Puppies pooping blood: Why is my puppy pooping blood?

If you’ve found blood in your dog’s poop it’s an indication that something isn’t right.

Noticing blood in your puppy’s stool might put you in a frightening situation of overthinking because of its association with cancers. However, a wide range of factors can make puppies pooping blood.

Dogs can develop some pretty serious medical problems including gastrointestinal bleeding. If your puppy is pooping blood then it’s important to see a vet as soon as possible.

Sometimes the problem can be easily resolved, but other times it can be a sign of a worse problem.

This blog will look at why your puppy may be pooping blood and what you can do about it.

Let’s get started.

Why is my puppy pooping blood?

From virulent to mild virulent, a wide range of organisms can make puppies pooping blood. Some common reasons include constipation, food allergies, viral or bacterial infections, and colitis. On the other hand, your puppy’s bloody stool may be due to some life-threatening causes such as toxicity, cancer, blockages, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, or parvovirus. 

For instance, the presence of blood in a puppy’s stool is medically termed as hematochezia if its source is the lower digestive tract and melena if its source is in the upper digestive tract. 

You would have to know about the difference between these two types to make an exact diagnosis. 

Let me show you some of them.

1. Hematochezia (bright red blood)

Hematochezia is a condition in dogs where the stool is stained with bright red blood sourced from the lower digestive tract, i.e., from the colon and rectum. The blood, in this case, is relatively fresh and mixed with feces. You can observe a few and small droplets of blood in your dog’s stool.

2. Melena (tarry black blood stool)

It is a digestive condition in which the blood makes your puppy’s stool appear tarry black. In melena, the blood typically comes from the upper digestive tract digested and mixed with feces, thus losing its freshness. Moreover, its diagnosis is difficult as dogs usually pass dark stool.

Major differences  between Hematochezia and Melena

Hematochezia	Melena
Bright red color blood in stool	The stool color is tarry black
Fresh blood	Digested or swallowed blood
It comes from the colon or rectum and then mixes with the stool	It comes from the upper intestines, stomach, or esophagus

Now, I’m going to discuss the possible causes that lead to puppies pooping blood. 

16 possible causes of blood in dog stool

The reasons behind the bloody stool vary from simple dietary changes to tumors or cancers. 

It is not easy to diagnose the exact cause of bloody stool in your furry friend on your own. 

Therefore, you have to consult your veterinarian to figure it out. 

Here I’ve mentioned some possible reasons for bloody stools in your furry fellow. These are divided into three major categories:

Common causes of Hematochezia (Red blood stool)

1. Dietary indiscretions
2. Parasites
3. Parvovirus
4. Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis
5. Stress
6. Rectal injuries

Common causes of Melena (black blood stool)

1. Blood clotting abnormalities
2. Excessive use of NSAID
3. Cancers/Tumors
4. Post-operative complications
5. Accidental ingestion of blood
6. Pepto-Bismol

Miscellaneous causes

1. Intestinal fissures
2. Intestinal blockage
3. Bacterial infections
4. Trauma

For your further convenience, I’m going to describe each cause in detail. 

Therefore, please pay attention and read it carefully for better understanding.

Causes of bright red blood stained stool in your dog

1. Dietary indiscretions

Dietary indiscretions or overeating often becomes a source of irritation in your dog’s colon, accompanied by bloody diarrhea and mucus at times. 

A sudden change in diet may have related effects; therefore, it is always recommended to make a gradual diet shift that lasts for several days. Otherwise, your dog suffers unpleasant consequences.

Moreover, a sudden dietary shift of a new treat or human-grade food can also lead to an inflamed colon. Likewise, food intolerances and consuming spoiled foods also promote bloody stool in your furry friend. 

You can treat your dog with a mild upset digestive system using probiotic remedies.    

2. Parasites

One of the frequent reasons behind bloody stool in dogs is parasites in the digestive tract. From parasites, worms are the most common cause of blood in the stool, such as roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms. 

Aside from the bloody stool or diarrhea, other clear-cut symptoms will assure you of worm infestation. Some important signs and symptoms are:

• Eggs or adult worms in feces
• Adult worms in your dog’s rear
• Rubbing or scratching of rear
• Worms in vomit
• Bloated belly
• Lack of appetite
• Lethargy
• Weight loss

Some protozoa like coccidia are another major cause of bloody stool in dogs. A veterinarian can help your furry canine fellow by prescribing specific dewormers to get rid of such offending parasites. 

3. Parvovirus

Parvovirus leads to puppies pooping blood, and certain breeds are more prone to get parvovirus. Some tan and black breeds like German shepherd, Rottweiler, and Doberman are predisposed to get a deadly viral infection.

Typical symptoms are associated with parvovirus infection in puppies, including:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Lethargy 
• Lack of appetite
• Bloody diarrhea
• Fever
• Nasal discharge
• Dehydration

Such a type of viral infection may cost your puppy’s life; therefore, you need to get your furry fellow to your vet to suspect such symptoms as soon as possible. 

4. Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis

The presence of jelly-like copious dark, bloody stool and diarrhea and vomiting indicate hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.

In later stages, your best friend may suffer severe dehydration due to a lack of water absorption because of intestinal inflammation and ulceration.

You can quickly diagnose this situation from these symptoms:

• Copious diarrhea
• Copious vomiting
• Lethargy
• Inappetence
• Dehydration
• Listlessness
• Bloody diarrhea
• Shock

From the symptoms mentioned above, dehydration is of significant concern. Therefore, a quick veterinary visit would be your first choice to avoid serious consequences. 

At this stage, your dog needs immediate fluid therapy as a supportive therapy along with other symptomatic treatments. 

5. Rectal injuries

Accidental ingestion of a stick or pointed bone piece by your dog is another source of bloody stool. These hard and sharp objects will cause internal trauma or damage the digestive tract, especially the lower one, making its way out through the stool.

Therefore, the fresh blood from the colon or rectum mixed with the stool and stained it. 

You can avoid such conditions by not offering cooked bones or sticks to your fido to play with. If your dog has already ingested it, you would have to provide him with high-fiber bread to provide an easy way out.       

Sometimes, bloody stool may result from rectal polyps that get swelled and bleed at the time of stool passing.

Therefore, don’t forget to consider having a rectal examination of your fido by your vet.

6. Stress

Stress is also a leading cause of blood in dogs’ stool as it imposes severe effects on the digestive system. There are several types of stress that your best friend is prone to, such as transport, separation, and the addition of a new family member and a pet. 

Dogs love to enjoy the company of their owners; therefore, they get bored if you put them in kennels for a long duration. Stress directly relates to the development of colitis in dogs, thus ultimately leading to bloody diarrhea and mucus. 

Therefore, always ensure to provide your best friend enough time not to make him feel alone. 

Causes of black stool in your dog

1. Blood clotting abnormalities 

Puppies pooping blood may be due to some congenital blood clotting abnormalities. Blood clotting disturbance is of major concern as it may lead to a deadly anemic condition that may cost your best friend’s life.

According to researchers, accidental ingestion of rat poisoning is another leading cause of bloody stool in dogs. This condition in dogs manifests itself by the presence of tarry black stool and severe lethargy. 

Seeking veterinary assistance would be your priority on observing such symptoms.

2. Excessive use of NSAIDs

The longer-term use of Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory drugs such as Aspirin or Rimadyl may develop gastric ulcers in your dog. Gastric ulcers result from inflamed mucosa of the stomach or other digestive tract that end up bleeding and severe itching.

Dogs facing gastric ulcers often experience tarry black stool and are likely to go on off-feed for several days. 

Inform your vet if your best friend is on such medications, and don’t forget to keep close observations on your dog’s stool. 

3. Post-operative complications

It is common in veterinary practice to see dogs with black or dark stool a few days after having surgery. Actually, the dark stool color in dogs results from the internal bleeding that comes up with an alarming condition that needs prompt treatment. 

Moreover, such complications appear within three days after the surgery. Therefore, if dogs recently have had surgery, the black, bloody stool might be possible to report it ASAP.

4. Tumors or cancers

In senior dogs, the occurrence of tumors like rectal polyps is an ordinary thing. Therefore, on observing the tarry black blood-stained stool of your furry fellow, you need to consult your veterinarian to rule out certain rectal cancers to ensure safety.

5. Blood ingestion

Sometimes, your dog’s stool may appear tarry black, resembling blood-stained just because of accidental blood ingestion. Moreover, nasal and oral injuries might be other causes of swallowing blood that you are unaware of. However, don’t neglect some internal ulcers in the GIT.

6. Pepto-Bismol

A dog on medications like Pepto-Bismol is likely to pass blackish and dark stools. It is the major side effect of such a medication that is also mentioned on the label. Therefore, you don’t have to bother over tarry black stools of your fido taking Pepto-Bismol.

Other causes of puppies pooping blood

1. Intestinal fissures – They occur due to passing large and hard stools forcefully, thus leading to bleeding.
2. Intestinal blockage – intestinal blockage results from volvulus or other hard objects that may block your dog’s intestine and end up necrosis and bleeding.
3. Bacterial infections – bacterial infections result from clostridium perfringens, and campylobacter leads to intestinal bleeding.
4. Trauma – During play or physical activity, dogs may suffer severe trauma that causes internal GIT bleeding and thus bloody stool. 

Diagnosing bloody stool in puppies (color and consistency)

Up till now, I’ve discussed why puppies poop blood in stools. 

Now, at this stage, I’ll let you know how to tell whether your best friend’s stool contains red or dark blood. 

Just follow these steps.

1. Take an absorbent white paper towel and put the feces on it.
2. Thoroughly check for abnormal stool color and consistency.
3. If you observe red tint diffusing from the stool, it will indicate the condition of melena
4. The presence of clear blood in the feces may be due to some minor causes like dietary changes to major causes like cancers. 

Check for abnormal color and consistency of stools

Abnormal colors

• Dark black stools – gastrointestinal bleedings, ulcers, misuse of medications
• Yellow stools – pancreatic insufficiency, inflammatory bowel disease, increased intestinal motility
• Bright orange stool – liver and gall bladder disturbances
• Bright yellow stools – problematic pancreas, liver, and gallbladder
• Grey stools – malabsorption, liver issues

Abnormal consistencies

• Small, hard, and dry stools – constipation
• Watery diarrhea – small intestinal disturbances
• Frequent small and strained volumes of stools – colon disturbance
• Gelatinous, mucoid, and shiny – colitis, stress 

How to treat puppies pooping blood?

Puppies pooping blood off and own, and it’s normal until the condition does not last for several days. 

It would be best to take your best friend to a veterinarian to avoid complications and rule out life-threatening causes. 

The veterinarian will offer the best course of treatment depending upon the current health status of your furry fellow. 

Several treatments are available such as fluid therapy, anti-parasitic drugs, and dewormers.

Moreover, in case of internal bleeding or intestinal blockage, surgical procedures may be followed. 

Don’t ever take such conditions lightly as you may put your best friend’s life in danger. 

When to go to the vet with a puppy that is pooping blood?

The occasional bloody stool might be possible in dogs having a recent dietary change. 

Aside from it, consistently passing bloody stools by your dog, vomiting, abnormal health status, and refusing to eat demand immediate veterinary visits. 

It is always depreciated to treat such cases on your own with home remedies, as things might be beyond your thoughts. 

A delay in specific treatment may cost you your best friend’s life. 

FAQ about puppies pooping blood

Summary

Puppies pooping blood is a serious matter that needs prompt veterinary visits and specific treatment options. 

Your pup’s stool may stain with blood that comes from the upper or lower digestive tract and then get mixed with it. 

You can also look for the color and consistency of the stool to make a differential diagnosis.   

Now, you come to know certain causes of bloody stools, such as dietary changes, allergies, stress, viral and bacterial infections, misuse of NSAIDs, tumors, and cancers. 

To avoid severe and unpleasant consequences, you have to make a hurry veterinary visit. 

A timely veterinary visit and treatment are far better than regretting false decisions.

Therefore, do whatever you can to save your best friend’s life by making timely and wise decisions.

That being said, there is nothing left but to thank you for your attention up to this point.

I hope I have been helpful, and I wish you many moments of joy and satisfaction in the company of your beloved puppy.

Of course, if you have any questions or concerns along the way don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for reading and have a great day!

Until next time!

A big hug.

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