Dog

If your dog is active, cook some white rice, leave some of the rice water in with the rice, let the rice cool, add some soft dog food and stir. The rice should stop diarrhea. After you have done this, get your dog to the vet, this can be a serious illness and can be fatal. If your dog is not active and will not eat, get your dog to the vet NOW !

It sounds like what happened once to my dog. It's called Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis which is characterized by a sudden onset of bloody diarrhea. Without treatment dogs can die of this so a trip to the vet is the best course of action. If for some reason you can not go to the vet, this is how to treat it at home.

Hydration: Keeping your dog hydrated is the most important thing to do. It is not the Gastroenteritis which is fatal but the dehydration that occurs as a result. You can test for dehydration by pinching the skin on the back of your dogs neck. If the skin quickly returns to normal after a pinch the dog is not dehydrated. If the skin stays up like a tent, then you need to get some fluids into your dog quickly. If your dog does not feel like drinking water offer chicken broth mixed with unflavored pedialight. Also mix unflavored pedialight into your dogs regular drinking water. If your dog absolutely refuses to drink you can give subcutaneous (under the skin) fluids at home. If it comes to that and you need help learning how to attain and to administer subcutaneous fluids then please feel free to ask me.

Diet: You need to put your dog on a bland diet for about a week. Stop feeding him his regular kibble and/or wet food. Instead boil chicken and then make white rice with the chicken broth to make it yummy. Mix the chicken and rice and serve it warm (but not too hot) because the smell will stimulate his appetite. Offer the left over chicken broth for your dog to drink (also make sure it's not too hot first). Feed him often and as much as he wants to increase his appetite.

Activity: Try to get your dog to lay low for a about a week. Don't take him for walks or let him play too much. Just keep him warm, make a cozy bed for him and keep food (chicken and rice) and water next to his bed at all times. Monitor his time outside and continue to look at his stools to see if the bloody diarrhea gets any better.

Results: It should take 3-7 days for your dog to recover.

If your dog gets worse or is dehydrated and you are unable to get him to eat or drink or to administer subcutaneous fluids then you must take him to the vet ASAP. Just waiting it out could have dire consequences. Good luck! Feel free to ask questions.

Whether of not you decide to try to treat at home first, or go straight to the vet, depends on a few things. Going to the vet, is of course, the safest best. However, many animal lovers & rescuers are on tight budgets and have learned how to treat simple illnesses at home, and have an idea of when its time to go to a professional.

A dog, just like a person, can get a viral illness or an upset stomach because of eating something in the yard, etc., that upsets their stomach temporarily.

First, is your dog lethargic, no longer drinking, and have a fever? If so, go to the vet
(a normal temp for a dog is 101-102, so it its 104 rectally, your dog has a fever)

Second, is your dog up to date on DHPP shots, which includes Parvo? If you have a puppy with bloody diarrhea and it hasn't had these shots, it could be Parvo and you need to get to the vet asap to save its life.

Third, has your dog been dewormed this year? Many times, bloody diarrhea is a symptom of intestinal parasites, and you can go have a fecal sample studied at your vet. But if your dog is in good shape otherwise (acting relatively normal, and still drinking), you can get dewormer at your local Pet Supply, or Tractor Supply Company. One dewormer is for Roundworms, Hookworms, and Whipworms, and the other type is for tapeworms. Hooks and Whips are usually responsible for bloody diarrhea. The packaging will list which worms it kills and the dosage for your dog based on weight. It is okay to use both types of wormers at the same time.

A few tablespoons of pumpkin, in addition to the bland diet of white rice with skinless chicken breast can ease the irriation, and the pumpkin fiber will firm the stool up. After a week or so you can gradually wean your dog back on to its regular dog food a little at a time.

*Remember* You know your dog and its normal behavior better than anyone, so you are the best judge of whether you dog is acting really "off" or not. Not eating for a day or two is not a big deal. Just like humans with an upset stomach, they will lose their appetite. It is when they are no longer drinking that you can run into trouble fast. You can give them chicken broth to intice them, and you can use Pedialite if they are only drinking small amounts, to help prevent dehydration from the diarrhea.

If you don't know how much your dog is drinking, put small amounts of water down at a time and then pick it back up, instead of leaving it free choice as usual. That way you can monitor how much fluid your dog is taking in. If you dog doesn't accept water from you when offered for 24 hours, something is wrong, and if broth wasn't accepted either, I would go to the vet at that point.