What causes Bloody Poop in Dogs? | Veterinary approved

CHECK OUT MY INSTAGRAM: @LindsayButzerDVM So there is Blood in your dogs Stool? Do not Panic. In this video I am going to go through reasons your dog may have blood in their stool and why you do need to go to the veterinarian when you see blood in their poop. 2 Terminology Words to describe the blood based on where it is coming from. The first word is called: Hematochezia, this is bright red blood. This type of bleeding occurs in the lower digestive tract or COLON and indicates a specific set of conditions. 3 common categories for Bright red blood are: 1. Viral, parasitic or bacterial infections – the worst being parvovirus in puppies. This is an emergency and go to your vet for intense hospital care. Other parasites are hook worms and giardia which cause bloody stool and can easily be treated at home. 2. Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis – which can be caused by many things from simple one time Dietary indiscretion to chronic inflammatory bowel disease issues, pancreatitis, stressful situations that lead to colitis, or anxiety from a thunder storm. All easily treated or manageable by your veterinarian. 3. Cancer – any type of bleeding tumor in the colon or mass invading colonic vessels can cause bright red blood. Keep in mind this is rare and usually in older dogs. So don’t jump to this conclusion right away until you have more diagnostic tests done like an abdominal ultrasound to confirm it. Then there is: Melena, which is is a dark, sticky, tarry stool, almost jelly-like. This blood has been digested or swallowed, indicating a problem in the upper digestive tract 3 common causes for Melena include: 1. Foreign body ingestion causing irritation in the stomach or small intestines leading to black tarry stool of undigested blood. 2. Stomach Ulcers – some drugs such as NSAIDs for dogs cause ulcers. Or Kidney disease is another common one that cause stomach irritation and ulcers to form leading to black tarry stool. 3. Cancer in the stomach or upper intestinal tract. OKAY GEESE cancer is on all three lists. Keep in mind this is normally in OLD, ANCIENT, SKELETOR dogs! Always go to your veterinarian but do not freak out right away. Breathe, let your veterinarian do Fecal exams for parasites, other tests and ultrasounds if needed to figure out why your dog is pooping blood. So treatment for Bloody Stool in dogs? An At Home remedy that you could try is: 1. Fast your dog for a day! Give water still. Then feed him his normal dog food 12-24 hours later. 2. My favorite over the counter drug: Famotidine or Pepcid. This is an antacid that can help calm your dogs stomach, intestinal tract or colon and stop the bleeding. How your veterinarian may treat your dogs bloody stool? Your veterinarian will always want a poop sample to send out to the laboratory to check for parasites or check it in house under the microscope. If parasites are the cause they will prescribe you a #1 - Dewormer. For other causes your vet may give you: 1. Metronidazole or flagyl – this is an antibiotic that helps treat intestinal inflammation, diarrhea and bloody stool in dogs. 2. Propectalin or any dog probiotic to help bind the stool if it is loose and help with your dogs gut and normal flora. 3. Steroids like prednisone to help with inflammatory bowel disease and cool the intestines temporarily to give your dog comfort. There are many more medicatons and treatments your veterinarian might do but this is just a quick example. Alright guys, wow we learned a lot about Bloody POOP! If you enjoyed this video, or should I say Veterinary Lecture – please share it with your friends! Thank you, Dr. Lindsay Butzer