red gelatin substance

Question
have a approx 1 year old silky hair terrier...she has had a red gelatin like substance in her stool lately...any ideas??

Answer
    From what you've described, it sounds like your dog has blood and mucous in his stool. Common causes are parasite infestations (such as hookworms, tapeworms, and roundworms), colitis (irritable bowel syndrome) and viral or bacterial infections. My best recommendation to you is to take your dog to a qualified veterinarian for an exam. Since there are so many possibilities for causes of bloody stool, some of which are serious medical conditions, it is best if you have the dog evaluated as soon as possible. Make sure to bring a fresh stool sample with you to the exam. Usually the cause can be determined simply by veterinarian evaluation of the stool sample. Sometimes blood tests may be required as well.
    If parasites are the issue, the veterinarian will prescribe a deworming treatment for your dog. Viral causes usually have to be treated symptomatically, while bacterial infections may benefit from antibiotics. If the cause is colitis, it may help to keep him on a bland, easy to digest diet. You can feed a mixture of chicken (no seasonings!) and rice until you get him an exam. If it makes the stool problems worse, return him to his regular food. Generally though, the bland diet is easier on their stomachs and can help in cases like this. However, chicken and rice is not to be used as a long term diet, it is not nutritionally complete and will cause nutritional imbalances. If the bland diet seems to solve the stool problems, consider putting him on a high quality commercial food (Blue Buffalo, Wellness, Orijen, Natural Balance, etc.) or a homemade diet. Please discuss homemade diets with you veterinarian, so they can help you establish a well balanced diet for your dog.