What should you feed a dog with constipation?
What should you feed a dog with constipation?
The best food for a dog with constipation depends on what is making their stools difficult to pass. Some dogs benefit from more fibre, while others may need a different approach, particularly when dehydration, pain, medication or an underlying health condition is involved. Your vet can help identify the cause before recommending any significant dietary changes.
For many dogs, moisture rich food with balanced fibre can help keep stools softer and moving comfortably through the gut. Regular exercise also encourages healthy bowel movement, making daily walks and toilet opportunities important for keeping your dog regular.
Joanna Sutherland
VN, Cert AAB
Veterinary Nurse & Behaviourist
Years offers fresh, complete dog food with varied wholefood fibres, psyllium husk and natural moisture retained inside every sealed, steam cooked tray. Prebiotics and up to 400 million live probiotics per bowl also help maintain a balanced gut microbiome and healthy digestion.
If your dog regularly struggles to poo, every Years subscriber can book a free 1:1 consultation with a member of the expert panel through their account. You can discuss their digestion, current food and how Years could be the best dog food for your constipated pup.
Joanna Sutherland
VN, Cert AAB
Veterinary Nurse & Behaviourist
Wholefood ingredients for more regular poos
Lean proteins
Vegetables
Fruit
Seeds
Herbs
Botanicals
Personalise your dog's proteins
You can choose from single proteins or multi source protein meals, depending on your dog's dietary requirements and preferences.
Fresh recipes to support smooth & healthy digestion
Fresh food to help get things moving
When your dog is constipated, the right balance of fibre and moisture can make their next trip to the garden more comfortable. Years recipes combine sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, leafy greens, apple and psyllium husk. Together, these provide fibre to support your dog's gut movements and help keep stools softer and easier to pass.
Every meal is sealed before it is steam cooked, keeping natural moisture and cooking juices inside the tray. This helps your dog take in more water with every bowl, which is just what they need when poos are dry or hard.
Prebiotics and up to 400 million live probiotics per bowl support balanced gut bacteria and healthy digestion. Plus, personalised portions provide the right amount of complete fresh food each day, helping keep digestion and toilet trips more regular and less strained.
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All of our meals are completely grain, legume, dairy and soy free
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The % of every ingredient used in our meals is declared
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Our recipes use named, prime cuts of meat
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Personalised meals with breed specific ingredients
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Free from fillers, preservatives, or anything artificial
Personalise your dog’s fresh food plan
Try Years moisture rich and fibre pacekd recipes with a personalised 7 day trial from £7. Complete wholefood nutrition, with portions tailored to your dog’s breed, size, age and activity level.
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Here's what some of our customers say
Rated the UKs Best Fresh Dog Food
All About Dog Food is the UK’s most trusted independent dog food review site, used by over 2 million people. Years has its highest fresh dog food rating, scoring an impressive 95%!
Only Years offers your dog a complete nutrition system with personalised ingredients based on your dog’s life stage and breed. Here’s how Years stacks up against the competition.
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AADF Nutrition Rating Overall nutritional rating on consumer review website Visit AllAboutDogFood.co.uk |
95% | 88% | 43% | 38% |
Declare % of every ingredient Is every ingredient % declared, so you know exactly what you’re feeding? |
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Detail every cut of meat Is every cut of meat detailed, so you know exactly what you’re feeding? |
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Zero legumes. |
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100% grain free |
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Gentle cooking method Classification is based on an average declared cooking temperature threshold of 90°C or below. |
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Store at room temperature |
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Health supplement |
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Breed specific ingredients Years' algorithm analyses your dog's breed, their potential health needs, and selects a formulation to suit - refined further with personalised dosage instructions. |
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Probiotic digestive support |
Years nutrition system includes fresh meals which provide 100% complete nutrition. At Years, we go even further, by including for free, with every meal a Breed Health+ supplement. Different formulas for different breeds, all with added probiotics for digestive support. Comparison table data was obtained, through a review of each brand's official website, conducted on 26 April 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best food for a constipated dog usually provides plenty of moisture alongside a balanced mix of soluble and insoluble fibre. Years fresh recipes combine natural moisture with wholefood fibre from ingredients such as sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, leafy greens, apple and psyllium husk. However, the right approach depends on why your dog is constipated, so recurring problems should always be discussed with your vet.
Fresh dog food can be a great choice for your dog with constipation because it generally contains more moisture than dry food. Every Years meal is sealed before being steam cooked, keeping the natural moisture and cooking juices inside the tray. This helps your dog take in more water with their food, while varied wholefood fibres support healthy movement through the digestive tract.
Moisture rich food may be more suitable when your dog’s stools are dry and difficult to pass. Wet or fresh food increases the amount of water they receive through their bowl, whereas dry food contains much less moisture. Years meals are sealed before being gently steam cooked, keeping the natural moisture and cooking juices inside every tray. Your dog should still have constant access to fresh drinking water, regardless of the food they eat.
Fibre can help some constipated dogs by adding bulk, holding water in the stool and encouraging healthy movement through the gut. However, more fibre is not always better. Too much may make constipation worse, particularly if your dog is dehydrated or has an obstruction. Years uses varied wholefood fibres and psyllium husk as part of a complete, balanced recipe rather than relying on one fibre source.
Dog safe sources of fibre include pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, apple and leafy greens. These ingredients provide different types of fibre that can contribute to softer, more regular stools. Avoid suddenly adding large quantities to your dog’s bowl, as rapid dietary changes can upset their digestion. Any extras should also remain a small part of a complete diet.
Gentle, regular exercise can stimulate normal movement through the digestive tract and give your dog more opportunities to poo. A walk may help dogs with mild constipation, although exercise will not resolve an obstruction or underlying medical problem. Contact your vet if your dog is in pain, vomiting, unusually tired or repeatedly straining without passing anything.
Probiotics help maintain a balanced population of beneficial gut bacteria, while prebiotics provide food for those bacteria. This can support overall digestive health and regular bowel habits, although probiotics are not a quick treatment for constipation. Years provides prebiotics and up to 400 million live probiotics per bowl, alongside natural moisture, wholefood fibre and portions personalised to your dog.
