My dog is straining to poop, red and inflamed. Is it an emergency?

It should be ok to wait until morning unless Gizmo becomes very lethargic or starts vomiting constantly, in such a scenario i would recommend to take him to the out of hours, if he is otherwise more or less fine in himself this can wait for your regular vet in the morning.

If there is bloody diarrhea then I would take him to the ER clinic tonight. If it is diarrhea and he is otherwise acting fine still with no vomiting, then you can check on him through the night to make sure nothing is changing and have him checked in the morning. If there is vomiting or lethargy or he does not eat or drink then I would take him tonight also. You can always try boiled chicken and rice to help with digestion also as this is bland and easy to break down and can help with loose stool

If he’s otherwise normal you should be fine watching him tonight. He could have a ruptured anal abscess, or be passing a bone. He could also have a mass inside the rectum. Severe bloody diarrhea in a dog that is lethargic and not eating is a medical emergency but this sounds like he’s stable so bring him to your regular veterinarian in the morning so they can diagnose and treat his problem. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Watson.

The brownish red anus is likely due to the underlying gastritis/inflammation of the gut and the repeated defecation due to the diarrhea. The straining to defecate is probably because Tango is empty from having so much diarrhea. (Poor guy!). You should follow the bland diet directions provided by your veterinarian. There is no need to go to the ER vet now. However, if the diarrhea does not resolve within the next 24 hours despite the bland diet, you will need to take Tango back to your veterinarian or to the ER vet if your regular vet is unavailable.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Scrappy. He definitely needs to be seen by his veterinarian to have the stool evaluated. When blood is present, it can allow bacteria from the colon access to the blood stream. If he is still acting normal and drinking, you can likely wait until morning to have him seen. If he begins to act ill or vomits blood overnight, you will want to seek emergency care. I hope this information helps!

I don't think this sounds like an emergency. Unless you start seeing active bleeding from the anus or blood in the stool, this isn't something that can't wait until the morning. You might be in for a rough night if your Pongo doesn't stop whining, but I think thing should be fine. Obviously if you start to see an increase in the severity of clinical signs or any additional signs, you might want to repost on here for an updated opinion from one of our experts. Hope this helps.

I'm sorry Grayson isn't doing well! Because he's alert and drinking water, it's ok to wait to take him into the vet in the morning. Now if the diarrhea continues, you see blood in it, he becomes very lethargic, and/or he starts vomiting, then I would take him into an ER vet tonight. Best of luck, I hope this helps.