Why does my senior dog have recurring stomach pain, vomiting, and dark diarrhea?

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.

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.

That does sound concerning. It is possible that she is having another flare up of her previous ulcers. Other causes for diarrhea and vomiting with blood in it include Addison's disease, intestinal parasites, tick-borne diseases, IMHA, IBD, intestinal cancer, among many others. I would recommend that Gubbu get checked out by a vet as soon as possible. After physical examination and a review of her medical history, the vet may recommend bloodwork to check for anemia and other relevant things. They may also recommend an abdominal ultrasound, which will help use get a picture of what her digestive tract is doing and looks like.

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.

If it is a one time occurrence I would not be too worried unless the feces were black (tarry), If that is the case immediately stop the meloxicam, as there may be a gastric ulcer caused by the NSAID. Keep giving the Ultram then. If the feces are black again the next time he does his business, Dexter will need to be seen by an emergency vet (PetER). If the color of the feces is more brown, then there is time to see the vet on Monday, and discuss the further administration of the Meloxicam. If it never was tarry or black, then your dog may just have had a bout of gastroenteritis, which only needs to be treated if the diarrhea does not go away within 2-3 days.

I'm sorry Diesel isn't doing well! If he had pancreatitis, you would see symptoms such as repeated vomiting, vomiting undigested food, a hunched pain, a painful abdomen, a distended abdomen, diarrhea, loss of appetite, dehydration, and lethargy. Diesel would be extremely ill if he had pancreatitis, and from what you are describing, I would be inclined to think he doesn't have it. It is possible that he does have cancer even if your vet didn't feel any masses in his abdomen. There can still be tumors even if they can't be palpated, and cancer would cause him to eat and lose weight. Cancer can also cause diarrhea. Certain cancers also do not show any changes in blood work. I recommend having further testing done on him, such as x-rays or an ultrasound of his abdomen. These would help visualize if he has any tumors in his abdomen, and further testing such as a biopsy of them can be done if any are found. Unfortunately cancer is very common in senior dogs. I recommend having him seen by your vet again to discuss further testing. I hope this helps!

I'm concerned about this stool. Dark tarry stool like this can be a sign of stomach or intestinal bleeding. The bleeding could be from medication, parasites, a gastric ulcer or cancer. I'm glad Truman is feeling better but I recommend a veterinary exam soon. They will run a blood panel to check for anemia, perhaps check for intestinal parasites, and perhaps due some X-rays. It's important to find the cause of this so this doesn't become a more serious medical problem. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Truman.