My dog has black tarry poop after HGE. Is this normal for recovery?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Yes, this would be expected as the surgical site is likely oozing a small amount of blood causing the stool to become tarry black. If this does not resolve or worsens, I would recommend having the veterinarian recheck her. I would also recommend checking her gum color and ensuring it is nice and pink. If it is pale, you need to have her seen immediately. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello, sorry to hear about Teddy. It sounds like he is trending in the right direction. Dogs with diarrhea will continue to have signs for up to 5 days after starting the medication. As long as he is improving this should be ok. The dark urine may be associated with the GI bleeding. If his signs worsen or if his signs persist longer than 5 days, then there could be something else going on (pancreatitis, liver disease, or kidney disease) and he should be re-evaluated immediately. Continue the bland diet for another 3 days then transition him to his regular diet. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is actually not expected. This may mean that Ozzy may need to continue to be on therapy for the HGE. For this reason, I would encourage you to keep a close eye on him. If this continues to happen, I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. You can also check in with your veterinarian to see if they can prescribe another course of the metronidazole. Otherwise, if this is not observed again, he may be fine. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Nayla! I am very glad Nayla is on the road to recovery! Yes, the diarrhea will persist for several days after parvo viral infections. More due to the fact that intestinal lining is what is affected from virus. It takes time for the lining to repair itself and for absorption to return to normal. Very black tarry stool indicates upper gastro-intestinal bleeding. It could be residual from stomach ulceration. If she has more black stool I would call your Vet and ask if that is the color of her diarrhea while she was hospitalized. They may want to add pepcid or another antacid if she isn't on one. I hope this helps and I wish Nayla continued improvement!

Poor guy. He has been through a lot this past week. It isn’t uncommon for pets to experience a bit of slowed GI motility (ileus) after having HGE. As long as he is still eating well and not seen straining to poop, he likely is just fine. Give him another day or two to form a solid normal stool and continue to monitor him for any straining, which would suggest that he is likely constipated and in need of an enema. But this is very rare following a bout of diarrhea. I would also suggest giving him a daily probiotic (ie Culturelle over the counter is highly recommended) and 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin for added fiber to help form a stoool. I hope Roux has a normal stool soon. Best wishes and take care.

Black, tar-like stools are common with bleeding in the stomach, upper GI tract. Bleeding that occurs lower in the GI tract with have red blood in the stools. I have never needed a human test to check for blood in the GI tract. Gastroenteritis is a common cause for blood in vomit and/or stools. Some cases are mild and respond to medications and out-patient treatment, while others, such as HGE, require hospitalization, IV fluids, and IV medications. Some dogs will have very dark stools that are normal and do not contain blood.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Due to Destiny's age there aren't any home remedies if she truly has melena. It might just be residual from shock secondary to hypothermia. If she is acting fine otherwise I would hope her stool will return to a more normal color. Puppy poop is tarry and can be darker in color. It doesn't look like adult stool and hers wouldn't look like a puppy who is nursing. If she begins to get sick the best thing would be to take her to a Vet. I hope this helps and I wish Destiny the very best!