Dog obstruction question

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Bubba the viscous attack coonhound that almost loved Polly to death, has a problem with getting obstructed. He's already had two operations to remove a)a vollyball and b)a plastic wrapped "something".

He's a loooong dog.And fast.When he runs thru the pasture he looks like a greyhound. Scary to see him come at you full speed. Because of this body shape and the surgery, he's obstructed twice more, but has been able to work it thru. Would you recommend keeping oil in his diet to help him with elimination? If so, what oil would be best? Saffowwer, olive, cod liver, or leftover chicken broth maybe? I know not corn oil. Would this be too much fat, and result in a weight gain? He's a big dog, and won't fare well with extra weight.

We know this dog isn't going to last long. We already dug his grave prior to the last operation. He's only 3 years old and it's really hard to think of having to put him down, he is so full of life. But we know it's inevitable, We're just trying to help him last as long as we can. There'll be no more operations tho. He already worth over $1000.00 now. Most expensive free dog around.

I put this under "livestock".I could not find a pet category.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Answers

What we always used was Karo Syrup. If horses got stopped up, we pumped (literally) about 8 or more bottles into them. Something slippery I would think. Is Karo Syrup ok for dogs? Maybe just a bit each day wouldn't hurt. I don't know, it's sugary. Things do tend to slide right out though. Syrup will get rid of gas also.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

I'll leave the sugar and horses to Cindy, but I do know that sugar aint no good for dogs. Makes em blind. Course if you think he's gonna die soon anyway maybe it doesnt matter. And I don't know for sure, but sugar can CREATE gas; sure does in me!

I would try givin him his natural food: meat and fat. Raw. It will not make him fat; it's what he was meant to eat. Grains, which is what makes up most dog foods, are not.

Poor fella.......

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001


Bubba ate a volley ball? Oh Mercy!!!!

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Well, we always put Karo in the baby's bottles when they were constipated; sure worked for them, tho I'm not sure how it works!

The fat might not be a bad idea - maybe go to the butcher and get several pounds of suet and toss him a chunk every so often? I get suet from the locker plant in huge bags to melt down and make bird feeder things out of, doesn't cost hardly anything.

Bubba is such a big ole lovin' sweety-pie - world sure would be a sadder place without that dog!

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001


Hi Nick and Sharon,.....we have raised large breed dogs on a natural diet,it goes like this.Oats,raisins,honey ,slippery elm bark and goats milk for brekkie,raw meat with grated carrot,kelp powder and garlic for the other meals.I would try to keep things movin' even if he's on kibble.Use bran mixed with canned food to make a slurry to pour over his kibble.We never feed large breeds dry food unless its been soaked,it can swell and cause stomach torsion.Get him to drink lots,and no heavy exersion after eating.I would feed him enough bran to keep him on the runny side of things(gee i'm glad its not suppertime).You could get creative and make some bran and chicken biscuits and bake em'.?I sure hope you can git him rightened,he sounds like a keeper!!!

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001


Karo syrup? For horses? Well, maybe...it's a liquid form of sugar, and sugar draws moisture, moisture loosens up dry obstructions like grass and grain, but I'm not sure that it would work on a volleyball?!?! (I assume he chewed it up and swallowed the pieces -- we had an English Pointer who had an appetite for rocks, plastic bags, gloves, wire, and blocks of wood)

When my horses get colic, the first thing that comes to mind is pumping in mineral oil. It won't be absorbed by their system like vegetable oil is, and lubricates to help impacted fecal matter pass. That MIGHT help, but I'm skeptical, given the nature of these odd things your dog is swallowing. We also sometimes gave DSS (a soap product I understand) via a naso-gastric tube that would draw water into the system and soften up dry matter, but again, I'm not sure that would help.

How about increasing the number of feedings throughout the day so that there is always something in his system? I was also thinking about whether beet pulp in the food would help, since it has a lot of bulk to it, but it's not terribly palatable to dogs unless you soak it up in some kind of tasty broth maybe...don't feed it dry, or you'll just compound your problems tho.

-- Anonymous, August 06, 2001


Bacon grease, too much, will give you the runs. Or hamburger grease will too. Refried beans? Pinto beans? Both of those work too.

-- Anonymous, August 06, 2001

Thanks everyone.These things will help.I wasn't sure what would be best. I'd guess not karo for a dog tho, bc it's corn syrup.

And Bubba,like the dog julie described, has eaten all sorts of things. He's just one big old dumb loveable oaf. His name is perfect for him. He's Nick's dog but he seems to think I'm his best buddy. Don't know where he ever got that idea. I have a story about him that I wrote. Just haven't typed it up yet.

Kirk ...The volleyball has a bunch of stringy components inside that wouldn't allow the pieces to pass, so he had to be opened up. He found an old one under the shed that had been left here. Expensive lesson learned.....don't let animal chew on a volleyball.

-- Anonymous, August 06, 2001


Boy this thread sure is interesting! The things I never knew ! Reminds me of something tho.! Oh yah, when I was pregnant the first time, Bre was a week overdue, the ole timers out in Mo. advised me to drink a little Caster Oil. And they advised the same thing for me to give my baby a week later when Bre hadn't had her first bowel movement yet.

-- Anonymous, August 07, 2001

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