My husky is coughing up blood, but the vet found nothing. What now?

This is a very real concern and you should have him assessed by a vet urgently. Infection, injury, heart and lung disease, parasites, clotting issues and foreign bodies could all be at play. A full physical and possibly chest xrays are recommended immediately

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Unfortunately this is something a veterinarian should take a look at. The bleeding could be a result of a bleeding disorder if Mojo's platelets or clotting factors are decreased. Unfortunately it is impossible for me to say what the cause is without testing his blood and examining him. I would recommend withholding food for at least 8 hours and then initiating a bland diet as outlined below. For the bloody nose, I would recommend taking a wash cloth and applying pressure to the affected nostril to help stop the bleeding. I would then research a vet that you can drive to to have his blood tested to see if there are any abnormalities that would lead up to the bloody vomit and nose. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

Poor Medusa! Just like humans, there are many many causes of vomiting and some of the causes can be very serious. The blood in the stool is concerning for a more serious cause of illness. I recommend to have Medusa examined today by the veterinarian. Here is a link about vomiting which may have helpful information: https://www.petcoach.co/article/vomiting-in-dogs/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/diarrhea-vomiting-in-dogs-when-to-call-your-veterinarian/ I hope your pup feels better quickly!

Huskies are certainly able to overheat more easily than other breeds due to their thick coat. All of the clinical signs could potentially be related to something like that as well, but could be an indication of something entirely different. If there has only been episode of vomiting and some mild lethargy, I don't think it is entirely unreasonable to take a wait and see approach. If the rapid breathing becomes even more labored or Midna actually appears to be in any true distress, I would not delay and would take her into the veterinarian as soon as possible. As of now, it sounds like she's still eating, drinking, and functioning pretty normally. Keep a close eye on Midna, particularly the breathing, and should it worsen have her looked at right away.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Iris definitely needs to be seen by a vet right away. The cough and bloody stool can be related or unrelated. Coughing in dogs can be caused by pneumonia. upper respiratory infections, heartworm disease, or heart conditions. Bloody diarrhea can be caused by inflammatory bowel disease, viral diseases such as parvovirus, toxin ingestion, or bacterial infections. Sometimes, severe parasitic infections can cause these signs. A vet can perform a physical exam, and will likely need some further diagnostics such as bloodwork and x-rays to determine next steps and treatment. I hope all is well with Iris!

Poor Sasha! Vomiting up blood is worrisome. She may have a stomach ulcer causing this or worse yet some type of bleeding disorder. The shelters do their best to assess pet health with what limited funds they have but underlying disease can go undetected. Huskies are also known to be quite anxious and the stress of the move could have caused a stomach ulcer. However, I would air on the side of caution here and take her into the vet right away for a full physical examination to determine what the underlining cause is. It is good that she is eating and drinking OK and stable for now. But we want to make sure to get her treated now and not let things get any worse.

Poor Cali! It is possible that her nasal passages are simply irritated from her sneezing yesterday as a result of an underlying infection or allergies. However, it is also possible that her nasal bleeding (epistaxis) could be due to more sinister fungal infections, nasal cavity tumors, parasites, or blood clotting disorders. I recommend taking her to the vet for evaluation. I hope that all goes well!