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Question
I have a pom and she is almost 3.... Today two times that she has went outside and pooped she has ended up with blood clots on her hair. What could this be? she is acting her normal self, eating and drinking fine too.
Frank blood, or fresh blood like this, is generally caused from some sort of irritation in the lower colon right before the rectum. Most of the time this can be caused by what the dog eats. Cheap food will cause this reaction a lot.
I had cats that had this problem often until I took them off of cheap food and put them on Science Diet over 30 yrs ago. They never had blood in or on their stool again.
What ever the irritation is, it is basically local in the lower area of her intestines. I would get her on some better quality food and see how she does. Cheap foods, or low quality foods, such as Mighty Dog, Little Cesars, Old Roy, Purina, etc can cause this due to additives in the food, food colorings, low quality ingredients etc. Any of these can cause enough irritation to cause minor bleeding.
Get her on some Science Diet small bites for little dogs and watch her flourish.
If that doesn't help, or she has a lot of blood coming out, or goes off her feed etc, get her to your vet as soon as possible. You don't mention vaccinations so if she isn't vaccinated for parvo she could come down with that. That can start with bloody stool.
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Answers by Expert:
Jana Connell RVT, CVT
Expertise
PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!
Experience
I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina.
I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.
Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.
Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT.
Certified Veterinary Dental Technician
Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).
Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.
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