pumpkin helps constipation??

[Emily, Jace, & Maggie Devers]

Maggie has had a difficult time having a bowel movement last night and this morning, I looked up online some natural laxatives for dogs and most people were saying 100% pumpkin or probiotics (yogurt) I gave her yogurt at dinner last night and the first meal today, she had a small BM at lunch. she had a lot of fur around her behind so I trimmed that up really good and hopefully that helps some. My question is does pumpkin really help, I know people say that pumpkin helps firm stool up so how can it help loosen it? Thanks in advance!

[Jen W]

I don't know the answer with any degree of scientific certainty, but anecdotally, I know that after Dory's eaten a pumpkin-stuffed Kong her poops are runnier the next day.

There's a lot of fiber in pumpkin, so it seems to make sense that it should help with constipation, but not so much the firming up stool.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The sole reason for giving pumpkin to dogs is because it is very high in fiber. Fiber is important for normal stool formation, and it helps with both diarrhea and constipation. Here's how:

“Fiber actually works as a bowel regulator and can be effective for both constipation and diarrhea,” says gastroenterologist David Goldstein, MD, of Old Hook Medical Associates in Emerson, N.J.

When you're constipated, your body makes stool that is dry and hard. Fiber helps pull water from the colon, making the stool softer and easier to pass. So if you're often constipated, eat a fiber-rich diet.

The other extreme is diarrhea, which happens when there is too much water in the colon. Again, fiber can help get your system back in order.

“Soluble fiber can actually absorb excess fluid in the bowel and thus act to firm up a loose stool. Think of it as a sponge effect,” Goldstein says.

And this is how it works for dogs, too. :)

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

Pumpkin is just adding fiber to the diet.  Fiber helps to create "bulk" to the stool to help it pass.

When you say Maggie is having a hard time going..is she straining to go? or just not going at all?

[Emily, Jace, & Maggie Devers]

Thanks you all! Karen thanks for the explanation, I've always wondered how it all worked!:) Jill, she strained to go last night and this morning she just squatted with very little coming out and I would explain what happened that lead me to trim her bottom up but I will spare you all the details... My DH was the one who took her out at lunch so I'm not sure. I'm going to pick up some pumpkin for her tonight and giver her a big kong full of it and then hope for the best tomorrow, if by this time tomorrow I dont see any improvements I think we'll be taking a trip to the vet to make sure we dont have an obstruction on our hands!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You can also use plain old sweet potatoes, baked in the microwave, peeled and mashed with a fork. More fiber than pumpkin, and usually cheaper. Dogs love them, too. 

[Stephanie and Ragley]

I second the sweet potato. Ragley goes crazy for sweet potato. Pumpkin is nice in her book, but sweet potato is like gold!

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

Good luck, let us know how things go!

[Emily, Jace, & Maggie Devers]

I'm gonna try sweet potato with jace! He's not a huge fan of pumpkin. I fill a kong with it and he just gives me a look like "this is NOT peanut butter or Greek yogurt mom"

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

JD hates pumpkin but will eat sweet potatoes without a problem. I encase all of his pills in mashed sweet potatoes, too.