My senior dog has dark liquid diarrhea with grass. Is it an emergency?

Melena (dark, tarry stool) is concerning for bleeding from the digestive tract, specifically from the small intestine. This coupled with the abdominal discomfort, vomiting and diarrhea are all signs that warrant an abdominal ultrasound being preformed. Some possibilities that come to mind are GI ulceration, particularly if Piccolo has been on a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory for sometime; neoplasia or cancer also has to be considered due to Piccolo's age. I think you will have the best chance of getting some answers with ultrasound and potentially more specific blood work. I hope this helps a bit and best of luck to you and Piccolo.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Mei! If Mei is truly having melena there isn't anything to be done at home. Melena is digested blood from a high gastro-intestinal bleed. Usually from the stomach. Stomach ulcers, ulcer perforation, low platelets (thrombocytopenia), certain medications like NSAIDs and steroids can cause stomach irritation, uremia from kidney failure and cancer can cause this. I recommend you take her to the Vet this morning to have her looked at and blood work done to check her platelets. I recommend holding on food for now. I wish you the best of luck!

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.

It seems a little unusual for a single dose of meloxicam to affect Blanca after two weeks, but I suppose it is possible. I'd recommend having your vet examine the stool and Blanca. They might also recommend checking some lab work.

I'm concerned about the dark color of Kia's vomit, it could be blood. Carprofen can cause GI bleeding as a side effect, and if there is blood in her vomit, that could be the cause. It's also very concerning she has had diarrhea for two weeks. She needs to see a vet immediately, please take her into one immediately.

Hello, and thank you for your question. I'm so sorry to hear that Marble is unwell. This is a situation that definitely warrants a trip to the vet. Given her advanced age, cancer is a possibility. Other possible causes include severe gastroenteritis (gut infection), pancreatitis, toxin ingestion, or parasites. The vet will start by performing a thorough physical exam, looking for any bumps or sources of bleeding. They may recommend blood work or x-rays to further pinpoint the problem. At minimum, they can offer supportive treatments such as fluid therapy to combat dehydration from the diarrhea, stomach protectants and pain medications. The sooner that she can see the vet, the better. In the meantime, I would offer her small, frequent meals of a bland diet such as boiled chicken and plain white rice, which should be easy to digest. I hope this helps, and that Marble feels better soon.

I am so sorry that you have limited access to your vet right now. If he is otherwise acting normal and doesn't have any unexplained bruising on his body or red blotches on his gums, then this is likely stress colitis. You can try offering some probiotics, if available, to him in the meantime until the storm calms down. It is also likely that the storm itself is causing Melo to stress out. Some good readily available probiotics are Fortiflora or Proviable and mostly found at your local pet store. If they are also not open, then you can just try a bland diet of boiled plain chicken or ground turkey and rice for now, then get Melo seen by your vet as soon as the weather clears up to get his colitis treated with prescription antibiotics. The vet may also want to check his stool for parasites. I hope that your furry friends stools return to normal soon! Stay safe and take care.