Bloody diarrhea in small dog.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Terri...Sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time with your dogs!

I understand how hard a language barrier can be as I work with a lot of foreign diplomats. We can often communicate about most things but medical terms can be difficult!

Generally when we see diarrhea in a puppy we think of viruses (such as parvo), parasites, diet change or stress. A parvo test is usually quite good at picking up parvo so most likely this is not what we are dealing with.

The Albon that you got is in case there is coccidia present which is a parasite that can cause a yellow colored diarrhea. Metronidazole is an antibiotic that helps with intestinal inflamation and also takes care of another parasite called giardia. Do you know if the pup received any other dewormer? If not, this would be a good idea to do.

However, parasites should not cause a cough. (In some extreme cases roundworms can cause a cough, but it wouldn't happen in both dogs.) A cough makes me more concerned about a virus. If it is a virus I am hoping that we are dealing with kennel cough. In most cases it is something that a dog will recover from on its own. However, some dogs need antibiotics. While kennel cough does not directly cause diarrhea, the stress of the body fighting the virus can contribute to diarrhea.

My fear is that this could be distemper. Where I practice we do not see distemper, but in many parts of the world it is quite common. Distemper can cause respiratory signs and also digestive signs. Distemper is a very serious virus and is often fatal.

It does sound like the dogs should go back to the vet to have their respiratory signs addressed.

I really hope they are ok!

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

Oh I am sorry to hear this news. In most cases if we can keep the puppy hydrated with iv fluids they will survive. However I have had a few cases that did not make it despite excellent care.

I really hope he does ok!