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Let’s admit it, looking at our dogs’ poop is the last thing we would like to do. But being a responsible dog owner, people often have to pick up their dogs’ poop. Therefore dog owners are pretty much used to seeing the usual stool of dogs.
Therefore, blood in dog stool can be easily noticed and can also make you panic since it is an unusual scenario. Noticing changes like the color of stool and irregularity in your dogs’ pooping habits is the first sign that says something is wrong with your dogs’ health.
Therefore, instead of panicking let’s understand the reasons behind finding blood in dog stool, its causes, and possible solutions for the same. First things first, let’s see what should be your initial response after spotting blood in a dog stool.
Initial Response
If you are a new pet owner and you have recently welcomed a newborn puppy into your family, noticing blood in your puppy’s poop can put you in worry. Young puppies usually need a lot of attention as far as their health is considered.
The initial 1 year is very crucial for puppies as they have to take a lot of vaccine doses and have to visit veterinary doctors often. In between all these medications required to keep your dog healthy, if you find blood in their stool it is obvious to panic.
If you own a puppy then talking to your vet should be the first response after noticing blood in dog stool. In the case of puppies, finding blood in the stool can be quite a serious health issue. However, even if you find blood in dog stool, don’t ignore that either.
It is always recommended to call a vet and let them determine if your dog is having any serious health problems or not. That way your dog will thank you for understanding his problem and starting treatment in time.
Examine Your Dog By Yourself
Once you have determined that there’s something wrong with your dog, taking a moment to examine your dog, it can help you better when describing the problem to your dog’s vet. Therefore, observe the habits of your dog for once before calling or visiting the vet.
If your dog seems completely fine except for finding blood in dog stool then it is possible that there is not much serious problem. You can call your vet and ask for advice if except for the stool your dog is looking just fine, eating properly, and has the same energy levels as before.
However, If your dog seems unwell, if along with blood in stool your dog is refusing to eat, lying on the floor all day, and seems like he has lost his excitement then visit your vet as soon as possible and let your vet diagnose your dog’s health.
Diagnosis
Diagnosing humans is easy but for pets like dogs, it is not. In the case of dogs, we have to depend on our observations to find the cause of any health issue they are suffering from. There can be numerous reasons or causes of a single symptom and hence diagnosing the problem accurately is important.
The most common causes for finding blood in dog stool could be any kind of infection, food allergies, constipation, eating incompatible food, colitis, or injury. Some more serious causes include poisoning, cancer, internal blockages, parvovirus, or hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.
As you can see, the cause for having blood in the stool can be any one of these. Therefore it becomes very important to find the right cause by observing the symptom correctly to get started with specific treatment.
Blood in Dog Stool | Types
If you want your dog’s vet to accurately identify the problem and start with the precise treatment, you will have to give an accurate description of symptoms you have noticed and in this case, it’s spotting flood in dog stool.
Observe the stool of your dog to figure out what type of dog stool you have noticed. According to the color and appearance of the stool, the dog stool containing blood can be found in two types which are Hematochezia and Melena.
1. Hematochezia
If you spot bright red blood then it’s the hematochezia type dog stool. In this particular type, the blood looks fresh which means that the blood belongs from the lower part of the dog’s digestive system.
“Hematochezia” is the term veterinary doctors often use to indicate fresh blood in dog stool which contains blood from lower parts of the digestive system like the anus or rectum and that is why the blood appears to be fresh as it has not gone through many parts of the body and comes out fresh through the exit.
In the case of hematochezia, the blood is found on firm formed stools similar to the one found in diarrhea. Therefore the first most probable cause is often considered as diarrhea. During which your dog might poop more often and in more amounts as well.
Apart from diarrhea, hematochezia can also indicate inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, or even cancer.
2. Melena
In this particular type of blood in dog stool, stool appears dark, inky in color with a sticky and jelly-like form. If you spot your dog’s stool anything similar to how it’s described above the veterinary doctor will understand that you are talking about melena.
“Melena” is used for stool containing blood that has already been digested as it is from the upper part of the digestive system. In such a case, blood mixes with the stool and comes down all the way from various parts of the digestive system.
This can be the result of stomach inflammation, parasites, stomach ulcers or it can be cancer as well.
Causes of Blood In Dog Stool
We have already discussed types of dog stool containing blood in it. Both types of stools can be caused by various reasons respectively. Now let’s see all the possible causes of blood in dog stool.
- Infections
- Ulcers
- Tumors
- Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis
- Parasites
- Inflammatory disorders
- Cancer
Some other causes are if your dog swallows objects that can’t be digested. In that case, those objects are ejected as they are without getting digested but they can also cause internal damage to organs which can lead to blood in dog stool.
Treatment for Blood In Dog Stool
So far we have discussed the causes of stool with blood and also understood how to examine basic symptoms on our own. Therefore, now you can contact your vet and give the exact details which best describe your dog’s problem.
Once you forward the details to the vet, he will examine your observations and will advise you on what further actions are to be taken. Depending upon the type of cause, different kinds of treatments are required for different causes.
Some common treatments include modifying the dog’s diet, anti-parasite treatment, fluids to treat dehydration, surgeries if required, and other medications.
There are a number of questions being asked on the internet about blood in dog stool. If you too are having any of these questions, stick with me till the end and I will answer all your possible doubts.
Are There Any Home Remedies for Blood in Dog Stool?
No, there are not any home remedies in that case and no matter what caused blood in dog stool, home remedies shouldn’t be considered as there is the possibility that your dog is suffering from something serious.
Even if the cause is as simple as diarrhea, to rule out any other underlying causes, always consult a vet and let them examine your dog’s condition.
Does Spotting Blood In Dog Stool Require Immediate Medical Attention?
As we have seen earlier, there is a wide range of causes for blood stool and they can be as simple as eating some indigestible red cotton or as serious as cancer or infection. Therefore, it is always advised to at least talk to a vet about the issue.
However, you can also conclude from your dog’s behavior if it is serious or not. If your dog is behaving completely normal all the time except when he poops then it might be due to improper digestion or minor injury around their anus.
Conclusion | Blood in dog stool
Finding blood in dog stool can be an alarming situation for some pet owners and it can indicate that your dog is having some serious trouble. Such internal health issues are always hard to diagnose and treat.
Therefore, in such situations calling your veterinary doctor is the best way to go instead of looking for any home remedies. If the problem lasts for more than 2 days then immediately take your dog to the clinic.
In the case of puppies younger than 1-year-olds, immediate medical attention has to be provided as a similar cause may not affect adult dogs as much as it will affect younger puppies.
To conclude, Finding blood in dog stool can be critical sometimes but in most cases, it is treatable with the help of proper treatment. It is not a major concern unless it is caused by some serious underlying issue.
