Rottweiler Pooping Bloody Diahrrea – already been to the vet and not happy

 

by Jax’s Mom
(Houston, Texas )

My 2 and a half year old Rotty, Jax has been acting strange lately. It started last week when suddenly, he didn’t want to get in my car. I thought he hated dog day camp (although he has been going for months and seemed to love it). So I gave him last week off.

On Saturday, he had an accident inside. HE has never done that. This week, he started getting diarrhea. He has a sensitive tummy so this doesn’t surprise me. Well, it got worse. I would go home every few hours to check on him and he had accidents in the house. That’s Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, I am ready for the vet. My vet is out so I took him at 8 this morning and left him and went to my office across the street from the vet. They had me bring a stool sample. He had no parasites. They called and asked to run blood tests. They did. No liver or kidney damage but low white blood cell count. Vet had me pick him up at 2 and said to give him pills twice a day for five days and keep an eye on him. Probably gastro-colitis/irritable bowel. I was like, okay. So I take him home. He gets home and he goes out and goes and it’s now bloody! Bright red blood. and he strains and afterwards it oozes out. I had to run back to the office and finish up some things. I am only ten minutes from home and plan to be home by 5. I called the vet about the blood. They said, “we aren’t surprised by that…but it’s NOT normal.” What does that mean. They said to just give him another pill tonight and also give him the special diet food they had me buy. I spent $400 today at the vet and I still feel petrified about the blood. Should I be concerned? Should I go to another vet? (i won’t lie, I can only afford so much, but this dog is my LIFE and I will do whatever and ask family for money if I have to).

I just wanted a second opinion . Or has anyone else had this happen?

This dog is truly my soulmate dog. I lived with my ex for six years and we broke up and fought over this and the other female rotty for six months. Finally, when the male wouldn’t eat because I was gone, my ex gave in and he and I are happily reunited.

I appreciate any feedback or help.

Thank you!

Hi Jax’s mom
I’m so sorry to hear what’s happening with Jax, and I can imagine how worried you are.

It definitely sounds as though something odd is going on and any sudden change like this is cause for concern. Did your vet give you any kind of diagnosis? I’m not sure exactly what type of pills they gave you for Jax, perhaps an antibiotic and maybe an anti-inflammatory?

Bloody diarrhea is definitely NOT normal, and in a young unvaccinated (or partly vaccinated) pup, Parvo would be my first guess. However, I’m assuming that Jax is fully vaccinated, so that’s unlikely to be the problem.

Although your vet said ‘no parasites’ I would personally suggest you ask if they tested for coccidia and giardia, both these are parastic illnesses but it may require more than one fecal test to actually get a sample that contains a parasite or two. I’d recommend having Jax tested for both of these, even if he’s been tested once. Both conditions can cause bloody diarrhea and other intestinal issues.

Blood in the stool basically indicates inflammation in the colon/bowel and sometimes repeated diarrhea itself can cause the inflammation, regardless of what started the problem. In this sort of situation an anti-inflammatory medication can be prescribed to help settle things down.

I’m not certain changing his diet will help, or is absolutely necessary, but as you have the food now as long as you make the change-over slowly and carefully it shouldn’t hurt even if it doesn’t help. However, when you have this sort of ‘vicious cycle’ of intestinal upset, sometimes a 24 hour ‘fast’ can help.

If you want to try this, just allow him plenty of water for 24 hours, but not food. After the 24 hours is up, you can try giving him plain white boiled rice with maybe a little clear chicken broth, and then slowly work up to letting him eat his dog food again. I would check with your vet before doing this in your situation because Jax is on medication, and you want to be sure that it won’t hurt his tummy if it’s not taken with food.

If you aren’t happy with what your own vet is prescribing, or doing for Jax, then by all means don’t feel shy about seeking a second opinion. He’s your baby and he’s relying on you to find out what’s wrong and help him feel better, so follow your instincts on this.

I hope this helps some and I wish you the very best of luck, hopefully Jax will be back to his old self and feeling great again soon.

Comments for Rottweiler Pooping Bloody Diahrrea – already been to the vet and not happy

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Feb 26, 2011

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info that may help Jax
by: Raven

I am relieved to hear Jax is doing better. I just wanted to add something in case it helps you and other Rottie lovers out there. I’m not a vet, but I do know that there are many similarities amongst human and dog diseases. I had a bout of food poisoning many years ago that sounds exactly like your poor dog’s symptoms. Some symptoms of toxicity from bacteria can take 5 days to show up–therefore folks often miss the connection between slightly tainted food and their illness. The doctors took some tests, but in the end did not give me anything to ease my suffering (I had no insurance at the time) and told me to go to an emergancy room if it got worse. I found pure food-grade kaolin clay at a healthfood store, mixed it with water, and drank it down. It absorbs everything in the digestive tract and is extremely gentle and non-toxic. It gave me relief within hours. It’s the kind of thing to keep on hand rather than trying to find it after your animal gets sick. Keep the powder in a glass jar with a tight lid (mason jar works great) as the clay will absorb odors even from the air. It will last basically forever, as it is just purified earth. Be aware that it also will absorb any medication in your dog’s digestive system–which may render them ineffective. I am not suggesting you ignore a vet’s advice, but I find vets as well as doctors often don’t have a clue about simple, natural remedies to support the body, relying usually on drugs instead. The chicken broth (unsalted) and rice was also great advice and another home remedy which works for humans too. Good luck with your best friend Jax–hope he stays healthy & happy.


Feb 25, 2011

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He’s doing better
by: Jax’s Mom

Thank you guys for your comments! It’s awesome that you all care as much about your “kiddos” as I do. Thank you again!

I called the vet again and the most he would say (after all of the those tests he performed – I went through it – they did every test possible,) he said he THINKS it’s irritable bowel,colitis. But not positive.

The only pills he got were to help the Diarrhea. No antibiotics. I did what he said – two pills yesterday. When I got home from work, he had had an accident, but not too much blood. Just a small amount.

This morning, I took him out and his feces was ALMOST solid! So I am feeling much better. I am going to see how it goes over the weekend and take him to another vet next week to double check.

To answer the question on eating things – he used to be bad about the trash, things like that. He doesn’t do that anymore. But he does love his toys and rawhide. The rawhide usually upsets his tummy so I now only use the pork kind. I may even cut that out, even though he will NOT be happy. He is a bone addict.

On eating and his behavior, other than not wanting to go anywhere (he used to LOVE car rides and want to go everywhere) he is normal. He’s hyper. He’s sleeping fine. He’s eating. He is drinking more water than usual, but I am guessing he’s a bit dehydrated.

I have cut out his treats, too. He is pretty spoiled so I just am giving him hypoallergenic treats I got at the vet right now until he’s all better.

He loves rice so I will try that if he gets it again. I will check on him at lunch today and see how he’s doing…

Thank you again for all of the responses. I am going to check into the other possible diagnosis you guys sent and see if that’s an option.

OH, and yes, he had his vaccinations in January and is always up-to-date and is on Hart Guard and Revolution.

I did talk to my ex and he said when he had Jax, he did this for about two weeks but he didn’t bother taking him to the vet (glad I got him back.) Which leads me to believe it is something irritable.

The low white blood cell count still concerns me but I will look into that, as well.

I am defintely finding a new vet, too. I was really happy with them. They are super nice. I just don’t like these vague answers about my baby. I used to want to be a vet. I still wish I had instead of being in the corporate world. I know I would always be upfront with my patient’s owners.

Thanks again so much! This is an awesome website! Very happy to be a part of it!

Jax’s Mom


Feb 25, 2011

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Right to be concerned.
by: Sherry

First, I don’t blame you for being concerned. Any good animal lover would be, in your shoes. That being said, I agree with the above post. I also would like to add that usually bright red blood isn’t cause for alarm unless it is in large amounts. Dogs do have a tendency to eat the darnedest things…could there be the possibility Jax ate something that might scratch inside? Something as simple as a small piece of chewed plastic could do enough of a scratch coming out to cause blood. Has your vet even mentioned the possibility of the dog eating something that has splintered or scraped inside or even blockage? Just a thought. In this case, small amounts of blood are not alarming, but large amounts are cause for concern and possibly the need for an ex-ray or scan of some type to make sure something has not punctured somewhere or blocked up.

Just curious, is Jax still eating well? Is he still drinking plenty? Is he still alert and normal otherwise or down? Does he seem uncomfortable or can he get comfortable? There is a lot about a dogs behavior that will help more accurately diagnose, but tummy troubles can be confusing. Any time you are not comfortable with a Dr’s opinion, you are always allowed to seek a second opinion…it is your right for any member of your family that is under your direct care and not capable of making their own choices in those matters. If you are not comfortable and are still worried, you have the choice of wait and see (following the vet’s advice) or seek another opinion. You know your dog best and he depends on you to make the best choice for him…which I am sure you will.

I hope everything turns out to be nothing serious with Jax and he is back to his normal self quickly. It is always difficult for me when one of my babies goes down and hard on most these days when it comes to the extra bills. Just went through a very trying time with my pup and the vet so understand how you feel about doing whatever it takes to make sure your baby is ok. I’ll keep you guys in my prayers. Keep us posted on how Jax is doing, please.


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About The Rotty lover 2159 Articles
My name is Dr. Winnie. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Duke University, a Masters of Science in Biology from St Georges University, and graduated from the University of Pretoria Veterinary School in South Africa. I have been an animal lover and owners all my life having owned a Rottweiler named Duke, a Pekingese named Athena and now a Bull Mastiff named George, also known as big G! I'm also an amateur equestrian and love working with horses. I'm a full-time Veterinarian in South Africa specializing in internal medicine for large breed dogs. I enjoy spending time with my husband, 2 kids and Big G in my free time. Author and Contribturor at SeniorTailWaggers, A Love of Rottweilers, DogsCatsPets and TheDogsBone