dog pooping blood

Question
I have a 3yr old boxer who is pooping blood. He went to the vet they did a smear test on his poop said he was stressed from us moving and gave us antibiotics. He finished them and he stopped pooping blood. The whole time he has been himself playing with our cat, eating and drinking normal and everything he acts fine. Now he has been off his meds for about 5 days now i come home from work today and he pooped blood today in 4 stops. What do i do?? He acts prefectly fine. Help me please i'm worried aboout him. Thanks.

Answer
Hi,

Thank you for writing to me about your 3 yr. old boxer.

Am I to assume that the blood is accompanied by diarrhea?  If so, the first line of defense is to get a thorough fecal exam done by Cornell or one of the other vet teaching colleges.  Cornell is excellent.

Let your vet know what's going on.  Your dog could have Giardia, which is difficult to get rid of and may require a long term bout of antibiotics.

If your vet isn't responsive to your concerns, then get a second opinion.  Try to find a gastrointerologist to examine your dog.

I am not a vet and so I can't tell you what is going on but it is obvious that your vet's initial evaluation was incorrect and further investigation has to take place.

Best of luck.
Shelley Davis