German Shepherd anal infection: Still bleeding on antibiotics?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Sherry! We are not legally allowed to prescribe medications over the internet. The law requires a valid veterinary-Client-Patient-Relationship to do so which requires the Veterinarian to actually examine your pet. On Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach we can provide guidance, ideas on causes of illness and support but can not diagnose nor provide drugs. The blood from Sherry's anus, is that from his stool or is there a problem with his anal tissue? German Shepherds can suffer from perineal fistulas which are very painful. Blood in the stool is common in dogs suffering from stomach upset due to inflammation within the colon. If you are able, clean his anus and take a picture if you think it looks abnormal and I can try to help you better. I would fast Sherry for 12-24 hours to rest his GI tract. Then start feeding a bland diet of boiled chicken or hamburger with rice as small frequent meals. Feed this diet until he passes 2 normal stools then transition him back to his normal dog food. If the stool doesn't improve, he won't eat, or starts vomiting he needs an exam by a Vet. I hope this helps and feel free to post a picture of his anus if it looks abnormal. I wish you and Sherry the best!

Riley’s stool looks a bit soft. This may be be from being on doxycycline as antibiotic associated diarrhea is fairly common. Your vet may be able to dispense a probiotic such as FortiFlora or Proviable that can help return the stool to normal. The blood may be due to stress colitis. Typically, metronidazole (flagyl) is an anti-inflammatory antibiotic for the gut that recommended for blood tinged soft stool, however as she just finished a course of antibiotics, putting her on probiotics and a plain boiled rice and chicken diet (unless she has an allergy to chicken) or a prescription Hills intestinal diet or Royal Canin Gastrointestinal diet for 3-5 days may be enough to allow the irritated intestinal mucosa to heal. Good luck!

It sounds like Tyson likely has an underlying condition that is causing his body to react and thus you are not seeing improvement in the skin. The four main things that will cause persistent skin issues are flea allergy, environmental allergy, food allergy and hypothyroidism. I recommend to start ruling each one out. German Shepherds are notoriously sensitive dogs and you can’t know which one is causing it without checking each one out. I recommend to rule out fleas first with an oral flea prevention like Nexgard or Simparica. Even just a few fleas can cause a big problem. Then food would likely be next. I recommend a specific diet called Ultamino. Environmental allergies are more difficult to rule out and thyroid problems would be uncommon (but not impossible) in a dog Tyson’s age. If your veterinarian is not good with skin conditions, find one who is. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor kallua. As she has not responded to a week of antibiotics it is time to investigate further. An ultrasound exam to assess bowel, bladder and womb may be helpful in determining the underlying cause and guide further treatment. Blood tests for clotting function and anemia may also be useful if noo physical cause is identified

Anesthesia can cause these symptoms along with the stress of the stay but that antibiotic can be a factor also. If he is eating and drinking fine with only a small amount of blood at the end of the BM then you can monitor for anything further. If it is diarrhea with blood through out then I would get him seen. You can always try boiled chicken and rice as this is bland and easy to digest. You may need to add canine probiotics while in antibiotics. You may want to talk to your vet about a different one that is easier on the stomach

Poor Sally! It's difficult to tell what is going on in the photos, since they're dark and somewhat blurry. If the redness is just around her tail and rectum, it's possible that this could be irritation from her diarrhea - if this is the case, it should resolve as soon as her stool firms up again. You can gently clean the area with baby wipes in the meantime if needed. If the skin issues are also affecting other parts of her body, then I would be concerned that she has developed a separate skin problem in addition to her bowel infection - it's not common to see skin issues associated with diarrhea or as a side effect of antibiotics, so I would recommend taking her back to your vet for a check-up to see what may be going on.

I am So sorry to hear that Russel has been so unwell. I am happy to hear his respiratory issues are resolved. It is possible that the same infection has affected his gastrointestnal tract, that the antibiotics themselves have upset his natural gut flora, or even that it’s all coincidence and Russel simply ate something he should have. From what you are describing, a liquid bowel movement which has fresh blood in it, it sounds as though Russell has colitis, or inflammation of the last portion of the large intestines. There are several causes of colitis in dogs, ranging from bacterial infections, parasite infestations, IBD, stress, or ingestion of contaminated food. Since you have only noticed these issues for a day I would continue to monitor Russell at home. Provide a bland diet of boiled boneless chicken breast and white rice and plenty of fresh water. You can also add cooked mashed skinless sweet potatoes to help with the diarrhoea, a dog formulated probiotic, and low sodium chicken broth to help with fluid intake. If the episodes continue, if Russel becomes depressed, passes large amounts of blood, vomits, or seems very uncomfortable take Him to see his vet immediately. I hope this answer was helpful and more importantly that Russel feels better soon. Warmest regards to you both.