It’s a terrifying moment when you realize your dog has blood in their stool.
The reasons for this can be very different.
In this article you will find out how you can recognize blood in the stool and what you should do then.
What is blood in dog stool?
If an illness or injury is present, your dog may pass fresh or old blood in the feces.
If your dog has blood in their stool, it can various diseases, parasites or injuries indicate. The exact trigger must therefore be found out.
What are the causes of blood in stool in dogs?
Possible causes of bloody stool in dogs are injuries to the anus, stomach or intestines, parasites, intestinal inflammation or stress.
If your dog has giardia, this can manifest itself as bloody and slimy diarrhea.
Also Inflammation of the small or large intestine can lead to bloody stool in your dog. The causes of inflammation in the intestine can be very different.
Eligible:
- Bacterial or viral infections
- fungus
- feed change
- food allergy
- intestinal parasites
- spoiled foods
Intestinal inflammation is usually accompanied by diarrhea.
If your dog is often stressed, this can also contribute to bloody excretions. Stress can cause ulcers in the stomach and intestines to form.
There may also be poisoning that leads to bloody excretions. Most of the time, your dog’s stool will be very watery.
However, intestinal polyps, tumors, ulcers or chronic intestinal inflammation can also trigger blood in the dog’s stool.
However, it does not always have to be a serious illness when your dog has blood in its stool. Perhaps he is also constipated, has very dry stools and as a result small tears have formed in the anus when defecation.
Important
If you notice blood in your dog’s stool, you should remain calm. It does not necessarily have to be a serious injury or illness.
To find out the cause of the bloody poop, you should contact your veterinarian.
How to correctly identify blood in the dog’s stool
You can often identify blood in the stool by the pink, reddish, or black color of the stool.
The blood in your dog’s stool can look different and thus provide information about the cause.
If your dog excretes light-colored blood, this indicates an injury in the rear section of the intestine or in the anus. The blood is still fresh.
If you notice a red color in the stool, it is usually older blood. It can come from the large intestine or indicate an injury in the area of the anus.
If your dog is passing black blood with the stool, it is most likely coming from the front of the digestive tract. So this blood was digested.
One then speaks of the so-called tar chair.
Based on the color of the blood, the vet can narrow down which causes are responsible for the bloody stool.
Good to know
It’s advisable that you collect some of the bloody poop for your vet to examine.
Treatment and therapy of blood in stool in dogs
If you notice blood in your dog’s stool, you should have the cause clarified by a veterinarian so that he can treat and treat it.
While the cause may be harmless, there could be a serious medical condition.
Your vet will first ask you questions about your dog and do a general physical.
Your dog will have blood drawn for various tests.
Depending on the results of the blood test, further tests will follow.
If there is fresh blood in your dog’s stool, the vet will do a rectal exam and also check your dog’s anal glands.
A stool test can determine whether parasites are responsible for the bloody stool.
If there is a suspicion of a tumor, an ultrasound examination will be carried out on your dog. Tissue may also be removed from your dog.
Depending on the trigger for the bloody stool, a worming treatment can be carried out. If there is an infection, your dog may need to take antibiotics.
If your dog’s bloody stool is caused by inflamed anal glands, the vet will first massage the anal sacs and flush them with an anti-inflammatory fluid. In addition, he will prescribe an ointment.
If your dog has an irritated or inflamed intestine due to feeding, you can help him by changing his food.
You should initially use very gentle food for your dog so as not to burden the gastrointestinal area.
Probiotic foods or dietary supplements can also be helpful for intestinal problems.
If your dog is very sensitive to stress and prone to stomach ulcers, you can give it plenty of rest and give it opportunities to retreat.
If there is a serious injury in the intestine or a tumor, an operation may also be necessary.
If your dog is bleeding heavily, IV fluids or blood transfusions may also be needed.
How can you prevent blood in the dog’s stool?
Especially if your dog often suffers from digestive problems, it is important that you pay attention to a balanced and species-appropriate diet.
You can’t prevent all causes of bloody stool, but there are some things you can do to reduce the risk.
If you regularly give your dog bones, make sure they don’t splinter. Otherwise, the splinters in the stomach or intestines can cause serious injuries.
Raw veal or lamb bones are particularly good to give to your dog.
You can also give your dog raw marrow bones to chew on. Make sure the bone doesn’t get wedged in his jaw, though.
You shouldn’t give your dog any cooked bones. Small splinters can come loose from this.
If the trigger for the bloody stool in your dog is an underlying disease, the therapy should be carried out as prescribed by the veterinarian.
Do you have further questions about bloody stool or other diseases in dogs? Let us know in the comments.