My dog has diarrhea with blood, pus, and coughing. What's wrong?

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!

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.

Oh no! Pinto sounds quite sick! Unfortunately I do agree that blood work as well as a urinalysis is in order. He may also need x-rays of his chest to see what his lungs look like if he has that bad of a cough. The blood in his urine could be due to a urinary tract infection, so checking his urine is a really good idea. He also may need a fecal check to see if he has intestinal parasites causing the diarrhea. While tests, like blood work, do not make the animal feel better, they can tell us a lot as to what is going on internally and how to best treat the animal. Certainly you can do supportive care for the diarrhea, (bland diet, etc) but I would be very concerned as to how sick your dog is that he needs more aggressive treatments, especially for the cough and blood in the urine. I would talk with your vet about supportive care such as broad spectrum antibiotics and fluids if you elect to not do the blood work. This may help Pinto to start feeling better. Bare in mind that if you skip doing the tests now and elect to treat supportively, he still may need further testing down the road, especially if he is not improving. I hope this helps. Good luck!

I am very sorry to hear that your dogs are experiencing these problems, I am sure it is very unsettling for you both. There are a number of potential causes of such clinical signs, including dietary indiscretion, pancreatitis, parasite infestation, infection, and ingestion of a toxin or poison. Because you have only noticed these signs over the course of a few days I would continue to monitor them at home. Rest their gastrointestinal tracts by holding back food for a few hours. Then you can continue with a bland and easily digested food of the boiled chicken breast and white rice diet and provide plenty of fresh water. I also find that boiled, mashed skinless sweet potato is helpful for diarrhea. If they do not improve, has profuse vomiting or diarrhea, you notice fresh blood, they seems lethargic, in pain or depressed I would advise a trip to the veterinarian. I would also consider a worming treatment if you have not done so in the last 4 months; http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=35694 Here are some links to helpful resources for you; https://www.petcoach.co/article/most-common-causes-of-diarrhea-in-dogs/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-things-you-can-do-at-home-if-your-pet-has-diarrhea/ I hope that answer was helpful and more importantly that they feel better soon. Warmest regards to you both.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There is definitely blood in the stools. The most common cause of this is gastrointestinal infection but it also may be due to scavenging, intoxication, bleeding ulcer, low platelet count and more. Please, take Jersey to your local vets for a check. He definitely will need a few days of antibiotics but prior to this, your vet will possibly recommend a blood test or ultrasound scan to make sure there is nothing more serious going on.

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!