# Does this look like blood in her poop? (graphic)



## Karin (Jan 4, 2008)

Heidi has had some stomach problems on and off this past week. Her stomach has been gurgling, she has been throwing up, and just this morning, she has had very pudding-like poop. And just now, she pooped and it looked like there might be blood in it.

This has been happening on and off for the past week, so I haven't taken her to the vet yet. She still has a good appetite and she will go grab her ball when she goes outside. I haven't been feeding her anything different and I don't think she's gotten into anything.

Here's what it looks like (sorry, it's gross!):










Does that look like blood? I think I'm going to try and get her into the vet today in any case.

Thanks for any advice,

Karin


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Yes, it does to me. It looks like her digestive tract may be severely irritated.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I would pick up some slippery elm and fast her for 24 hours. Just give her water.


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## sharkey19 (Sep 25, 2011)

Looks like it could be blood, unless she happened to eat something that color like a crayon or something. I would have her examined if she is vomiting and has diarrhea.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Could be giardia, Halo had poop like that a few times when she had giardia as a puppy. She was vomiting too. 

The giardia antigen test is better than the regular one.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Vet visit, definitely. Mucus and blood indicate irritation in the gut and colon.


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## KSdogowner (Jun 22, 2011)

> ]Heidi has had some stomach problems on and off this past week. Her stomach has been gurgling, she has been throwing up,Karin


This looks similar to Max's stool when he had the issue with overpopulation of bad bacteria. Once they put him on antibiotics it cleared up. He has been on Probiotics since then and is fine now. This definitely calls for a Vet visit to also rule out other severe issues. Please keep us updated. Sending good wishes toward Heidi.


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## Karin (Jan 4, 2008)

Thank you so much for all of your replies!

I ended up taking Heidi to the vet. Right after I posted, she went out to the back yard again and started throwing up. It was almost like she was blowing bubbles and what came out was really goey and white. Yuck!  So, it freaked me out enough that I called the vet and luckily they were able to take us right away. We just got back and Heidi had a very thorough examination. The vet thought it might be gastroenteritis or giardia, so they are going to do a blood profile and fecal tests. She also gave Heidi an anti-nausea shot and gave me a prescription for Metronidazole (1-1/2 pills twice daily). And she recommended Pepcid AC (1-1/2 tablets twice daily).

A little while ago, I remembered that Heidi had been sneaking drinks from an area in our yard where we have a waterfall that goes into the pool. There is a rocky area that goes into another area where the water sits before it goes into the pool and every once in a while, we'll see her drinking from it. I think it's possible that this water could be full of germs and bacteria that could cause giardia. What do you all think? I'm definitely going to have Dave block it off so she can't get to it anymore. And what do you think of all that medicine that was recommended? It makes me a little nervous to give her so many things.

The poor girl still doesn't look like she feels very well and she's really, really tired from her ordeal at the vet (any trip to the vet is an ordeal to Heidi!).


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

poor girl! nasty water could be the source, so yes I'd block it off..the metro will help with the diarhea /bacteria,,and the pepcid should help settle her stomache..

she may just be having a gastro attack hoping for good results from the fecal/blood work...don't over feed her,,bland diet ..


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## Karin (Jan 4, 2008)

Well, we got the test results back and she does have giardia. It's good because now we know it's something that can be treated. 

Dave blocked off the pooled water area, so she can't get to it anymore. He was wondering if she might have gotten it from a water dish that we leave out for her that wild animals might also drink out of (raccoons and possums). We clean the bowl regularly, but it is left out overnight where critters might get into it. I think it's the pool water myself though...

So, the vet recommended upping the Metronidazole from 1-1/2 pill (it says 250mg on the pill bottle) twice daily to 3 pills twice daily for five days. It makes me a little nervous to give her that much, with the side effects I've read about on the Internet. But, the vet said that side effects are pretty rare.

Thanks for all the previous replies and advice!


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Metronidazole is actually very safe and quite widely used in dogs and humans. The worst side effect (for me anyway) is the taste it leaves in your mouth. Within 1-2 tablets there's an overwhelming taste in your mouth (in humans anyway) so that may put her off food but hopefully not. 
We use it all the time in rescue when a dog has non-specific diarrhea, and at times in conjunction with albon (for coccidia) if it's suspected the dog also has giardia or just basically needs an anti-inflammatory for the gut/colon.


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