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My dog's firm poop has red blood & mucus. Did she eat something bad?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 9 years and 11 months old | 4 lbs

What could cause bright red blood in poop? It was not completely red & was firm. I took her & the specimen to the vet yesterday. She was given Metronidazole & doxycycline for her stomach & slight cold. Shes displaying no symptoms, running, playing, eating, etc. she had bloodwork in December & everything is normal. This morning her poop had a bit of mucus on it (pictures) like it was encased in sausage wrapping. Could she have eaten something that upset her stomach? She loves getting into things

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on January 3rd, 2019

I hate to hear that Precious have you a scare! Blood in the stool can be due to many things including worms, giardia, eating something she shouldn’t have and bacterial over growth. It can also be due to more serious conditions like organ dysfunction, pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease and cancer. The mucus can signify irritation as well and it has the same causes as the blood. That was smart to take her in yesterday. Make sure to give her all the medications and monitor her stool closely. If you continue to see blood or soft stool, have her re-examined and discuss next steps diagnostic wise. Make sure that she eats and drinks well and has a good energy level. Best of luck and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Elva Ma DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 24th, 2018

    Hello, and thank you for your question. I'm sorry to hear that Bruno is unwell. Mucus and blood in the stool can be a sign of intestinal parasites, a bacterial infection, dietary sensitivity or allergies, or pancreatitis. Was there a recent food change associated with these symptoms? Blood in the stool is most commonly due to inflammation in the colon, brought about by one of the above causes. I would start by offering Bruno small, frequent meals of a bland diet such as boiled chicken and plain white rice. If his symptoms do not improve within the next 24 hours, then I would recommend taking him to the vet. They can check a stool sample for intestinal parasites, and provide anti-diarrhea medication as well as gastroprotectants to help minimize any further blood loss in the stool. I hope this helps, and that Bruno is feeling better soon!

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    Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 16th, 2020

    Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Presence of blood in stools is usually caused by gastrointestinal worms, gut infection, food indiscretion or allergy. Your vet prescribed medications to cover the most common causes of bleeding to the gastrointestinal tract, so you should give Danny 3-4 days with this treatment to expect improvement. However, if there is no improvement, Danny starts to vomit or becomes more unwell, you should take him back to your local vets for more investigation (blood test, x-ray, scan of the abdomen).

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    Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 9th, 2017

    Hello, I am so sorry for your concerns about Ghost. Blood & mucous in a young dog are indications of intestinal inflammation. My first inclination is to check the stool for parasites, such as hookworms & roundworms. At the same time, I will be looking for other parasites such as coccidia & giardia. If Ghost is eating, & playing normally, this makes it less likely to be something more serious like a Parvovirus infection, but there other bacterial intestinal diseases that he can pick up. Ghost should be seen by your veterinarian as soon as possible. If you can not afford a vet visit, then bring a sample of Ghost's poop to your vet for a least a simple analysis. Hope this helps & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Take care.

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