The dog's bowels naturally tend towards costive-ness; the evacuation in health, being of a solid form and voided with more or less straining. Whatever causes deficiency of the intestinal secretions, or impairment of the peristaltic action of the intestine, will lead to a hard or dry state of the faeces, and a difficulty, if not an impossibility, in expelling the refuse matter by the natural act. This natural costiveness, which the dog possesses in common with other carnivorous animals, is further increased by eating bones and other food of a dry kind; or by feeding the dog on the same kind of food for a long period; or by chaining him up in a room or kennel, and thus denying him the opportunity of having proper exercise; or by the acquired restraint on the bowels, which follows the cultivation of habits of cleanliness, especially amongst home and pet dogs. The want of the "dog-grass" may also be set down as one cause of this disorder, or unnatural costiveness.

Symptoms

Although costiveness is very frequently a mere symptom of many diseases, yet, in the dog, it often becomes a distinct disorder, and sometimes a troublesome and dangerous one. Thus, "mange," and other disorders, which may probably, in some instances, be due to the absorption of retained excretion in the bowels, may supervene on constipation. Indigestion, and a foul state of the mouth, teeth, and breath, are sure to come on. But the worst is, that the retained faeces accumulate, and get fixed in the intestine, stretching the muscular fibres and destroying their power of efficient contraction. At the same time, masses of hard faeces become more and more indurated and impacted. Colicky symptoms then come on. The dog is suddenly seized with excruciating pain, and he runs about from one place to another, stumbling against obstacles in his way, perhaps biting his owner, yelling loudly, and attempting to climb up the wall of the room, as if he were mad. There may be a short interval of comparative quietude, but the same actions are repeated, the poor brute is bereft of all consciousness, and presently he dies exhausted by torture and spent out by the violence of his demeanour. Intense inflammation of the bowels has been excited by the impaction of faeces.

The following case, taken from the Edinburgh Veterinary Review', vol. ii. page 412, is a good illustration of the effects produced on the rectum, short of inflammation, by torpor of the bowels: -

"The appearance consisted in the dog attempting to void faeces, and straining violently, but without effect. The anus was observed to be protruded and forming a round, hard swelling; and on examining the rectum with the oiled finger, a portion of solid excrement was found in it, which, in one dog, was found in a dilatation above, and, in the other, below the anus. From the existence of these pouches, faeces accumulated and grew hard, tenesmus was induced, and the passage of other feculent matter was totally prevented. The treatment consisted in allowing only soft food, no bones, giving oil occasionally, and removing the solid excrement by glysters."

Professor Gamgee adds, "As the abnormal dilatation favours the accumulation of excrement, I would suggest the use of astringents locally to diminish or overcome the deformity." Now, as it is quite clear that the dilatation was produced by the accumulation, and not the accumulation by the dilatation, it follows that astringents, or anything else productive of constipation, would do no good whatever, but harm.

Treatment

Something must be done at once to relieve the bowels when it is known that no action has taken place for three or four days; sometimes it is necessary to interfere earlier, but the time of resorting to medicinal or mechanical means depends on the exigencies of each individual case. The belly should be examined with the points of the fingers, and the flanks should be specially fingered. If a hard and knotted substance be felt in the belly of a constipated dog, at the flank near the spine - if the belly be tender and tense and distended - and if the oiled finger insinuated up the rectum feels hard faeces - then it may be assumed that the bowel at its lower part is unduly loaded, that it cannot contract upon, and so expel its contents, and that a mechanical obstruction exists, which should be removed as soon as possible.

The cause of these severe and ominous symptoms, and the danger to life, are alike dependent on the obstruction - the mechanical obstacle. When that is removed, the disease is cured. The means of cure are in great measure also mechanical, and comprise injections, removal of faeces from the rectum with the finger or a scoop, kneading of the belly, etc. Many persons begin at the wrong end. A strong purgative of Epsom salts, or of aloes, or of buckthorn, etc., is given as a matter of course. The result is, not that the obstruction is forced out, but that the contents of the bowel are crammed into a smaller space, and the obstruction made still more difficult to overcome. The best plan is, first of all, to empty the rectum, which is bunged up with hard dry faeces, by means of the finger or a scoop; and then to throw up a copious injection * of warm water containing two tablespoonfuls of oxgall, either fresh or stale. The fluid should be injected through a long, narrow, flexible tube, which should be passed as far as possible, without using the slightest force, lest the bowel be lacerated or ruptured. Everything must be done in the gentlest possible manner. The fluid will soften down the impacted mass, and stimulate the contractible powers of the muscular coat of the bowel. The expulsion of the enema, etc., will be aided by gentle friction, or kneading of the belly with the hand. That part of the intestine which is beyond reach of the finger and the enema, may then be evacuated from before backwards, by a tablespoon-fiil or two of olive oil. In the majority of cases the difficulty will be overcome by these simple means. But if the symptoms about to be spoken of when treating of enteritis be present, the remedies prescribed for that disease must be given. The best remedies for constipation are: - Mercurius † when the evacuations are unusually hard, dry, and lumpy, or pale coloured, and when the tongue is furred, and the breath offensive.

Nux vomica when the constipation results from insufficient exercise, and stimulating: or luxurious food; and when disorder of the stomach and piles co-exist.

* See "Glystering," in Appendix.

† For directions as to dose, etc., refer to "Introductory Remarks".

Sulphur when the last remedy gives only partial relief.

Plumbum aceticum is often efficacious in obstinate cases, especially when characterized by retraction of the belly, and hard faeces in the form of a compact mass.

Hydrastis Canad, is a valuable remedy in some cases.

A fair trial should be given to these remedies before resorting to the mechanical expedients already mentioned.

Foody Etc

The recurrence of constipation may be prevented by changing the diet, and by giving the dog a due allowance of exercise every day. Well boiled oatmeal porridge, an occasional taste of liver, vegetables, etc., form a good dietary for the constipated dog. Purgatives never cure, but in the long run invariably cause, obstinate constipation.