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My dog has diarrhea with a little blood. Is it an emergency?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Boston Terrier | Female | spayed | 9 years and 7 months old | 25 lbs

My dog had diarrhea and I had to wipe her bum and there was what looked like small traces of watery blood. Do I need to take her into an ER or just watch her over the next few days?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Claudia Fioravanti

Veterinarian

Published on September 26th, 2018

Hi ! If the amount of fresh blood is little I would not recommend an emergency check up. Fresh blood is probably coming from the lower intestine, most likely the colon or from around the anus where these is some irritation from the diarrhoea. I would recommend a bland diet of chicken and rice , or fish and rice or Hill's GI prescription food and a good probiotic. Diarrhoea should settle in a few days, but if Val is not eating or she seems to pass a lot of diarrhoea, or if the blood increases, I would recommend a vet check up. Hope this helps !

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 14th, 2017

    Poor Rudy! I would be concerned because it's not normal to have diarrhea with blood in it, but his current behavior would dictate how concerned I become. If he's eating normally, drinking normally, and otherwise acting normally, then you can wait until Monday to have him seen by a vet. I would rush him into a vet immediately this weekend if he stops eating, starts vomiting food, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, and/or becomes very lethargic. Should he be otherwise normal, you can try giving him a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day until he sees the vet. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Jeffrey Milner

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 3rd, 2017

    I wouldn't be too worried about small, infrequent amounts of blood in the stool. It is likely just a result of some lower gastrointestinal irritation. Certain parasites can cause scant blood in the feces as well. If he hasn't been dewormed recently and is not on a monthly preventative that covers regulars parasite this might be something worth checking into with your vet. As for dietary change, fasting Sam for the next 12-24 hours then starting on a bland diet or boiled chicken / hamburger and rice for 2-3 days might get things back in order. The addition of a probiotic for dogs like Fortiflora is also helpful in righting the gastrointestinal tract's microenvironment. Hope this makes sense.

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