Most dog owners understand the significance of focusing on their dog's stools. The appearance of a dog's stool can tell us a lot about the dog's health. Aberrations like loose or runny stool, mucous in the stool, or an aberrant quantity of stool can help tip off the dog keeper that something could be wrong. Another danger signal that is very alarming to dog keepers is any of your dog's blood in the stool. The presence of blood in a dog's stool can indicate something as small as mild hard stools to something as major as a bleeding tumor, so it is critical to be informed and to take suitable actions when bloody stool is noted.
Blood in the stool can appear as either frank blood, which is bright red in appearance and easily identified as blood, or as digested blood. If frank blood is present in the stool, you will probably notice it immediately. The technical term for frank blood in the stool is hematochezia. With hematochezia, the quantity of blood present and the character of the stool are critical. A few tiny streaks of blood combined with a tough, dry stool could simply indicate hard stools.
Larger streaks of blood can suggest an anal or anal lesion, such as an anal gland pustule or a bleeding anal or anal cancer. If there is a giant amount of blood present, particularly if there's bleeding elsewhere in the body (such as from the nose or mouth), it could indicate a major disruption in blood coagulation, as is common with consumption of rodent poisons. If the blood is blended with dysentery, making a raspberry-colored diarrhoea, it may indicate a condition known as hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE), which is common among toy-breed dogs such as Chihuahuas, pugs, and Pomeranians.
Digested blood in the stool, or melena, has a very different appearance from frank blood. Digested blood sometimes causes the stool to take on an especially dark, virtually black color. The stool also will be tarry, or tacky, in consistency. Melena ought to be taken very seriously. If the blood in the stool is digested, that means the bleeding took place early in the gastrointestinal tract, either in the belly or the upper small intestine. This rules out some of the more minor causes of bleeding, e.g anal gland pustule, and points towards more serious conditions such as bleeding ulcers, cancers, or coagulation problem.
If you notice blood in your dog's stool, even though it's a bit, you must make an appointment with your vet right away. Your vet will do an inclusive physical exam to look over the whole dog, and will also perform a rectal exam, to check for things like anal gland pustule or anal/rectal tumors. If there's a large amount of blood in the stool or if the blood is digested, your vet will probably want to perform blood work, particularly a CBC and clotting profile to test for coagulopathy, dehydration, and anemia. Depending on the state of your dog, further testing may be obligatory.
Blood in the stool can appear as either frank blood, which is bright red in appearance and easily identified as blood, or as digested blood. If frank blood is present in the stool, you will probably notice it immediately. The technical term for frank blood in the stool is hematochezia. With hematochezia, the quantity of blood present and the character of the stool are critical. A few tiny streaks of blood combined with a tough, dry stool could simply indicate hard stools.
Larger streaks of blood can suggest an anal or anal lesion, such as an anal gland pustule or a bleeding anal or anal cancer. If there is a giant amount of blood present, particularly if there's bleeding elsewhere in the body (such as from the nose or mouth), it could indicate a major disruption in blood coagulation, as is common with consumption of rodent poisons. If the blood is blended with dysentery, making a raspberry-colored diarrhoea, it may indicate a condition known as hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE), which is common among toy-breed dogs such as Chihuahuas, pugs, and Pomeranians.
Digested blood in the stool, or melena, has a very different appearance from frank blood. Digested blood sometimes causes the stool to take on an especially dark, virtually black color. The stool also will be tarry, or tacky, in consistency. Melena ought to be taken very seriously. If the blood in the stool is digested, that means the bleeding took place early in the gastrointestinal tract, either in the belly or the upper small intestine. This rules out some of the more minor causes of bleeding, e.g anal gland pustule, and points towards more serious conditions such as bleeding ulcers, cancers, or coagulation problem.
If you notice blood in your dog's stool, even though it's a bit, you must make an appointment with your vet right away. Your vet will do an inclusive physical exam to look over the whole dog, and will also perform a rectal exam, to check for things like anal gland pustule or anal/rectal tumors. If there's a large amount of blood in the stool or if the blood is digested, your vet will probably want to perform blood work, particularly a CBC and clotting profile to test for coagulopathy, dehydration, and anemia. Depending on the state of your dog, further testing may be obligatory.
About the Author:
Cathy Doggins is the editor of the Dog Health Guide, a leading authority on dog symptoms and well-being. She has written masses of articles on subjects of concern to pet owners like dog blood in stool. When not writing about dogs, Cathy can be found hiking with her two Jack Russell Terriers and volunteering at a local pet shelter.
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