Why is my senior pitbull passing black tarry stool? Is it serious?

Poor guy! From your description, it definitely sounds like something is wrong. Vomiting dark black material and dark tarry stools are often signs of bleeding in the stomach or intestines, which can be extremely serious. Not eating and not wanting to walk down the stairs are vague signs that indicate he is in pain or not feeling well. I would strongly recommend taking your dog to the vet today for an exam, since this sounds like quite a serious problem. He/she can do blood work and x-rays if needed to help diagnose the problem and get him started on appropriate treatment.

Black tar-like diarrhea is a sign of digessted blood and a serious condition that needs to be checked out by a veterinarian. This could be caused by ulcers, a tumor an injury to the upper airways with blood being swallowed, or an esphageal bleeding. Your dog needs to be seen by a veterinarian now, who will do blood tests, radiographs. Your dog may have to be hospitalised.

I would recommend that you find an emergency vet. Dark and tarry stools can indicate bleeding in the upper GI tract, which could be life threatening. I would discontinue the prednisone until she is evaluated by a vet.

Stomach ulcer, pancreatitis, Addison’s, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancers are all in my lists. If she hasn’t had a broad spectrum deworming then I would do that for sure even if fecal tests were negative. Also- if she has been on steroids she needs to wait weeks, Even months before the ACTH test for Addison’s can be run. It sounds like you and your veterinarian are on the right path to help find the cause. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi there and thanks for posting! Oh dear, this doesn't sound good. If Brownie is having dark or black stools, this can be an indication of an upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Jaundice is caused by liver disease and dark yellow urine signals she may be dehydrated. It sounds like there is a lot going on with Brownie. Portal hypertension (pressure that build up from the veins connecting the liver and gastrointestinal tract) can cause decreased blood flow into the liver (often due to injury or damage to the liver) and blood to back up in veins going to the stomach and the rest of the gastrointestinal tract. This can cause the veins to enlarge and swell and rupture which can cause bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. It may be Brownie's liver dysfunction is the primary cause of the melena (digested blood in stool making it look black). IV fluids and liver protectants (like SAMe) may help. I would recommend an ultrasound and biopsy of the liver). I am sorry to hear Brownie is having so many issues. I hope this gets better soon!

Chunk may have a bleeding ulcer in his mouth or throat, or a severe tooth infection. He is obviously swallowing blood which then gets digested and shows up in the feces (tarry black). You will need to take Chunk to your vet for an exam of the mouth and throat. Once the cause of the bleed is found it needs to be stopped, which could mean a dental cleaning with extractions of an abscessed tooth or other measures depending on where he is bleeding from. Please take Chunk to your vet ASAP.

It sounds as Jet is suffering from a gastrointestinal condition, possibly an infection. it could also be due to ingestion of a foreign body material. i would recommend taking him to the vet the first chance you get, he will need to be checked first, if the vet thinks it's a simple gastrointestinal infection he will need an anti vomiting injection, antibiotics and a special food for a few days in order to get better.