My dog has bloody diarrhea, is lethargic. What to do until vet?

Heat and temperature changes can certainly cause some lethargic and GI upset. If it's only happened once, a bland meal of boiled chicken and rice may help, however if you continue to see blood in the stool, Zola's abdomen becomes very tender, or she has an increase in symptoms such as extreme lethargy when the temperature cools, vomiting, or more diarrhea, seeking vet care to rule out issues such as pancreatitis and other GI illness are best.

If he is acting normal then you can withhold food for 12 hours and then offer him a small amount of a bland diet, like boiled chicken and white rice, and see how he does with that. You could also add a probiotic to his food. If the diarrhea continues, he starts vomiting, and/or becomes lethargic then he needs to be examined by a vet for treatment. He could have an infection, parasite, colitis, HGE, etc. and your vet can run lab-work to help diagnose and treat. Hope he feels better soon!

Poor guy. It sounds like you should go to another vet for a second opinion here. Something is definitely causing your pets inappetence and GI symptoms. Some things to consider as causes would be addison's disease and pancreatitis. I would recommend going back to the vet to have bloodwork analysis and a urinalysis to start. They may also want to do radiographs as well. In the meantime it is best to offer small portion meals of boiled plain chicken or lean ground turkey and white rice with some pedialyte (non-flavored) diluted 50:50 with water to help replace some of the electrolyte losses. Best of luck with your pet going forward. Take care

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Colby. This falls into one of these categories since you say that he isn't acting sick- Any clinical sign (diarrhea) that persists, worsens, or other signs develop (nausea, vomiting, lethargy, etc) this indicates that Colby should be seen by your veterinarian to assess what is going on. So I would just monitor his stools over the next 6-12 hours and watch for other signs. If things worsen, signs persist, or new signs develop, take him in immediately and let your vet take a detailed history and do a physical exam. They may advise some tests which could include fecal/blood tests, x-rays, etc to determine if a problem is present. A treatment plan can be made once a cause is determined or suspected. Bloody diarrhea can be caused by many things including intestinal worms, dietary problems, dietary indiscretion (eating things a dog should not eat), exposure to a toxin by ingestion, infection, etc. Good luck with Colby.

Oh no poor guy. As long as he isn't lethargic, doesn't have pale gums or is otherwise stable, you can wait the 5 hrs to get him seen. He may be having a stress colitis, in which case antibiotics and probiotics along with a bland diet are the treatment recommendations. However the vet will want to examine him thoroughly so that he is treated appropriately. I hope Boone feels better soon. Best wishes and take care.

I recommend to call your veterinarian today. They should ask many detailed questions and help you decide if Jennex should come in for an exam today or if you can try a bland diet +/- probiotics and see if it passes after 24 hours. In normal times, Jennex would go to the vet but with COVID-19, some protocols are changing. Blood in the stool significant significant inflammation or sometimes a more severe cause of GI upset. The blood could be due to many conditions including eating something he shouldn’t have, bacterial over growth, parasites or even organ disease. If the vet wants to see Jennex, the doctor will check him for parasites and bacterial over growth so bring in a stool sample. A bland diet can help. A bland diet can consist of 25% boiled white meat chicken and 75% boiled white rice. This should all be plain. A good probiotic is Purina FortiFlora if you can find it. I hope your pup starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.

I’m so sorry Maddi is sick. You need to get her to a vet ASAP. Call your regular vet; even though they are closed at this hour, they will have a recording of how to reach a vet in case of emergency, which this is. I wish there was more I could offer you to try at home, but delaying getting her seen could make things worse. She needs IV fluids if she had that much bloody diarrhea.