rectal bleeding,

Question
I have a beagle, basset hound mix, 8 human years old?  Is having squirts of rectal blood??  He has been treated for heart warms, after having seizures last year 2005.  Do you know what is happening with him,, his name is Beethoven and he weighs about 46 pounds.

thanks, susie


Answer
Hi Susie,

The rectal bleeding may be the result of a number of problems.

Probably the most common causes of this are mild constipation leading to hard, irritating stools, or colitis. Dogs get rectal polyps which can lead to intermittent bleeding. Tumors can occur around the anus or in the colon. Rectal fissures and anal sacculitis can lead to intermittent rectal bleeding.

If you're seeing blood is on the OUTSIDE of the stool, it could be caused by internal parasites. Other causes could be tumors and infected or abscessed anal glands. If blood is seen IN the stool, there is an internal problem, and you shouldn't wait to have your dog treated.
Be sure to always take a stool sample in with you whenever you see blood.

You probably can't see your vet today, but if your dog is still passing blood by tomorrow, you should contact your vet and have your dog examined.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti

PS. telling me your dog is 8 human years old, isn't telling me anything. It is often said that people live 7 times as long as dogs, so each year of a dog's life is equal to 7 years of a humans life. This is inaccurate. If you'd like to see a dog/human years conversion, go here:

http://www.france-property-and-information.com/dog-years-to-human-years-age.htm