Bloody Diarrhea?

[HannahBearsMom]

I went out of town last Sunday and left Maccabee with my fiance. He called a day or two later and told me Maccabee had diarrhea. I told him to feed Maccabee only boiled chicken and rice, and to mix in a teaspoon of pumpkin. He fed him the hickey and rice, but added a dash of pumpkin pie spice instead of the canned pumpkin. When he old me, I made it Lear that he should give him canned pumpkin, not the spices, so after he first meal, Maccabee got chicken, rice and pumpkin for several days. His poop firmed up a bit, so he started giving him his regular food. The diarrhea returned.

I got home yesterday. Maccabee has diarrhea but is happily running around and playing. This afternoon, he had a bright orange poop (very loose), which I attributed to the pumpkin. But a few minutes ago he had orange diarrhea full of mucus and what looked like a few bright red blood droplets.

I spoke with our vet this morning (before the orange, possibly bloody poops) and he thought he could wait until Monday to be seen. Since the last poop, I'm not sure. He wolfed down a bowl of chicken, rice and pumpkin a few minutes before the scary poop. He is drinking plenty.

I left a message with Pam and Tom King, and if thy are around I'm sure they will call back soon.

Do you thinki should watch him or take him to the ER?

[wynne]

wow that is a tough call. I know if it were me, I would want to rush him to the ER, but you would prob be o.k. if you keep a watchful eye on him.

[krandall]

I'm not sure... Can you call the vet (or ER vet) an ask for advice?

My gut feeling is that if there were only a few dots, and he seems to feel well, it's probably not an emergency. OTOH, I also know that when it's MY dog, I panic easily, and would rather be safe than sorry!

I know with people, bright red blood in stools is not as worrisome as black, tarry blood, which comes from further up in the intestines. The bright red blood is often just irritation from the diarrhea.

[HannahBearsMom]

The last time I called the ER vet (reaction to an immunization) they said they can't give any advice without seeing him. I'm going to watch him or a few hours and see how he is. If he needs to o o the ER, the'll still be there in a few hours.

[krandall]

Sounds like a reasonable course of action!!!

Keep us posted!

[HannahBearsMom]

Pam just called. She said it does not sound like an emergency and she thinks he can wait until Monday to be seen. She suggested I collect a stool sample for the vet.

[krandall]

It's always so nice to be able to bounce things off her when you're worried! Keep us posted!

[Suzi]

Hope he gets better soon.

[HannahBearsMom]

Maccabee seems to be n the mend. He had diarrhea in his crate again last night, then no poops all day today. He's playing and RLH as normal. He did pee in the living room twice. When we returned from dinner, the hous stank when we walked in. Maccabee pooped in his pen, beside his litterbox. The poop was very soft, but not diarrhea, and it was normal in color.

Maccabee is eating only chicken, rice, and pumpkin. I plan to continue that diet for a few more days.

We have a vet appt scheduled for 11 tomorrow morning. If he's good tonight, I may cancel. But, if he has any more diarrhea he'll definitely go in.

[littlebuddy]

Can you take a stool sample to the vet and have it checked out for parasites or any GI issues? That might be a good start. That way they can rule out anything in the tummy.