Blood in Dog Stool But Acting Normal: OTC, Home Remedies

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Have you been noticing blood in dog stool at home and are concerned that there might be some health concerns to worry about?

In this article you can read about what blood in your dogs stool might mean and how you can help your furry friend. But if you are ever concerned for their health please always speak to a licensed veterinarian to seek help.

Article Contents

Dog Has Bloody Diarrhea But Acting Normal

Most people who report their dogs acting normal yet having bloody diarrhea lead to one thing, gastrointestinal problems.

Is bloody diarrhea in dogs an emergency?

Not necessarily, if your dog is passing stools tainted with blood frequently, yet still eats or behaves normally, it may not necessarily be an emergency. Dogs may still pass out watery stool even when there is no serious health condition.

All you can do in such situations is to book an appointment with a licensed veterinarian.

Regarding the issue of diarrhea in your dog, there are two main types: large intestinal diarrhea and small intestinal diarrhea.

You can tell the small intestinal type of diarrhea since it’s a watery or very loose stool. Typically, dogs with this issue seem sick and more lethargic or depressed.

Large intestinal diarrhea, on the other hand, is characterized by a mushy or soft stool, identical to “cow patties.” Sometimes, the stool will be covered in red blood, or even a bit of mucus. If your dog has this type of diarrhea, it is possible that they will remain unfazed and happy.

It’s definitely worrisome to owners when they see their loved pet pass bloody stool. But you shouldn’t get worried or panic right away because most of the times it’s not a cause for concern and is perfectly normal.

However, if you think diarrhea is due to the small intestine, don’t hesitate to feed your dog with extremely bland food such as pasta, mashed potatoes, or white rice with low-fat cottage cheese.

Alternatively, try another diet, such as boiled white meat chicken. You can also supplement the food with some psyllium powder.

Causes of Bloody Diarrhea and Vomit in Dogs

If your dog is having blood in their stool that is wet and is accompanied by vomiting, this could be a sign of something more serious. Most dogs thats display these symptoms are affected by Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis (HGE). This is a serious condition for the animals and characterized by an unexpected start of hemorrhagic (bloody) diarrhea.

This disease can effect many different types and breeds of dogs. However, there is an exception of younger bubbies, especially those between 2 and 4-year-old miniature and toy breeds, known to be predisposed.

Here are the popular clinical symptoms of dogs infected with HGE:

Dehydration
Depression
Unexpected onset of bloody, profuse diarrhea coupled with a foul scent
Severe abdominal pain
Loss of appetite
Vomiting

It is worth noting that HGE is not transmissible and happens without changing your dog’s food, routine, or environment. However, you should be concerned if the HGE comes with fever.

Dog Blood in Stool Jelly-like

Seeing your dog pass stool that has fresh blood and is “jelly-like” is a good indicator that your pet is having an inflammation, also known as colitis in its lower section of the intestines or the colon. Typically, blood in dog feeces diarrhea signals the possibility that the pet’s colon is irritated leading to more bleeding. This is contrary to the common mucus production in the colon.

In the event that the dog’s colon is inflamed, it’s likely to produce more mucus, leading to the discharge of fresh blood and that jelly-looking poop. This condition in the pet’s colon if it has repeat occurrences is mostly connected to ingesting an unusual diet, parasites, stress, and an unexpected change in the dog’s diet.

Although rare, it could be possible that your animal is having a severe stomach condition including a certain type of toxin exposure, cancer, or infection.

Blood in Dog Stool Home Remedies

There are several common safe and natural home therapies to help your dog and get rid of the blood in your dog’s stool. Home remedies tend to reduce the number of chemicals ingested by your dog.

They include among others:

1. Activated Charcoal

A natural substance that can be used when you see blood in the dogs stool is activated charcoal. It is popular for helping clear bright red blood in dog stool diarrhea.

Giving your pet this charcoal helps to absorb and flush out any recent toxins such as viruses or bacteria in the process.

2. Fasting

You should put your pet on fasting if they are having loose stool for an extended period of time (over a day)

This means little water and no food. This allows the stomach system time to clear and make sure that the primary cause of the problem is not related to the food it is consuming.

By doing so, you will ensure its gastrointestinal tract is cleared of anything your dog may have eaten that could have caused the loose stool.

For old and very young (or small) dog breeds, it is not advisable to subject them to fasting, the same is the case with young puppies or old dogs. In their case, you may want to call to speak to a vet on what you can do to help.

3. Putting it on Bland Food Diet

Immediately after fasting, your dog should be placed on a bland food routine. The diet will help to make your dog’s stomach settle down and prevent further diarrhea.

The newly introduced diet should comprise more protein known to help in its recovery and health.

After being placed on bland food, you can slowly start to re-introduce things into their diet to see if they are able to handle the new ingredients.

4. Chicken Broth

Another recommended home therapies for dogs passing blood stool since it helps to soothe their irritated stomach, is adding chicken broth into their meals.

Dog Pooping Straight Blood And Vomiting – Why?

As a pet parent, it is normal to be alarmed when you see fresh blood in dog diarrhea, especially if it is accompanied by vomiting. If your dog is happy and unfazed, they may just have a small bug they are trying to get over. However, you must be concerned if these symptoms come with the pet not drinking or eating. In such an event, take your dog to the vet as soon as possible.

Usually causes of vomiting and pooping blood in your dog are not life threatening, but you always want to be on the side of caution.

Some of the likely causes of such conditions include intestinal parvovirus parasites changes in hemorrhagic gastroenteritis in the dog’s food routine.

Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis is known to contribute to the sudden onset of the dog’s bloody diarrhea. It happens to pets with no previous history of stomach problems.

Sometimes, this condition could be associated with listlessness or anorexia (refusal to eat). In such an event, seek the help of your vet immediately.

Treatment of Blood in Dog Diarrhea!

Here is a systematic procedure to treat your dog’s diarrhea:

First, put your dog on fasting before introducing light or low-fat foods such as chicken broth for the next one or two days.
Maintain high levels of hygiene.
Put on a diet of well steamed or boiled butternut squash mixed with vegetable or chicken broth to ensure consistency of the mashed potato.
Add quality non-dairy probiotics to refill the dog’s intestinal flora.
In case the diarrhea is severe, try giving it activated charcoal tablets. It will help the pet in neutralizing the toxin bacteria.
Be cautious of using any antibiotic or antidiarrheal medication, especially if the diarrhea is not lasting long unless advised by your vet.
In case the problem persists for more than two days, get the advice of your veterinarian immediately.