Dog with bloody diarrhea: causes and treatment

Content

• dog evacuating blood
• Hematochezia
• melena
• Dog with bloody diarrhea: common causes
• Dog defecating blood: causes of infection
• Dog evacuating blood: other diseases
• Diarrhea with blood in a dog: veterinary diagnosis
• Dog with diarrhea and blood: what to do
• Dog with bloody diarrhea: how to treat
• Medicine for dog with bloody diarrhea

Gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhea with blood in dog they are one of the most common problems in the veterinarian's office that raise a lot of concern on the part of animal guardians. Fortunately not all causes of dog evacuating blood are necessarily serious. However, there are cases where bloody dog ​​feces can be a serious health problem and you need to take this problem seriously, regardless of the seriousness of the situation. In this article by PeritoAnimal we will explain about: Dog with diarrhea and blood - Causes and treatments.

dog evacuating blood

An animal with a gastrointestinal disorder may have the entire digestive system affected or only part of it (stomach, liver, pancreas, small intestine and/or large intestine) affected. This disorder can lead to vomiting and/or diarrhea with different appearances.

Diarrhea is characterized by increase in the frequency and volume of the animal's feces. Simply put, diarrhea results from diseases that affect the small intestine, large intestine or the distal part of the large intestine and rectum, any uncontrolled diarrhea can progress to bloody diarrhea.

blood in dog feces it can appear overnight, through sporadic episodes or continuously, and is sometimes accompanied by vomiting. Regarding the color of bloody feces in dogs, we can classify them into two types:

Hematochezia

presence of fresh blood, bright red in color, in the feces. In the hematochezia the live blood in feces was not digested and usually comes from lower digestive system (large intestine). In this case, the blood may be mixed with the stool or appear as drops of blood when there is a bowel movement. Usually the frame is of a dog with diarrhea with blood and mucus, its volume is reduced.

melena

presence of digested blood, dark in color, in feces and with a bad smell. It usually comes from the upper digestive system and is identifiable due to its tarry appearance. This situation is more difficult to identify than hematochezia, as large amounts of gastrointestinal blood are needed for the dark color in the stool to be easily detected. That is, dogs with mild to moderate gastrointestinal bleeding may not have as evident melena. If you are unsure that it is digested blood, you can put your dog's stool on white absorbent paper and wait a moment. If a reddish color starts to appear on the paper, the stool is very likely to contain blood.

It is important to note that diarrhea is not a disease, but rather a symptom of some disease that is affecting your puppy. Also, diarrhea itself can indicate a certain type of illness, whereas diarrhea with blood in dog it can mean another type of disease, since diarrhea and the presence of blood can be the result of different diseases.

Dog with bloody diarrhea: common causes

Looking for a professional is very important at the time of diagnosis, as only he will know the most likely cause among all possible ones. The causes of a dog evacuating blood and diarrhea are very varied and can only be caused by a sudden change in the dog's diet, worm in feces or be something more serious like parvovirus.

These are some of the causes of dog with diarrhea and blood:

• Blood intake: from food or from sores in your pet's mouth. Usually causes melena.
• Dehydration: a lack of water in your puppy's body can lead to gastrointestinal disturbances that cause diarrhea (further dehydration) and bloody stools.
• Post-surgical complications: if your puppy has recently had surgery, bloody diarrhea may originate in the area of ​​surgery.
• Stress;
  
• Change of food: the simple sudden change in food can lead to diarrhea with blood in a dog. Before changing your pet's diet, ask your veterinarian if this new diet is suitable and what method is most appropriate for transitioning from the current diet to the new diet.
• Food allergies or intolerances: certain foods consumed by humans can irritate the stomach of animals and some are toxic. For example, puppies are usually intolerant to foods with lactose (a sugar found in milk and dairy products) causing diarrhea that may contain blood and other gastrointestinal symptoms. It is important to avoid giving large amounts of these foods to your pet to avoid these problems.
• Strange body: something the dog has eaten that is obstructing and/or piercing the dog's stomach or intestines (bones, toy pieces, clothing, and sharp objects). To avoid this type of problem it is necessary to avoid giving the animal chicken bones (which are very sharp), toys and objects that can be easily swallowed.
• Gastric or intestinal ulcers: the presence of gastrointestinal ulcers can lead to the presence of hematochezia. The blood present in the stomach or intestine is digested and appears in the stool with a dark color. Long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can also cause these types of ulcers and, consequently, bloody diarrhea.
• Intestinal Worms: these worms can cause diarrhea, and in cases of severe infestation, the dog may pass blood and have worm in the stool.
• Intoxications or poisonings (from plants, medicines or toxic chemicals such as rat poison): they can cause blood clotting problems and, consequently, bleeding that the animal's organism is unable to stop. With the arrival of Christmas it is necessary to be aware of the type of Christmas plants you have at home and which ones can be toxic to your pet. Also it is important that you never self-medicate your dog with human remedies, even if they are indicated to treat the same symptoms in humans.
• Rectal wounds: rectal wounds in the distal portion of the lower digestive system can cause hematochezia.

Dog defecating blood: causes of infection

Some of the possible causes of a dog with diarrhea with blood it could be some kind of infection:

• Bacterial infection: bacterial infection may cause melena or hematochezia, depending on the region of the body affected. The most common bacterial agents are: Campylobacter, Salmonella, Clostridium and Escherichia coli.
• Fungal infection: As with bacterial infection, fungi can cause melena or hematochezia depending on the affected region. The most common agents are: Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium
• Viral Infection: Coronavirus and Parvovirus are the most common. Parvovirus is highly contagious among dogs, has a high mortality rate and one of the main symptoms is diarrhea with a very characteristic odor associated with lethargy, vomiting and anorexia.It mainly affects puppies between 1 and 6 months old, unvaccinated. Diarrhea has a characteristic unpleasant odor, is very fluid and hemorrhagic.

Dog evacuating blood: other diseases

Other common causes for a dog with diarrhea and blood:

• Anal sac diseases.
• Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis: causes hematemesis (vomiting with blood) and diarrhea with blood. Toy and miniature breeds are the most affected.
• Kidney, liver or pancreatic disease.
  Endocrine diseases.
• tumors (adenocarcinoma, lymphosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma): Blood in the dog's feces may be indicative of malignant tumors. This fact should not be ignored and the sooner the cause is identified, the sooner treatment begins and the better the prognosis.

Diarrhea with blood in a dog: veterinary diagnosis

Diarrhea and/or vomiting are the most common symptoms in small pets and can have a multitude of causes. Therefore, it is necessary for the veterinarian to gather the as much information as possible to rule out or include certain diagnoses, until you can identify your dog's exact diagnosis.

The initial diagnostic plan involves collecting the dog's entire history, physical examination during the consultation, and initial complementary exams. O medical history must include:

1. The breed, age and sex of the dog;
2. Internal and external deworming;
3. Vaccination protocol;
4. Previous illnesses of the dog;
5. Contact with other dogs:
6. Type of food, frequency, all kinds of extra food that you can receive or have access to, such as food other than dog food, objects, toys, bones, detergents and other chemicals (food history is particularly important as it is for few factors that cannot be verified in the physical exam or in complementary exams);
7. The severity, evolution and characteristics of diarrhea and/or vomiting: when it first appeared, how often it happens, appearance of the diarrhea (color and consistency);
8. Changes in appetite and behavior.

During the physical exam the level of hydration/dehydration caused by the dog defecating blood, observe the mucous membranes for changes in blood circulation or blood loss, as well as cardiac function, do abdominal palpation for any signs of pain, discomfort, gas, abdominal masses or obstruction.

You complementary exams Initial tests involve blood and biochemical analysis, stool collection and analysis, radiography and endoscopy to check for any foreign bodies or obstructions.

Dog with diarrhea and blood: what to do

First of all, the first thing to do is to take your dog to the vet so he can assess the animal's condition and select the best treatment. O treatment is specific for each cause and it depends on the seriousness of the situation:

• Certain animals will need drugs to treat and others will need a fast followed by a specific diet and/or exclusion to understand what kind of food is causing the gastrointestinal problems.
• If the animal is dehydrated, the doctor will do fluid therapy to hydrate the dog.
• Cases like the parvovirus it is necessary to do the isolation, fluid therapy and treating symptoms of the animal (control of vomiting and pain, and antibiotics for possible secondary infections). The disease has no cure and, as such, there is no specific medication for this disease.
• THE gastric lavage is performed if some kind of poisoning or intoxication.

Depending on the location and characteristics of the strange body, the veterinarian can:

• Do an endoscopy and remove it;
• Prescribe drugs that facilitate the expulsion of the foreign body through the feces;
• If it is a sharp foreign body and there is a risk of loss of integrity of the gastric or intestinal mucosa, it will indicate urgent surgery to have it removed.

Dog with bloody diarrhea: how to treat

The next steps are very important to treat and prevent future episodes of dog evacuating blood:

• keep a good hygiene of your dog and the environment. In cases of intestinal worms, they can be present in the feces and remain in the animal's environment. That's why it's important to clean the space and the entire dog house, then apply dewormer to avoid re-infestation.
• correct deworming with the appropriate dewormer, keeping the date of each deworming.
• Vaccination it is very important especially in cases of parvovirus.

Medicine for dog with bloody diarrhea

• After the prescribed fast, start by feeding your puppy a specific diet with small daily meals and no sudden changes in diet or extra foods. You must avoid sharing your food with your pet, however difficult it is. Usually, the veterinarian recommends a home remedy for dog with bloody diarrhea which is based on an easily digestible diet based on rice water or rice and shredded cooked chicken that will soothe your puppy's digestive tract. Only after the diarrhea is treated can the dog return to normal food, always making a progressive transition between rice and chicken and food.
• Don't let your dog have access to litter, medicine and unsuitable dog food.
• Keep the hydrated dog. In addition to the fluid therapy that the veterinarian can apply, the dog should always have fresh water available at home. This will prevent the dog with bloody diarrhea from dehydrating easily and will help eliminate toxins from the body.

Also visit the home remedy for dog diarrhea article to supplement this information.

This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Dog with bloody diarrhea: causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our Intestinal Problems section.