Is my dog's black tarry stool from human Meloxicam stomach damage?

Poor pup! Yes, it's certainly possible that the meloxicam could have caused these symptoms if J ate one of your tablets off the floor - this drug can be used safely in dogs, but 7.5 mg in a 17-18 kg dog is far too much. Overdoses of meloxicam can cause severe stomach ulcers, internal bleeding, and even perforation of the stomach or intestines as well as kidney damage in some cases. If J is still having problems, I would definitely recommend letting your vet know that this is a possibility - he should have blood work to check his kidney function, as well as fluids, anti-nausea medication, and stomach protectants. Most dogs can recover from a one-time meloxicam overdose like this with supportive care, so it's not necessarily a reason to panic - just let you vet know that this might be the problem, to make sure that J is being treated appropriately.

If it is a one time occurrence I would not be too worried unless the feces were black (tarry), If that is the case immediately stop the meloxicam, as there may be a gastric ulcer caused by the NSAID. Keep giving the Ultram then. If the feces are black again the next time he does his business, Dexter will need to be seen by an emergency vet (PetER). If the color of the feces is more brown, then there is time to see the vet on Monday, and discuss the further administration of the Meloxicam. If it never was tarry or black, then your dog may just have had a bout of gastroenteritis, which only needs to be treated if the diarrhea does not go away within 2-3 days.

I don’t think this looks like melena, or digested blood in the stool, but it can be difficult to tell from a photo. Melena is very black and sometimes has a greenish tint. If Lemon Drop still seems sick you should have her examined by your vet.

Hi! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Katie just ingested a very high dose of meloxicam. The big problem with an overdose of meloxicam (or any other NSAID) is that it can definitively result in side effects such as gastrointestinal ulceration (which may manifest as black, tarry stools which basically means digested blood), kidney disease, liver disease and gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting, diarrhea and anorexia. I advice that you take Katie to a veterinarian (perhaps a bit farther from you) for evaluation and further treatment. If it has been less than 2 hours, vomiting could still be induced which could make the outcome better. If there is no way possible you can do that then take her first thing in the morning tomorrow. Good luck!

That class of medicines have potential to cause a GI ulcers which can cause vomiting and dark stool (digested blood) Taking him to the vet is the best option sonthey can also run blood work to check the kidneys as that can also be a side effect of that class of medicine. They have several different components to help with ulcers and preventing further damage. Feedings a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice is best until you can take him in

I would recommend that you find an emergency vet. Dark and tarry stools can indicate bleeding in the upper GI tract, which could be life threatening. I would discontinue the prednisone until she is evaluated by a vet.

Black stool is indeed concerning, and if Achilles did in fact eat Aleve this would indicate bleeding inside the GI tract. I'm sure your vet advised you to be alert to this complication. Sucralfate can help when there are GI ulcers (this is one of the complications caused by an overdose of NSAIDs) but it may not be all he needs to recover successfully. Often these dogs sustain liver and kidney damage, and need to recover in a hospital with IV fluid therapy. Finally, depending on how much he ingested, he may be at risk for perforation of the stomach, and this is an extremely serious complication that requires surgery. If he is not doing well at this point I would urge you to seek immediate follow-up care.