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My dog has bright red blood in her stool. Is it hemorrhoids?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | spayed | 1 year and 10 months old | 12 lbs

Yesterday my pup (shih zhu) woke suddenly and ran to the door. She didn't make it outside before her stool hit the floor. It was wet with bright red blood in the mix. She seemed fine the remaining of the day. Today she is still eating well and went out to potty. Her stool was solid but had some blood in parts of it and her bum had bright red blood (she's blonde). Should I be more concerned? Could this be a hemmeroid?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 27th, 2017

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. No, this would not likely be from hemorrhoids as we do not see this condition typically developing in animals. It sounds like there may be some inflammation in the colon causing the small spots of blood. Dietary indiscretion and food allergies are common causes of this. If you continue to see blood, I would initiate a bland diet and then feed a bland diet as outlined below. After this resolves and you put her back on the original food and you see blood again, I would switch to a whole other brand of food and see if that makes a difference. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 15th, 2017

    Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. It does not sound as if Roxie is sick but just having blood in her stool. This can be caused by many factors. The blood is bright red, which tells me that we have some GI irritation likely in the colon. Dietary indiscretion can cause this as puppies can be quite sensitive to dietary changes and new food introductions. Intestinal parasites can lead to stool changes like this as well. I would get Roxie's feces tested for parasites to ensure she does not need anti parasitic treatment. I would also switch to a bland diet that consists of chicken or beef and rice. Feed this 3-5 days past the resolution of the diarrhea / blood in the stool. Below is a more comprehensive guide foe bland diet feeding instructions. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 9th, 2017

    Hi there and thank you for your post. What you are describing is likely a bout of colitis secondary to dietary indiscretion. Commonly, I see young animals with GI upset secondary to a diet switch or introduction of a new treat. I would recommend starting a bland diet as outlined below until you are able to switch Kingston back to his regular diet. It does not sound like he had this issue prior to the introduction of the cheaper pedigree brand. If he continues to heave and have blood in his stool, I would recommend having him seen by a veterinarian for an examination so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment options can be recommended. I would also add in a probiotic to his diet such as Purina Fortiflora as many times there is a disruption to the normal bacteria of the intestinal tract causing bloody or soft stool. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other concerns and I'd be more than happy to provide you with more information.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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