Pooping Blood in Dogs

Should your dog be pooping blood (also known as hematochezia or having blood in his stool), it is likely that you will notice when you are scooping up his poop. There are various reasons as to why your dog would be pooping blood to include: 

• Infectious agents
• Dietary intolerance or allergy
• Tumors
• Colitis
• Proctitis
• Trauma
• Bleeding disorder
• Narrowing of anus or colon
• Anal sacculitis 
• Perianal fistulae

How serious it is that your dog is pooping blood will depend upon its cause. Blood in your dog’s stool will frequently point to an underlying condition that needs to be identified and addressed.

The reason for your dog pooping blood will depend upon its cause. For example:

Infectious Agents

Parvovirus, corona virus, bacterial infections (Clostridium and Salmonella), protozoal agents like coccidiosis and intestinal parasites like hookworms and whipworms are all infectious agents that can lead to blood in your dog’s stool.

Dietary Intolerance and Allergy

This can occur as the result of eating food that is no longer good, overeating, consuming a material that is not edible, a sudden change in diet or eating their human’s food can cause inflammation in your dog’s lower bowel and blood in their stool. An allergy can occur to a protein in a particular food causing colitis and blood in your dog’s stool. 

Masses 

These can be present in the colon, rectum or anus and include benign and malignant tumors.

Colitis

When blood in your dog’s stool is ongoing, it can point to his colon being inflamed, which is also called colitis. Colitis can be caused by a mass, infectious agent, food intolerance or allergy, as well as due to an immune-related or unknown cause.

Proctitis

This is when the rectum of your dog is inflamed. In many cases this is linked to colitis.

Trauma

Trauma from a bite wound to your dog’s anal area, a pelvic fracture that interrupts the colon or rectum, a sharp item ingested and passed or an instrument or material being placed in your dog’s rectum can lead to blood in his stool.

Bleeding Disorders

Should your dog have a bleeding disorder, he may bleed from the lining of his lower bowel. Types of bleeding disorders include thrombocytopenia, which is when there is a decrease in the number of your dog’s platelets, inherited clotting disorders like hemophilia and abnormal platelet function problems, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (the result of a severe infection, organ failure or a major liver disorder).

Narrowing of Anus or Colon

This is secondary to other trauma, inflammation, cancer or foreign body. When stools are passed when the anus or colon are narrowed, bleeding can occur.

Anal Sacculitis

An inflammation or an abscess of the anal sacs can lead to the consistency of the fluid in the anal sacs to change into a bloody liquid. This liquid can provide a coating to the stools as your dog defecates.

Perianal Fistulae

Ulcerations that can be seen in the skin around your dog’s anus. If the ulcerations connect to the anus, blood can be present in the stool.

If your dog is pooping blood, you will want to make an appointment for him to be examined by your veterinarian to determine what is causing this to occur. Upon examining your dog, your veterinarian will likely ask you for information regarding any other symptoms you have observed in your dog. Symptoms that may be connected to your dog pooping blood include:

• His having to strain during a bowel movement
• More bowel movements than usual
• Excessive drinking and urinating
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Lack of appetite
• Weight loss

After discussing any symptoms that you have noticed in your dog and depending upon what is seen during the examination, your veterinarian may conduct a rectal examination, a complete blood count and biochemistry profile, urinalysis, fecal examination, coagulation profile, abdominal x-rays and ultrasound and/or a colonoscopy. Through the examination, an understanding of the symptoms your dog is experiencing and the test results, your veterinarian will determine why your dog has blood in his stool.

To prevent an infection by infectious agents, you will want to keep a close eye on your dog and keep him on his leash so as to ensure that he does not eat feces of an unknown animal. It is also important to keep your dog from eating food that has spoiled and minimize the human food that he eats. A veterinarian or technician can perform anal gland expression on a monthly basis which will help your dog avoid developing anal sacculitis.

Providing your dog a well-rounded, nutritious diet and ensuring he gets plenty of exercise will help his overall health. It is a good idea to take your dog for annual examinations so that your veterinarian can catch any issues before they become a serious health concern.