Constipation

I have a 1-year old Maltese that has been having a problem with constipation for about 3 months now. I have slowly removed and added items to her diet, but nothing seems to work. I have been feeding her Bil-Jack dog food with occasional additions of canned Iams chicken and rice. My other dogs do not have this same problem and I just don't know what else to do. I have tried giving her some milk diluted 1-4 with water because I'm also not sure that she is drinking enough. For training snacks I use Pupp eroni or homemade chicken liver treats.

At times I have to use Laxa-Stat to get her going, and I really hate to resort to that. There has to be an answer out there! Before taking her to my vet, I thought I'd try everyone on this forum. Thanks for any suggestions.
Carol

• There are many causes of constipation. The main ones are
  • Inproper diet
  • Overfeeding
  • Lack of exercise

  Too many bones will tend to cause an impaction of the intenstinal tract, and so can too many hard dog biscuits. Maltese who live in apartments and get little exercise can result in chronic constipation. Any sudden change in diet can upset the intestinal contents. Another cause can be impacted anal glands. This is because of the pain involved when your Maltese tries to relieve him/herself.

  Treatment can be tricky if the cause is unknown. If diet is the culprit, you could try foods that loosen the bowels such as milk and liver and vegetables. I understand that mineral oil and milk of magnesia are the best laxatives to give if necessary.

  There is also a condition known as false constipation(esp in Maltese) where there is interference with the stools passing from the rectum. It is usually seen in long-haired dogs such as Maltese where the hair and feces mat up over the rectum and seal the exit. Extremely common in Maltese puppies. It can cause a painful condition resulting in severe impaction. The hair should be clipped away and the infection around the anus treated.

  Normally your Maltese should have a least one bowel movement for each meal he/she eats. The average adult Maltese should have 1 or 2 movements a day. Puppies who eat 3 or 4 times a day will usually have that many bowel movements. If your Maltese goes over 24 hours without a bowel movement, you could classify this as constipation.
  Jay