Dog licking anus, bloody stool, not eating. When should I see a vet?

That is likely to be caused by a colitis which is an inflammation of the last part of the intestine. Most of the times these episodes are dietary related but secondary bacterial infections are common and can perpetuate clinical signs. I would recommend a check up to confirm this clinical suspicion and give appropriate treatment. Antibiotics are required together with probiotic and dietary change.. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

If the blood and mucous is coming from his anal gland, he may have an infected anal gland. If that is the case, he may need an infusion or oral antibiotics to resolve it. I have attached a link with more information about anal glands below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=625 If the blood and mucous is coming from his stool, then he may have colitis. I have attached information about colitis below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=677 Either way, both are abnormal, so I would recommend having your vet examine him and help you decide on a treatment plan. I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using PetCoach.

I would recommend that you discuss the possibility of perianal fistula. It is one possible cause for Sherry's symptoms. They can be very difficult to treat. Another possibility is IBD. Sometimes a hypoallergenic diet can help, along with anti-inflammatories. Here is some more info: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=3061 https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/perianal-fistula-in-dogs http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=598

These signs could be compatible with a colitis, which is an inflammation of the last part of the colon, usually related to dietary indiscretion. As a first approach, I would suggest to start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice vomiting, lethargy or inappetence. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Oh my. Poor Ben. Bleeding inside the rectum is not a good sign unfortunately. A mass inside the rectum is a feasible possibility considering the fact that anal gland don’t usually bleed out the rectum in this fashion because a small duct is the only opening to the rectum from the anal glands. It is more likely the bleeding is coming from the colon and a bleeding ulcerated mass has to be seriously considered. Your vet should be able to do a rectal exam and/or endoscopy to look for a possible mass and help you with your decision making moving forward. I hope everything turns out ok for your pet Ben. Best wishes and take care.

Poor guy. The only thing you can do at home here is to cleanse the area antiseptablly with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water or Chlorhexidine solution 3 or 4% diluted until a light blue mixture. If there is a lot of hair there, you can also gently cut away the hair to prevent further fecal matter to get stuck. If the area looks severely swollen, painful, or infected, then the best thing to do moving forward would be to get him seen and treated by your vet. It sounds like he is ingesting a lot of hair, so it would be wise to remove the source of his ingestion and either have him groomed more frequently and/or brushed at home more frequently to limit how much he is ingesting. If he still can't poop on his own, then yes he should see a vet to get an enema and remove all the stuck feces that are in his colon and provide him some relief. Poor guy. : ( I do hope that you can provide some comfort for him soon! Best of luck moving forward and take care.

I'm sorry to hear Poe is not feeling well. I would recommend to take her into the emergency clinic. She's obviously not feeling well and they will be able to give her medications that should help her to feel better. They will also preform a thorough exam and likely recommend bloodwork and radiographs to look for the cause of the bleeding. Things that could cause the bleeding would be rectal masses, infected anal glands, poison, GI disease and neoplasia. The diagnostics will hopefully tell which one it is so you will know how to treat it. I hope Poe starts feeling better soon.