BLEEDING

My 3 yr old golden retriever has been passing blood in liquid form at least twice a day on and off since the past 10 days or so.  
What could this be due to ?  What medicine can I give him ?  What food should I avoid giving him for this cause ?
Due to the tremendous heat wave we are having now, he does not like to eat.  I usuall give him butter milk mixed with a little cold water to drink in the afternoon.  Otherwise he has a full meal at night which consists of rice, one piece of chicken with a piece of chicken liver and a little vegetables in semi sold form.
Pl go thru the above points and reply to each query please .....
Thanks for your forthcoming response.

[ginger899]

I imagine when you say "passing blood in liquid form" you mean blood with his stools?

I don't think this, or his loss of appetite is anything to do with how hot it is where you live. And I don't think it's a food thing. It sounds to me like there is something wrong in his gut. I would take him to the vet very soon. In fact I would take him today, if I were you. This needs professional attention.

If possible, take a sample of what he passes with you. It might help the vet evaluate what is wrong.
I hope he's ok. Do come back and update us if you can, about how he's doing.

[peekawho]

Stop the buttermilk immediately, in the mean time (milk may be contributing to the bleeding).   And go to the vet right away.

Chicken and rice and vegetables are not an ideal diet for a dog.  There may be several key nutrients missing.  

Is the dog fully vaccinated and current with all shots?  

[Ghilly]

I ditto Peek and Ginger's posts.  Your dog needs to go to the vet immediately if he is passing blood in ANY form for the last 10 days.

Stop giving him buttermilk immediately.  The only drink an animal needs is fresh, cool water.  Adult animals do not have the enzyme needed to metabolize milk.  They drink their mother's milk when they are nursing, but as they grow and are weaned they lose the ability to digest milk and it could cause serious digestive problems to continue to feed it to them.

A piece of chicken and some vegetables is not an appropriate meal for a dog, either.  Unless you are feeding the Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF) diet, and the chicken is raw and the vegetables are cooked according to the directions given for the BARF diet, dogs need dog food.  It is made with their nutritional needs, which are completely different from the nutritional needs of humans, in mind.

Your dog could be having digestive issues due to his poor diet or he could have some type of infection, but he needs to be seen by a veterinarian IMMEDIATELY.  Please don't wait, call the vet ASAP to get him in there before he loses any more blood.  Ten days is a long time for him to be passing blood, and chances are very good that he is already anemic from blood loss.

Please post back and let us know what the vet said.  Good Luck!

Ghilly

[Red931]

Hello again,

I recall having a discussion about your dog's diet about a month ago. I am surprised I missed this post yesterday.

I echo the others here. You have to get your dog to the Vet right away. Ten days of passing blood is very dangerous.

Please post back and let us know how he is doing.

Dino

[lulu4444]

Thanks individually to all of you who responded to my mail and the views expressed.
First of all, to clarify what I said / meant was that over a period of 10 days (not everyday), just once in a day and then nothing for 2-3 days, he passed blood with his stool and only just once, blood only a very fractional amount - not heavily.
I did consult the vet and on he advised his normal daily meals which should consist of a boiled egg every alternate day with one fruit - a banana / papaya / apple in the morning.
For his dinner he suggested boiled rice with a solid piece of chicken with a few vegetables cooked into a boiled liquid form.  By the way, we live in Calcutta, India and going through a very very humid and hot summer.  So the vet also said that I could give him plain curd which I make at home itself mixed with a little cold water (which you know as buttermilk I think).  
But since posting my message, Dino has not passed any more blood.  I think he might have eaten something like a dried fish bone or lamb bone which are thrown by some people in the complex when he does his daily runs unleashed in our building complex.
I just dont know how to stop his picking up things and eating it habit.  Remember he is just 3 yrs old and therefore I allow him to run around for about 5-10 minutes daily.
Otherwise he is healthy, has his shots regularly and is generally in good health.
I am just confused about the buttermilk issue - you folks say to stop giving him this immdtly and my vet says to just give him this only and stop the rice and vegs for a few days as sometimes, not always, he is constipated.
I normally give him something at about 12 noon or so and his dinner at 10 pm.
At around 4-5 pm, I give him some Nutribix (like pedigree) biscuits which he has.
But thank you all for your prompt views and comments which I really appreciate and pl do keep the flow of concern and info ongoing as always.
Take care and God bless.

[Ghilly]

It is very possible that he ate something that irritated his bowel, I know my collie has a very sensitive stomach, and if she eats something sheshouldn't, she gets diarrhea that sometimes has blood in it.  It lasts for a day or two and then resolves itself, and her vet has told me that it's just an irritation of the bowel from the diarrhea.  Chances are that's what your Dino was experiencing.  I am glad to hear that the condition has resolved itself.

As far as the buttermilk (or any dairy product goes), adult dogs lack the enzyme needed for them to digest it, so I cannot understand why your vet would advise you to give him any type of dairy like this.  As a snack, a bit of cheese will not hurt them, but a bowlful to drink is pushing the envelope a bit.  That alone would be enough to give most adult dogs (and cats as well) a case of diarrhea because they just can't digest it.  They do sell a special Cat Milk for people to give to their cats as a treat, but to my knowledge, there is no product like this for dogs because traditionally are not milk drinkers.  Again, I don't know why your vet would advise you that this is OK.  The next time you get a chance to talk to him, ask him why that would be OK, since adult dogs lack the enzyme necessary to digest the milk, and see what he says.  If you get the chance to do that, can I ask that you please post back or PM me with his response, because I am really anxious to hear his answer.  

Thanks, and have a great weekend!

Ghilly

[ginger899]

Hi lulu,
It is difficult to stop him picking up things to eat in your yard, if other people throw things over. My dog is like that. I have to watch very carefully that she doesn't pick up something she shouldn't eat. Most dogs are natural scavengers, and will eat anything they find!

I have an idea. When you let him run free round the yard, you could try putting a soft muzzle on him? I know it seems strange, but it is something you would get used to after a while, and he would get used to wearing it very quickly.

Or, is there a section of your yard which is your private area? If so, you could maybe put up a high netting fence to prevent people throwing stuff over?

[lulu4444]

Hi Ginger,
Thanks for your fast response and noted your idea.  It is a good one which I will start implementing the sooner I purchase that muzzle for him.  It should work.
I dont have a private area in the backyard as it is common place.
But again, thanks for the suggestion, I will go with this.
No bleeding today too !!  But now I think he is constipated !!  What should make him have normal stools ?  Any suggestions on this score ?
Take care and God bless.

[ginger899]

Well I don't like to suggest any food that your vet may not have recommended. But apple is usually good for regular stools, also brown rice instead of white rice? Brown rice is extremely good to encourage healthy bowel movements. Also, too many eggs can be a bit 'binding' although they are good protein. Plenty of water to drink will help. And good exercise. Dogs usually have a good bowel movement after running awhile. (however this may be difficult for him right now, owing to the heat where you live) If you have air-conditioning indoors, why not try a few games with toys or a ball indoors? (Be careful of your china!!)

But again I am sure your vet suggested the diet you give him right now for the reason his digestion was upset. So I am hesitating to advise you to change his diet in any way. Maybe you could call your vet and ask if some changes would be ok?

[peekawho]

Chicken, rice, and cooked vegetables are fine for a very brief time while an irritated bowel heals.  I will plead ignorance...is there no commercially available, bland dog food in India?  I seriously don't know!
If there is, that's what I would give him.

[ginger899]

I agree that once he is over his recent digestive problem, he does need to be fed well-balanced proper dog food as a regular thing.

If you don't like what is available in the shops there, I'm sure (as long as you don't mind paying shipping costs) there are healthy-option dog foods with all the essential nutrients a dog needs, available to buy online.