Lab not wanting to eat, blood in poo....

hi
i have a 9 yr old lab.

about 8 weeks ago we changed his diet from Chappie and biscuit to Jolleys own brand dry food for senior and sensitive dogs.

This weekend he has been getting up in the morning and not touching the food (he has NEVER refused food) and when i have come back from his walk, he has eaten it but you can see he doesnt want it - i have try to add a bit of Chappie with the dry mix to make it a bit more inviting and he seems to eat it with more enthusiasm.

He has been sick every day since Friday and today when my husband walked him, he discovered that he had blood (dark) in his poo.

He is drinking alot (but put that down to him being on dry food now and he seems quite lethargic and not his usual self

About 2 months ago he was on steroid injections for his arthritus and i was told by the vet that eventually it may effect his kidneys.

Im off to the vets tomorrow but any feedback would be appreciated

To be honest it could be a number of issues, and it would be easy to make 2 + 2 = 5.

However if he has spent 3 days like this I would not wait until tomorrow.

Definately one for the vet.If it was fresh blood I might of thought colitis but dark blood is having to pass higher up the digestive tract and this could be any number of things.

Why did you change from Chappie? Its one of the foods that help dogs with digestive sensitivities. Sounds as if the new food does not agree

If he doesnt want to eat, i wouldnt encourage it, just make sure he has fresh drinking water available. If he stops drinking i would get him to the vet sooner

Was there a lot of blood or just a small amount? Usually it means the bowel/gut is irritated. If he loOks for food today i would give something very bland like chopped chicken but little of it. Or, you could try some baby (jar) food. However as i say, i wouldnt force it.

You sre very wise to get to the vet tomorrow

Poor boy, He must be feeling really under the weather.

My initial reaction would be the food - if it has only happened since then. If you change a food suddenly, and dont give the dog time to adjust to it by mixing it in gradually some dogs can get very upset stomachs because of it - especially if he is a bit more senior and was used to whats generally quite a good food for sensitive tummies.

I'd either stay clear of food until he sees the vet to give his tummy a rest or just feed him a small portion of something very bland such as boiled rice and plain chicken.

I hope the vet manages to confirm what it is though, hopefully its just a case of upset tummy.

Thanks for your comments

Barney does have colitus (since birth) and we have had no problems for about 4 years.

I changed his food as he was suffering from sickness and diahoria (sorry for the spelling) for about 10 days and after doing the starvation thing, the vet recommended changing his diet which stopped the symptoms at the time. I did change his food slowely over about a 10 day period.

Im not sure if this is associated with the sickness from February

If the vet thinks the steroids may affect his kidneys it's worth getting them checked out. If the kidneys are impaired then a dog can present with the exact same symptoms as your dog has. Similarly steroids can cause gastric disturbances including gastritis which can cause the stomach lining to bleed which may explain the dark blood and loss of appetite. Either way your baby needs to go to the vets asap. It could be many things but any blood in the poo needs a vet visit. Good luck and keep us posted xx

I wouldn't like to second guess the cause either.

Good luck at the vets - please keep us posted.....

x0x

Sorry I havent read through but please bear in mind that his food change may have 'went better' because it was changed at the same time as he was given the steroids?

I would definatley be getting him to the vets and most likely on a very bland diet of chicken.

Poor boy, I hope he is feeling better soon.

I visited the vets today.

When i told the vet that he had blood in his poo, she said that it was colitus which i thought could be the case and not related to the sickness although may have been bought on by the stress of his diet being changed??

I showed her a diary of how many times the dog had been sick over the last 3 months and she told me to change his diet to Hills prescription (that you can only buy at the vets! and is very expensive !) as she believed that was the problem.

My dog was on Chappie (which is very bland) and now on a senior/sensitive food but she insisted that Hills would be better. She did not seem interested in anything else apart from putting him on this food.

I had to insist on blood tests (£101) and results will be back Wednesday - I have an appointment for 5.20pm

I just felt that she was trying to sell me an expensive food and not willing to do/say much else.

But she is the expert I suppose, I will wait for the results - and he hasnt been sick today