Digestion problems?

[nedim]

Yesterday on one of our walks, I noticed that there was blood in Peanut's stool. I did'nt think too much of it at the time. Well, later on in the day, everything was going fine, until she just threw up on the floor. Now, this morning, I woke up to a nasty pile of poo in my room. Is she having stomach problems or something?

 

[014509Bo]

I would have her looked over by a vet, and it wouldn't hurt to take in a stool sample as well. She may have gotten into garbage or something else.
You may want to take her off her food to give her belly a rest and just give her organic plain yogurt with slippery elm bark.

 

[nedim]

Slippery Elm bark? As in the tree? Do I go out and but that or just find it?

 

[BigDog2191]

Canned pumpkin and yogurt is good for digestion- and pretty much anything to do with stool.

Bloody stool is really nothing to ignore- I had a friend who told me that his Weimaraner, days before it passed away had a lot of blood in his stool.

To be safe, I'd get it checked out. Good luck.

 

[nedim]

I'm taking her to the vet soon. Don't know when, I have to check with my mom. There wasnt an excess of blood, there was very little, actually. But, I'm getting even more worried. She just threw up again in the kitchen.

 

[014509Bo]

Slippery Elm bark is a herb you can pick up in your local health store.
http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/substances_view/1,1525,10056,00.html

The popularity of slippery elm bark has endured, no doubt, because it works so well for coating and soothing irritated or inflamed mucous membranes. This is the work of an ingredient in the inner bark called mucilage, a gummy, gel-like substance that when ingested forms a protective layer along the throat, digestive tract, and other areas. Astringent compounds in the herb called tannins help tighten and constrict the tissue.

For the same reasons, salves and ointments containing slippery elm have long been popular for coating well-cleaned minor wounds and burns to protect them from further injury.

Specifically, slippery elm may help to:

Soothe a cough, sore throat, and bronchitis. Slippery elm throat lozenges are particularly effective for easing a cough and soothing a sore throat, coating the area and reducing irritation. Warm slippery elm bark tea works for cough and sore throat too, as does a liquid extract. And for the pain of acute bronchitis, there may be no more soothing balm than several cups of slippery elm tea to lubricate and protect raw and irritated airways.

Ease gastrointestinal symptoms of conditions such as Crohn's disease. Slippery elm's soothing mucilage effect is also used for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. It is part of the herbal combination called "Robert's Formula," which is widely prized by naturopathic physicians for such intestinal inflammations as gastritis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis. Even the discomforts of heartburn or an ulcer may respond to this old-time home remedy.

As for blood in the stools, it is something to have checked out. In most cases the blood is just from the inflammation of the intestinal tract. When my dogs have gotten into something bad and got horrible diarrhea they did get a little blood due to inflammation. I always had it checked though, just in case you never know.

 

[BigDog2191]

Could just be something he ate. I remember Rocky for a while threw up like 4 or 5 times in 1 day.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

Slippery Elm bark? As in the tree? Do I go out and but that or just find it?

You can find Slippery Elm pills....they help firm poops.

 

[nedim]

Ok, thanks for your help everyone. i just got off the phone with the vet. Her appointment is for this weekend, they couldnt take her any sooner.

 

[Barb04]

Oh please keep us updated on Peanut, poor baby!

 

[bubbatd]

Does she have any fever ??

 

[Mordy]

right now i wouldn't feed her anything at all, since she's obviously having problems "on both ends". anything that enters the digestive tract takes resources away from her body attempting to heal itself.

get her to the vet as soon as you can, but for now only offer plenty of fresh water and let her tummy rest for 24 hours. this will not hurt your dog.

after the fasting period, give her some bland food, like overcooked white rice and scrambled egg, but only a little bit at a time. 5 small meals will be better than only 2 bigger ones.

if she isn't doing any better within 48 hours, find a different vet and don't wait until the weekend.

 

[bubbatd]

I agree Mordy ! I was worried about the time of the appt.

 

[amymarley]

Yep, would agree with the above. Always consult your vet first. For a bit of peace of mind, which is not always the case, but something to look out for... check the blood in the stool. If it's bright red (normal looking "blood") then it's usually o.k., if it looks like a really weird, distorded dark "icky" looking blood, that can mean internal bleeding. Which is a problem.
Your vet will prob. give you pills for the vomiting, and put your dog on a boiled chicken, rice, cottage cheese diet. hope all goes well......

 

[Whitedobelover]

nedim i am inclined to think peanut probably ate something and it may hve scratched the insides of the intestines or peanut has just a basic bacteria causing inflammation of the intestine.

 

[nedim]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I called into another vet's office and they can see Peanut at 3:30pm after school tomorrow. Wish us luck.