[pinefresh316]

I'm calling it constipation but it may not be exactly that. My teacup chihuahua has a lot of trouble pooping. She poops at least once a day, but it just seems to be a huge struggle for her. I can't really tell if she is in pain, but it's a strain on her for sure.
Someone had suggested to me that it may help her to feed her a pouch of wet food a couple times a week in addition to her regular kibble, but it hasn't helped yet. Are there any remedies I can try to make it easier for her to go, without having to give her medication of some sort? I'm afraid any kind of anti-constipation meds might make her sick.

 

[Rain]

What food are you feeding her? The quality of the food can play a huge role in how much a dog goes. If you are feeding her a food that is high in corn, and nearly all grocery store brands contain high amounts of corn, that will make her poo large, since corn is a filler, dogs do not digest it well and it just passes through them.

You can give her 1/2 a teaspoon of canned 100% pumpkin and see if it helps. It must be 100% pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin helps with both constipation and diarrhea but does not fix whatever is causing the problem so still consider what you're feeding her.

Since she's a teacup you should also take her to the vet and make sure there is not an underlying medical problem. Teacup is not a standard size for Chihuahuas, breed standard calls for just one size for them, and the teacups can have genetic problems associated with their tiny size, some of those are digestive problems.

 

[RockysA]

With this winter Rocky hasn't been getting his usual 2 (mile and a half) walks a day. I've noticed his poops are getting pretty hard and it seems like more work for him. I think it's lack of his usual exercise...and he might be drinking less water as a result.

So if you don't have a regular exercise program, staring one may help with that.