When you arrive at your veterinarian’s office, she will start with performing a physical exam and collecting a verbal history from you. While the issue may be with your dog’s bowel movements, she will want to evaluate him entirely in order to check for a possible cause. She will want to know when it started, it if has been progressing, if it is constant or intermittent, and similar questions.
When it comes to trying to diagnose a cause, lab work and imaging will be performed for more information in regards to your dog’s condition. Blood work will consist of a complete blood count (CBC) and chemistry panel for basic information on how your dog’s internal organs are functioning. It can also indicate if he is losing a lot of blood somewhere in his body. Your veterinarian may also want to perform fecal diagnostic testing in order to rule out intestinal parasites that can cause blood to be present in the stool.
Radiographs and abdominal ultrasound of the gastrointestinal tract are a good way to check for an abnormality that may be causing the blood in the stool. The use of an endoscope for a view within the gastrointestinal tract can be extremely helpful in the diagnostic process. It will allow your veterinarian to get a live view of the inside of your dog’s GI tract to check for polyps, perforation, or any other sort of abnormality that can be causing the blood.
The diagnostic lab work, imaging, and history of your dog’s condition should help the veterinarian come to her diagnosis. If she is still unsure, there are additional, more specific tests she may suggest depending on your dog’s specific case.