My dog has bloody diarrhea and is straining. Can I wait for vet?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor guy! If he is otherwise ok then he should be fine until the morning. It isn't uncommon for blood to appear in diarrhea. It indicates inflammation in the colon. Causes of diarrhea are: intestinal parasites (so bring fresh stool sample), viral or bacterial infections, dietary indiscretion (ate something gross), HGE (hemorrhagic gastro-enteritis), pancreatitis, food allergy or intolerance, reaction to a new treat/food/table food. I wish you the best

Although he is acting normal now, that can change if he is having some sort of bleeding disorder. If there is a constant flow of blood that is oozing regardless of whether he is going potty or not, then that is a sign of a potentially serious clotting disorder. In this case it would be in his best interest to get him seen tonight if the oozing continues for more than 30mins to an hour. Blood loss is best dealt with early on, instead of waiting until the pets blood supply has depleted to dangerous levels. However if the oozing is not abundant and doesn't seem to be continuous, Zeus may be ok to be seen first thing in the morning.

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!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Waffle and for providing a picture, it's very helpful. This blood in his diarrhea could be due to intestinal worms, eating something rotten, a foreign body, parvo if he isn't vaccinated, or a severe stomach illness. He should definitely see a vet for this. As long as he is otherwise ok, it can wait until the morning. If he starts vomiting, has more bloody diarrhea, is very lethargic, stops drinking water, or is vomiting water, take him into an ER vet immediately. I hope this helps!

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.

Hello. If your dog is eating & drinking well, not lethargic, not showing signs of abdominal pain & not vomiting, this is not an emergency. But it probably would be a good idea to have him seen, or at least have a stool sample looked at early next week. If you could get an appointment to be seen today that would be great, but if Prince is otherwise feeling well, you can watch this for another day or so. Hope he is doing well soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I am so sorry that you have limited access to your vet right now. If he is otherwise acting normal and doesn't have any unexplained bruising on his body or red blotches on his gums, then this is likely stress colitis. You can try offering some probiotics, if available, to him in the meantime until the storm calms down. It is also likely that the storm itself is causing Melo to stress out. Some good readily available probiotics are Fortiflora or Proviable and mostly found at your local pet store. If they are also not open, then you can just try a bland diet of boiled plain chicken or ground turkey and rice for now, then get Melo seen by your vet as soon as the weather clears up to get his colitis treated with prescription antibiotics. The vet may also want to check his stool for parasites. I hope that your furry friends stools return to normal soon! Stay safe and take care.