Stop Pet Constipation Today

What is pet constipation?

Pet constipation is a particularly common and uncomfortable complaint that you can treat at home. In some rare cases the steps that we will outline will fail to solve the problem and a visit to your vet will be required.

Some pets are more prone to constipation than others and it's particularly important for their owners to know about home treatment so that the situation can be remedied as quickly as possible.

Proper digestion allows our four legged friend to breakdown and absorb all the nutrients in their food. Generally speaking, in the small intestine they breakdown food and absorb nutrients and in the large intestine they absorb water

Fiber and exercise keep this process moving along nicely and digestive enzymes and friendly bacteria inside their gastrointestinal tracts ensure that food is properly assimilated.

Constipation simply means that it takes too long for the food that our cat or dog has eaten to travel through their digestive system. This ends up producing very hard and dry feces that are painful and difficult to pass.

How to spot pet constipation

Cat intestines are sturdy things. They are built to handle all sorts of matter, from hairs that she's ingested while cleaning herself, to the indigestible bits and pieces of small prey (feathers and hair for example).

Dog bowels are also very robust. They are built to gorge on large quantities of food in one go and then can wait for relatively long periods of time before their next feed. In the wild this would have helped when they preyed on larger animals.

Keep an eye on your pet's bowel movements. Sluggish bowels are an indicator of poor digestive health. If they are straining to go and is unhappily producing hard stones of fecal matter then they are constipated. Listen out for any whimpering or any failed attempts to poop. If your cat goes to the litter tray does a little whimpering and comes out without pooping, then she's constipated. If your dog repeatedly makes like he's going to poop but doesn't, then he's constipated.

If he or she is only going every other day, but their bowel movements are soft and well formed, there is unlikely to be a problem.

How to avoid pet constipation

• Ensure that they have access to clean water always. Ideally this would be filtered instead of chlorinated tap water.

• Feed them on a quality diet, high in as many raw foods as possible. Where they aren't eating raw food, please choose a premium quality manufactured food. Avoid cheap, processed pet food at all costs. If you are wondering what is a premium pet food, then click here to see a selection where everything for sale is top quality.

• Exercise helps bowel motility. All that moving around helps the food travel through the gut. Inactive animals will suffer more from constipation.

• Groom your cat regularly. Ingested hair is a common cause of constipation in cats.

How to treat pet constipation

If the above prevention tips fail to keep their bowels moving healthily, then try some digestive supplements:

• Both of these supplements are great for regular and healthy bowels in cats and dogs. 
• Introduce the treatments one at a time.
• Please read the manufacturers dosage instructions. 
• Seek veterinary advice if your pet is being treated for an existing health condition.

Please note

Cats are also prone to a condition called megacolon. The exact cause behind most cases of megacolon is unknown. But what this condition means is that the cat's large intestine has become enlarged and filled with hard fecal matter. Middle aged and male cats are at higher risk. In the rare cases when kitty is showing no signs of improvement following the above steps, you should visit the vet to check to see whether there is potentially something else blocking the intestines.