pets illness

Question
she is at day three without a bowel movement.  She will not drink water so I have made her chicken broth. She is on pain med. and started on the arthritis meds.
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-----Question-----
How long can a dog go without a bowel movement?  I'm going crazy trying to figure what is wrong with my dog.  She is 13 years old and a beagle.  Has been to emergency and her regular vet.  they say it is arthritis she is in so much pain.  Please help should I just let her go?
-----Answer-----
You are the only one who can decide when it is time to let your dog go. This is such a personal decision, and I find my dogs usually tell me when it is time. If the dog still wants to fight and enjoy life, I will help it fight.

Have you asked your veterinarian for meds to ease your dog's pain? We have an older guy here who was injured due to agility. On his bad days, he gets rimadyl, and that helps him a lot. He is also on a daily dose of glucosamine/chondroitin.

I recently read a couple sites on pain, and they basically said that taking an arthritic dog off of all grains might ease his pain. Might be worth a try!

http://www.caberfeidh.com/Pain2.htm
http://www.dogaware.com/arthritis.html
http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/care.cd.html#Arthritis

As to the bowel movement, I have had dogs hold out for a couple days, mostly when they are out-of-town.

Karen  

Answer
This is verging on a vet issue, but if she is not drinking, she could well be constipated. Chicken broth is good, as long as there is no added salt. You could take an eye dropper and force feed water by inserting it between her lips and alongside the teeth toward the rear of her jaw. Is she eating? You could put lots of water (or chicken broth) in her food. And if she isn't eating, that is probably another reason why there are no stools.

Also, if she isn't drinking, she may well be dehydrated and might need sub-q fluids to bring her up to speed. Lift the skin over her shoulders; if it goes down slowly or remains up, she is dehydrated. Skin will return to normal very quickly in a hydrated dog.

And, finally, if the dog isn't eating or drinking, she may be telling you it is time to let her go. That, and a certain indescribable look in the eyes, is what tells me when it is time to let a dog go.

Karen