dog

[tammie]

my dog has diharohea and its a sandy colour he also had a little bit of blood in it so if anyone knows what this is could you please tell me?

[Melinda]

you need to get that dog to a vet immediately.

[Dee-O-Gee]

Not sure which time zone you are in but you really do need to get the little guy to a vet, especially with blood mixed in.

We just went through a bout of diarrhea on Monday and posted this thread.

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=62562

No food for at least 24 hours--give him some chicken broth immediately, (1 cube of chicken bouillion to 3/4 cups water). It acts as an electrolyte to tackle off dehydration. I then boiled up a pound of hamburg (skim off all the fat) then cooked up instant rice and mixed in with the hamburg. Must be cooled before serving. We did this from Monday evening until last night meal, (mixing in a little bit of his normal food last night) and was back on his normal food this morning.

Our pup is doing fine now however; he did not have any blood in his blowouts which would be very concerning.

[Dr Lee]

Originally Posted by tammie

my dog has diharohea and its a sandy colour he also had a little bit of blood in it so if anyone knows what this is could you please tell me?

I agree with a vet visit but let me explain the stool colors a bit...

Sandy Color.
The reason that poop is brown is from stercobilin (which is a product from the breakdown of hemoglobin which carries oxygen in the red blood cell). The breakdown of hemoglobin is a fairly constant rate which is why poop is usually the same color. The color can change if something eaten has a different color and can also change if the speed of the ingesta is sped up. If there is diarrhea, then sometimes the speed of ingesta (future feces) is increased and not as much stercobilin is placed within it; thus making it a different color. When the stool is consistently light, then we worry that the amount of hemoglobin might be altered.

Blood in the stool.
The colon is a sensitive organ. it is a large mucous membrane. When there is sufficient inflammation, then blood will appear in the stool. Is this always an emergency? ...the answer is maybe. It is always worth contacting your veterinarian immediately though. Sometimes non-emergency causes of large bowel diarrhea will cause blood in the stool.

Hope this helps.