# 3 days without a poop - should I be worried?



## xellil

She seems normal, last night I thought she was a little lethargic but my husband says this morning she is perky as ever, but still no poop.

She's not trying to poop, either.

No vomiting, her stomach feels normal, no fever. She is always very eager to eat.


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## luvMyBRT

If she's totally normal in all other ways I wouldn't worry at all. Raw fed dogs poop way less then kibble fed dogs. One of the many perks! :becky:


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## xellil

I am trying very, very hard to stay casual about this and not do my usual freak out. i think the last time I saw her poop was last Thursday. I carefully combed the yard last night and didn't find anything I missed. 

I know they poop less, but I wouldn't think they would be so efficient as to not poop at all!


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## luvMyBRT

How long has she been on raw? I remember in the beginning when I first switched my dogs to RAW it felt like *forever* until I finally saw them poop at times. It is amazing how well the body will utilize the components of a species appropriate diet.

I pick up the yard about every other day or so. I always find a couple of Duncan's poops (he's on a BARF diet), but with Lucky (strictly PMR) sometimes I don't find any of her poops.


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## MollyWoppy

Relax. If she is vomiting, depressed, lethargic or not eating or drinking, then I'd revisit it. My dog didn't poop for 4 days last week after her anesthetic, but when she did, it was a big one. Now she hasn't pooped since Sat morning. She's absolutely fine otherwise, she'll go when her body is ready. Have you taken her for a good walk to get the bowels moving? That may help.


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## xellil

She started 2 weeks ago - I took her to the dog park on Saturday (which is normally ALWAYS good for a poop) but it was raining yesterday so we didn't get out. 

Rebel didn't poop at the dog park either, but he's been pooping a small amount once a day.


Thanks, I will wait and see what happens. It's slightly possible I missed a poop, but it would have had to be a quick one, as she isn't out of our sight very much.


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## RachelsaurusRexU

luvMyBRT said:


> How long has she been on raw? I remember in the beginning when I first switched my dogs to RAW it felt like *forever* until I finally saw them poop at times. It is amazing how well the body will utilize the components of a species appropriate diet.
> 
> I pick up the yard about every other day or so. I always find a couple of Duncan's poops (he's on a BARF diet), but with Lucky (strictly PMR) sometimes I don't find any of her poops.


Sorry for the hijack, but quick question for Sara. Can you tell their poops apart because there's a big difference between PMR poops and BARF poops or is it just because Duncan is a giant Woolly Mammoth with giant Woolly Mammoth poops? Yes, my life has come to this; being curious about poop. LOL.

ETA: Poop is a funny word. POOP. So mature, I know.


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## xellil

Well, I should have started this thread yesterday, as my husband just called and told me she had a nice poop. i feel sure my asking about it was what made her poop.

oh, we did figure out - it was Thursday morning when she last pooped. So that's a full four days.


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## luvMyBRT

RachelsaurusRexU said:


> Sorry for the hijack, but quick question for Sara. Can you tell their poops apart because there's a big difference between PMR poops and BARF poops or is it just because Duncan is a giant Woolly Mammoth with giant Woolly Mammoth poops? Yes, my life has come to this; being curious about poop. LOL.
> 
> ETA: Poop is a funny word. POOP. So mature, I know.


OMG. I am sitting here laughing! I needed that!

Well, I think it is a combination of both. Woolly Mammoth poops are generally a bit bigger than a normal size dogs poop. However, when Duncan was on strictly PMR his poops where smaller and less frequent. So those of you that can feed PMR to your healthy dogs....just revel in the great tiny poops!!!! :lol:


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## RachelsaurusRexU

xellil said:


> Well, I should have started this thread yesterday, as my husband just called and told me she had a nice poop. i feel sure my asking about it was what made her poop.
> 
> oh, we did figure out - it was Thursday morning when she last pooped. So that's a full four days.


HOORAY FOR POOP!!!



luvMyBRT said:


> OMG. I am sitting here laughing! I needed that!
> 
> Well, I think it is a combination of both. Woolly Mammoth poops are generally a bit bigger than a normal size dogs poop. However, when Duncan was on strictly PMR his poops where smaller and less frequent. So those of you that can feed PMR to your healthy dogs....just revel in the great tiny poops!!!! :lol:


Hehe! Glad I could give you a little chuckle :biggrin:


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## SerenityFL

This is something I'm STILL trying to get used to and I don't know when the light will click on for me. Truly, I don't because I read this, I hear it, I get what you're all saying but dangitall, if my hoodlums don't poop at least once during the day I think several things:

1) OH Crap! Did I feed too much bone again!? Is there some place I can take them to poo when it does get there so I don't have to hear the neighbors yell at me about chicken bones?

2) Dog! Stop being so stubborn and just POO already! No, you do not need to investigate that grasshopper right now, you need to poo!

3) (Do NOT laugh at me...I was brainwashed, ok? I've admitted this, repeatedly, on this forum...I was brainwashed and it takes a long time for some of us to get past that) OMG! What if they don't poop and the raw food sits inside their stomach for too long and they DO get a horrible disease?! (Hey! I said don't laugh! I see you laughing at me....growl.)

The one month I had them before starting raw, they pooped constantly.

When I first started raw, they still went 2-3 times a day.

Several months in to raw, they went at least 2 times a day.

Recently, (7-8 months in), they have started only going about once a day, sometimes twice.

Even more recently, they don't always go poop in a given day.

I'm still trying to get used to this and not get anxious. But that's going to be some time before I fully settle down about their poop schedules.


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## chowder

When we went across country in the motor home, Rocky went 3 days without peeing and 4 days without pooping. Chows will only 'go' in their special spot in the backyard (in complete privacy) and they HATE having to do their business while on a leash, so he just thought he would hold it forever. I actually thought we were going to have to catheterize the dog and give him an enema!! He finally went in Missouri......after about 2 hours of walking him around a big field and refusing to let him back in to the camper. So dogs can hold it a very very very long time!

With Chelsy's age and back problems, she has to have a good walk before she can go. Sort of like all of us old people :biggrin1:


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## xellil

SerenityFL said:


> I'm still trying to get used to this and not get anxious. But that's going to be some time before I fully settle down about their poop schedules.


I think that's exactly where i am. Everything I have always known about feeding my dogs has been turned on its head. 

Feeding bones is good. They could come back out either end, and that is not bad.
Pooping is optional and when it comes out, it could be one of 50 different types. This isn't bad, but may require a diet adjustment. Careful monitoring is a must.
Throwing up isn't normally an issue. But you have to check for contents, timing, consistency, etc. It MIGHT be bad. But rarely is.

My old rules:

Dont feed bones, and if you do make sure it's a giant soup bone.
If a dog eats a bone by accident - immediate trip to the ER.
Pooping is done twice a day, period. Any variation and there's something wrong.
Throwing up - immediate trip to the ER



> Chows will only 'go' in their special spot in the backyard (in complete privacy) and they HATE having to do their business while on a leash, so he just thought he would hold it forever.


Wow! i have heard of bashful dogs before, but I think this takes the cake!


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## SerenityFL

chowder said:


> Chows will only 'go' in their special spot in the backyard (in complete privacy) and they HATE having to do their business while on a leash, so he just thought he would hold it forever. I actually thought we were going to have to catheterize the dog and give him an enema!! He finally went in Missouri......after about 2 hours of walking him around a big field and refusing to let him back in to the camper. So dogs can hold it a very very very long time!


This! I swear that my Princess hoodlum is part Chow. I swear! Yah, yah, she has those purple spots on her tongue but that's not why. Her tail is starting to curve up and over her back, she is moody at times and she must go in the exact, precise spot or you can forget it! And on leash, sigh...ONLY if you absolutely, positively insist and she knows it's gonna be crate city if she doesn't, she'll circle a good eleventythousand times and then, after faking it a few times, (I sometimes call her Fakeari instead of Sakari), she might go...and sometimes, no. No! No she will not! If she can't be hidden, if it isn't in the EXACT spot SHE wants, NO! She'll just sit and stare at me instead.

One time, she held it for 24 hours. Twenty! Four! fricken hours! I finally got on the internet and read how to make a dog go to the bathroom, (like dogs who have had surgery or something), and I took that little hoodlum mutt back out and yes I most certainly DID massage her little bladder area like the illustrations showed and ha! ha! I won!

I think.

I'm so doing a DNA test on her. Was just at PetSupermarket today and saw a sign for DNA for $35. I'm going to do it.


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## chowder

SerenityFL said:


> This! I swear that my Princess hoodlum is part Chow. I swear! Yah, yah, she has those purple spots on her tongue but that's not why. Her tail is starting to curve up and over her back, she is moody at times and she must go in the exact, precise spot or you can forget it! And on leash, sigh...ONLY if you absolutely, positively insist and she knows it's gonna be crate city if she doesn't, she'll circle a good eleventythousand times and then, after faking it a few times, (I sometimes call her Fakeari instead of Sakari), she might go...and sometimes, no. No! No she will not! If she can't be hidden, if it isn't in the EXACT spot SHE wants, NO! She'll just sit and stare at me instead.
> 
> One time, she held it for 24 hours. Twenty! Four! fricken hours! I finally got on the internet and read how to make a dog go to the bathroom, (like dogs who have had surgery or something), and I took that little hoodlum mutt back out and yes I most certainly DID massage her little bladder area like the illustrations showed and ha! ha! I won!
> 
> I think.
> 
> I'm so doing a DNA test on her. Was just at PetSupermarket today and saw a sign for DNA for $35. I'm going to do it.


HA!!! I actually did try squeezing Rocky when we were on that trip, just to make him pee!!! Sounds like you have a part Chow in your girl. They are persnickity but on the other hand, they usually come housebroken already as puppies. They are VERY prissy dogs.


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## Northwoods10

My dogs are all so random when they poop. It seems like I'll pattern it for a week or so then it all changes. 

Remi & Morgan seem to go maybe once a day and sometimes they even skip a day. Nallah almost ALWAYS goes 2 times a day. She's always been a big pooper. LOL She goes usually morning & night. The other two are much harder to predict. But it works for them and obviously the food is doing their body good. 

I think in general, you'd really know if there was an issue and a cause for concern.


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