of them should be practicing, just like some human doctors shouldn't be.
Maybe he graduated at the bottom of his class, and just doesn't know as much as he should.
Could he possibly be going when you don't see him?
I would think he would be lithargic after 4 days.
I don't know if a glycerine suppository would work on a dog.
It is quite possible that nerves binds him up as it does with humans.

I searches for constipation in dogs, and got this information.
Go to this page

http://www.allergicpet.com/products/lax_eze.html?source=GoogleLaxezeAdWord&gclid...

Long address, but I copied and pasted it from the browser address bar.

This is the address for the site's home page
http://www.allergicpet.com/
Hope I have helped.
Charlotte