What to do if your dog has bloody diarrhea

When a dog has bloody diarrhea, supportive and symptomatic treatment measures should be taken according to the disease type and manifestations, timely stop the bleeding and repair the gastrointestinal tract, and control the secondary infection. It is best to find out the cause of the dog's bloody diarrhea first, and then treat it symptomatically to avoid blind treatment that may worsen the dog's condition. Common causes of bloody diarrhea in dogs include parasites, foreign objects, and viral infectious diseases. If the dog is young and has not been fully vaccinated, it is priority to investigate viral infectious diseases.

When a dog has not been dewormed for a long time and has a habit of feeding raw meat, it may be infected with internal parasites causing bloody diarrhea. The dog may also show symptoms like malnutrition, weight loss, and worm excretion. In this case, fecal examination is needed to determine the type of parasite and conduct targeted deworming. Generally, dogs under 6 months old need to be dewormed internally once a month, and those over 6 months old need to be dewormed internally every three months.

Bloody diarrhea can also occur when a dog accidentally eats a foreign object causing intestinal obstruction or injury. The dog may show symptoms like loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhea. It is necessary to go to the pet hospital for X-ray examination to determine the location of the foreign object and remove it promptly. Meanwhile, feeding the dog with pet probiotics can help regulate the gastrointestinal tract.

If a dog has not been vaccinated and the bloody diarrhea has a fishy smell, it is likely caused by viral diseases such as distemper and parvovirus. When a dog is infected with distemper virus, it may show symptoms like lethargy, anorexia, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. In the early stage of infection, specific monoclonal antibodies or high-dose immune serum against distemper virus should be used in combination with canine interferon treatment. When a dog contracts parvovirus, the most obvious symptoms are diarrhea resembling rotten tomatoes and a strong fishy smell. Typically, symptomatic treatment measures include intramuscular injection of parvovirus monoclonal antibodies and interferon.