Pets

How to give your dog a home enema

Sometimes you may need to do more than just give your sick dog solid or liquid medications. Depending on your condition and symptoms, you may also need to provide other types of nursing care, such as giving enemas. Here is an efficient way to use this procedure:

The use of enemas can be beneficial for dogs with the following conditions; constipation, during fasting, dehydration, excessive vomiting, intestinal irritation caused by bone fragments or the presence of bad food or garbage in the digestive tract.

Before administering this procedure, be sure to use only plain water that is warm but not hot (test it on your wrist to be sure). Use about two tablespoons for a small dog and up to one pint for a large dog. Add a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the water and administer the mixture with a plastic or rubber syringe for about 2 to 3 minutes. For large dogs, you can use an enema bag and mouthpiece.

This is how it is done: You must lubricate the end of the syringe with vegetable oil. Have someone help you hold the dog carefully while it is standing in a bathtub or on the floor. Insert the mouthpiece carefully into the rectum. Using gentle and steady pressure against the anus (to prevent fluid from leaking out), slowly fill the colon. If the solution does not flow easily, pull back on the nozzle or syringe and slightly adjust the angle. Expect a bowel movement to begin in a few minutes. You can administer the enema once or twice a day for a couple of days.

In many cases, dogs that are dehydrated simply retain fluid. This occurs when the colon absorbs the fluid that the body needs. Therefore, enemas are an excellent way to administer fluid therapy. In these circumstances, give the enema about every four hours or until fluid is no longer retained.

If a dog is having difficulty retaining water in the stomach due to severe vomiting, an enema can help introduce the fluid and salts that are needed to replace those lost through vomiting. Using the solution as described above, add a pinch of sea salt plus a pinch of potassium chloride. The same solution can also be used to help a dog suffering from prolonged diarrhea. In this case, administer the enema every four hours or until fluid is no longer retained.

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