My senior dog is vomiting black and has dark stool. Is it blood? What's wrong?

First of all, he seems to be suffering from a severe gastrointestinal issue and he must be taken to the vet urgently for treatment, if it';s an infection it's easily treatable, no need to fear about having to put him down. regarding the other issues, these are less urgent at the moment, have the primary problem treated first.

It sounds as Jet is suffering from a gastrointestinal condition, possibly an infection. it could also be due to ingestion of a foreign body material. i would recommend taking him to the vet the first chance you get, he will need to be checked first, if the vet thinks it's a simple gastrointestinal infection he will need an anti vomiting injection, antibiotics and a special food for a few days in order to get better.

I'm concerned about this stool. Dark tarry stool like this can be a sign of stomach or intestinal bleeding. The bleeding could be from medication, parasites, a gastric ulcer or cancer. I'm glad Truman is feeling better but I recommend a veterinary exam soon. They will run a blood panel to check for anemia, perhaps check for intestinal parasites, and perhaps due some X-rays. It's important to find the cause of this so this doesn't become a more serious medical problem. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Truman.

Hi there and thanks for posting! Oh dear, this doesn't sound good. If Brownie is having dark or black stools, this can be an indication of an upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Jaundice is caused by liver disease and dark yellow urine signals she may be dehydrated. It sounds like there is a lot going on with Brownie. Portal hypertension (pressure that build up from the veins connecting the liver and gastrointestinal tract) can cause decreased blood flow into the liver (often due to injury or damage to the liver) and blood to back up in veins going to the stomach and the rest of the gastrointestinal tract. This can cause the veins to enlarge and swell and rupture which can cause bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. It may be Brownie's liver dysfunction is the primary cause of the melena (digested blood in stool making it look black). IV fluids and liver protectants (like SAMe) may help. I would recommend an ultrasound and biopsy of the liver). I am sorry to hear Brownie is having so many issues. I hope this gets better soon!

Chunk may have a bleeding ulcer in his mouth or throat, or a severe tooth infection. He is obviously swallowing blood which then gets digested and shows up in the feces (tarry black). You will need to take Chunk to your vet for an exam of the mouth and throat. Once the cause of the bleed is found it needs to be stopped, which could mean a dental cleaning with extractions of an abscessed tooth or other measures depending on where he is bleeding from. Please take Chunk to your vet ASAP.

If Honey is vomiting, especially vomiting blood, she needs to go to the veterinarian. This could indicate a toxicity such as rat poison, a hereditary coagulation disorder given her age and she's bleeding inside, or even if she got into something like an anti-inflammatory and bleeding stomach ulcer. It could also indicate G.I. parasites causing digested blood in her GI tract. However anytime we see blood in the vomit and dark tarry stool's we become very concerned about life-threatening anemia. Do not give Honey any human medication including anything like Pepcid, Pepto-Bismol, or Zantac until she is examined by a veterinarian.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I noticed in one of those pictures that his stool is really diarrhea and is black (which usually means a sign of bleeding). Vomiting and diarrhea can occur secondary to conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, dietary indiscretion, parasites, among other possibilities. In addition, black stools can be indicative of bleeding into the small intestine or stomach which can happen secondary to an ulcer for instance. Bloody urine can be the result of an infection, stones, tumors, among other possibilities. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. At the very least they can start him on medications to make him feel better and check his hydration status. In the meantime, keep water available at all times to try to prevent dehydration. Good luck and have a good day!