Blood in poop.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi there Amanda and thanks for using Ask A Vet Question!

For dogs (and cats as well), a little bit of inflammation in the colon can cause bleeding in the stool. Inflammation can be caused by any new addition to the diet (i.e. the new treat) or sometimes stress.

I know it can look frightening to see blood, but the vast majority of the time it is not a cause for concern.

When I get concerned is if I have a dog with blood in the stool and the dog is lethargic, not wanting to eat and generally sick. It sounds like your girl is still quite happy and wants to eat.

I generally recommend a period of fasting when an animal has diarrhea after eating a new food. For most dogs I recommend a fast of 24 hours, but often for puppies I will recommend only a 12 hour fast. She can still have water during this time.

The straining that you are seeing is probably because of the intestinal cramping that goes along with diarrhea. It really should be temporary. There are medicines that can help with this but they are prescription and you would need to see your vet to get them.

As long as your pup stays bright and alert I would not be too concerned. However, here are a few symptoms that would prompt you to go to the vet:

-if she does not want to eat
-if there is still diarrhea after 48 hours
-if there are other signs of bleeding (i.e. from a cut or excessive bleeding from teething)

I hope everything goes ok!

Dr. Marie.

Related question: My dog is pooping blood.



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