Bloody diarrhea. When is it time to call vet?
Gutie, my 1.6 year-old Pem, has been having runny stools the last two days. This isn't uncommon for him. He plays so hard and gets so stimulated on walks that his only solid stool is usually in the early morning and sometimes at night before bed when its in the yard. But yesterday I spotted blood in his stool on our hike. He's his same old self though. He eats and drinks normally, he plays and exercises just as hard, he's just a generally happy dude, so there's no sign of lethargy or anything I would deem as "suspicious behavior". This morning I took the dogs on their first walk and Margo's stool was solid as usual, but Gutie's was runny and red again. Again, today he's his same old self which makes me hesitant to bring him to the vet if it's just a bug or something he ate? He's all up to date on shots, has never missed his heartworm medication (edit: he's also on hookworm, roundworm, whipworm prevention). We're out in the woods or generally outdoors a lot, so it could be an intestinal parasite (he's known to drink from puddles when I'm not watching). His gums and tongue are a healthy pink. I've been giving him a little Pepcid that my vet said was OK to help settle his tummy. He vomited once yesterday but hasn't since. His last two meals have been bland chicken and brown rice and he's kept both of those down no problem (and he wolfed them down without hesitancy). Should I wait it out another day or two to see if it passes or is it time to call the vet?
EDIT: His temperature is normal, I just took it.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Take him. Blood is almost always a sign of something. Might have clostridium or giardiasis or coccidia. Two days is my limit for minor gastric issues before consulting a vet.
Jack had soft stools on walks when he was younger. We switched him from chicken to beef in his food and the problem went away. Too many chicken treats will cause the same issue.
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Permalink Reply by Carl Koch on
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Make that three.
Bloody stools are always to be taken as serious. If it turns out to be minor, wonderful. If it is bad, the sooner the vet can address the issue the better the chance of survival with no complications. Be sure to take a sample of the stool with you to the vet. They will check for parasites and such.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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I agree with the others and hope that, by now, you've taken him. Toy breeds can go downhill really fast....
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Permalink Reply by Chelsea Meredith on
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Hi, everyone! The update: I took Gutie to the vet a few days ago and they found NOTHING in his stool sample (didn't find any blood either). My vet said that he appears in perfect health and that it must be a stomach bug and that Margo will likely get it too (she threw up yesterday, joy). But it's nothing to be super alarmed about, it will pass in four days. In the meantime feed chicken and rice. He's on antibiotics just in case. Beth, I'm going to switch flavors of dog food once this bag is over from Fromm Chicken to Fromm Beef to see if that will help with daily stools, thanks for the tip! Thanks for all of your help and concern!
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Permalink Reply by Angus on
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Great news. Always better to visit the vet when you see blood. Always nice to hear that it's just a bug that all dogs in the household will share. (Lucky that Margo so quickly provided confirmation of the vet's diagnosis.)
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Glad to hear he seems to be doing well! Just to pass on some information:
Giardia frequently sheds sporadically and won't show up in every sample.
Clostridium doesn't always shed at all. When our Jack was diagnosed with this, they did an anal swab rather than a stool sample. That showed it. It was NOT pleasant for poor Jack and it took him three or four vet visits after that to stop quivering when he was examined. But it did find the problem.
Just so you have some things to consider IF the problem doesn't resolve itself. Hopefully it will never become an issue.
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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on
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This happened once with Cassie. I almost fainted dead away.
As it developed, blood in diarrhea is not uncommon among dogs and may not (or may...) mean something dire. We took a watch-and-wait stance and...nothing happened. She got over the diarrhea, no more blood appeared, and she's been fine ever since.
Vet said essentially the same as what you reported on Sunday.
Switch dog foods slowly, as this often brings on the doggy-wobbles. Ease into the new food by combining it, a little more at a time, with the old food. Take about five days to a week to make the switch.
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