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My puppy has bloody diarrhea after switching to new food. Is this normal?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | unneutered | 5 months and 15 days old

My puppy has just had his 3rd poo of the morning and I noticed that there was a bit of blood (or what looked like blood) on the stool. It also seemed to be inside the stool as when it broke I could see other red splotches. He's had diahorrea earlier (I'm mixing his new food and his old food together) but this is his third stool of the morning, he's eating and drinking well and doesn't act any differently. Should I be worried?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on August 6th, 2017

I'd be worried in that it isn't normal for a puppy to have blood in their poop, but if he's fully vaccinated, then this wouldn't be caused by a parvovirus. He could have intestinal worms or even the mixture of his old food and new food could be causing the blood. While it's good that he is eating and drinking well and otherwise acting normally, I'd still have him seen by a vet on Monday. Bring along a sample of his feces for the vet to examine. If he starts vomiting, stops eating and drinking, and/or becomes very lethargic, then I wouldn't wait until Monday and I would rush him into an ER vet right away. In the meantime, you can try feeding him a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day to see if that helps his diarrhea. If it does, then slowly add back in his normal diet after a couple of days on the the bland diet. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 24th, 2018

    Your dog is most likely suffering from colitis, or an inflammation of the colon, probably from the recent change in diet. You could try feeding him a bland diet for a few days (like plain boiled chicken and rice) and see if that helps. You may also want to take a fecal sample to your vet and have it checked for intestinal parasites, as that can cause bloody stools as well. If your dog stops eating or the stools stay bloody for more than 2 days then Sam should probably be checked out by your vet. Best of luck!

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on November 22nd, 2016

    Poor Hazel! Switching food abruptly can cause some dogs to get an upset stomach, which can cause the symptoms you describe. Intestinal parasites are another very common cause of soft stool with blood in a puppy this age - so if you haven't had her dewormed yet, I would recommend doing this right away. Otherwise, I would suggest putting her on a bland diet of plain boiled chicken and rice for the next few days until her stool returns to normal. Then, you can gradually transition back to the new food you are using by mixing it with the chicken and rice for 2-3 days.

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    Answered By Vanessa Yeager DVM MPH

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 4th, 2018

    Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There can be quite a few medical causes for blood in the stool. Rapid change of diet can irritate the gastrointestinal tract and can lead to transient diarrhea as well as some blood in the stool. Parasitic infections as well as bacterial and viral infections can also lead to blood in the stool. If the food change occurred after seeing the veterinarian, perhaps switching the food rapidly may be the culprit here, however, I would be absolutely sure with Bailey's veterinarian that any infectious causes have been ruled out (such as a parasite). Food changes should be done slowly over the course of 3-5 days where the new food is gradually introduced into the old food to prevent stomach upset. Putting a couple tablespoons of plain canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) in his food at each meal can help. However, if the blood in the stool does not get better or gets worse, I would check in with your veterinarian. I hope this helps and thanks again for posting!

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