# Frequent constipation....could Blue Buffalo food be causing this??



## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

I've been feeding my mini schnauzer/shih tzu puppy Blue Buffalo since she was 8 weeks old. She turned 1 year in July. I just read the recall "Sticky" and mine wasn't on there, but I'm still concerned. A friend told me Blue can cause constipation. She also seems to urinate frequently and sometimes (other than first thing in the morning) it's just a small dot. I have to give her pumpkin more often than I'd like to for the constipation. This all seemed to begin when I changed her from the puppy formula to the adult formula when she turned a year old. Now I have NO idea what to change her to or if I should. All this supposedly good dog food out there and then we find they have to recall it. Not everyone reads these threads and their dog could be in danger. Can anyone PLEASE advise me as to what to change her to OR if I should. Blue is not cheap but I want to give her the best I can afford. Thanks for any advise you can give.

FYI: I'm feeding her "Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula with LifeSource Bits" Natural Fish and Brown Rice Recipe Small Breed Adult. I also give her the canned Blue mixed with the dry for her morning meal....and sometimes in the evening too.


----------



## domika (Jul 1, 2012)

How often is your dog going? Are the poops hard or soft?


----------



## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

Lately she's been going pretty regularly. It's only about 3 days of the week that she doesn't go until I give her about a tablespoon of pumpkin....then she goes within a half hour. Her stools can vary between hard and medium....no very soft stools. This morning is one of the days she hasn't went yet and it's now almost 1 pm and she ate breakfast at 7 am.....maybe here comes the pumpkin again.


----------



## domika (Jul 1, 2012)

This is just me, I'm not a vet and don't claim to be knowledgable on this subject so hopefully someone else comments. I would call my vet and just ask if they have suggestions. I would probably switch foods too if this has been happening for a while. How many days have you waited out the dog or do you always give in and feed pumpkin now? I think it took my dog more than 6 hours to digest kibble sometimes. 

Either way I'd probably switch foods.


----------



## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

How large is the stool compared to the stool from other food? Max is an annoying poop per meal kind of dog while Sassy preferred to have stool about the same size every time. So Max might poop 1-5x a day depending on how many meals his gut told him he had had and Sassy might poop every two days if her meal had little waste to it.

If her poop isn't hard and she isn't straining then she may be just fine.


----------



## 5 s corral (Dec 31, 2007)

I just adopted a 10lb dog from the shelter not sure what he is but hes a cutie for sure 
he was having poop problems and my vet told me to give himmedamucial half tea spoon 
twice a day so far it has worked i got the unflavored kind


----------



## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

Well, I've always been under the assumption (from reading) that a dog will go poop right after they eat. I think the longest I've waited to give her the pumpkin was about half a day. My pup has been "wee-wee pad" trained since 8 weeks old. If I go outside with her right away, she will go right away. If it's a rainy day and we don't go out, there have been times when she doesn't go almost all morning after eating. The last couple of days she's been going right after she eats. Oh, BTW, I also give her poached chicken, steamed veggies and other good real food about twice a week. I always check online before feeding her something....even seasonings like herbs....to see if it's good for her. If I change food, I have NO idea what to change her to. I know the "regular store brands" aren't good (again, from reading here), but I have no idea what to feed her.


----------



## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

No, it's not hard usually. It has been before and that's when the pumpkin comes out....then it's fine. Her poop isn't in balls....it's sort of long and sometimes curled. If Missy hadn't pooped in two days like your Sassy, I'd be climbing the walls. Maybe I'm just a paranoid mom. :-O


----------



## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

I had to do a double take on the himmedamucial  .....until I realized you meant metamucil. One time when Missy hadn't pooped ALL day, I gave her a tiny bit of Milk Of Magnesia in some food. (I didn't have any pumpkin.) She began going about a half hour later, it was normal.....no liquid or soft stool....and I couldn't believe that much could come out of such a small puppy. I think she went about 3 times that day....all normal looking and all HUGE piles for her. I think I know how much better she must have felt to get all that out of her.


----------



## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

Thanks for all the advice....but I still don't know if I should change her food or not from the Blue Buffalo. If so, what do you all suggest I change her to??


----------

