Can you help?

I have a 13 week old westie pup who has always had trouble with her No. 2's.  Shes always been very running and there has been the occasional drop of fresh red blood.  I took her to vets who have given her Pro-kolin which has made her poo less runny and there is less blood. We are just finishing her 2nd tube of pro-kolin and we have changed her food to one the vet recommeded. She has no other symtoms in fact she is very healthy.
I noticed that her blood was when she had been laid a long while (over night).  Do dogs get piles?

Hi MaggieMoo,

As your puppy has had constant runny motions, blood actually *in* the stools or slight spotting when *finishing* the b/m is probably the result of damage to the internal surface of the intestines and she may have ruptured tiny blood vessels if she's been continually straining.  I'm assuming your vet is aware of this though and has advised on it?  Now that you have changed diet has this stopped?

>I noticed that her blood was when she had been laid a long while (over night).<

do you mean this is ongoing since last seeking veterinary treatment?  If so you will have to go back to your vet *immediately*.  I'm sorry, but it is not clear to me from your post what the order of events are but blood from any orifice needs correct diagnosis and urgent treatment by your vet - is that the reason for the prescribed pro-kolin and diet change concurrently with the loose stools?  Bleeding overnight sounds very suspicious to me :(

Teri   

Teri
Thank you for your reply,  The vet is aware of this and its the reason shes on the pro-kolin to help with the good bacteria and the recommeded change in diet.  I take her to a puppy club at the vets and last time we was there Maggie went to toilet and they said not to worry unless it gets any worse.  As you can understand even when they say not to worry, you can't help but worry. 

I notice it more in a morning, could this be because her tummy is empty and she strains to go. If so I will adjust her eating times.

The blood is the occasional drop when she is finishing, sometimes I only notice it round her bum as she is white.

I have had a dog with collitus and I don't think its that as she never goes off her food, never seems to have tummy ache and is always full of energy but there again she is a terrier pup do they ever go off their food!

I will keep you informed.

Hi MM,

I'm relieved ;) didn't know if I was reading your post correctly.  Quite often problems can help to be settled by offering a light meal late on so to avoid empty tummies - although to be honest this is more often used as a way of countermanding morning sickness, however it's worth a try if you believe she is actually straining to go.

I have found pro-kolin to be very effective for most dogs but it does have soya in it and that can be an allergen so if the combination of that and her diet change does not show improvements shortly I'd have a word with the vet again.  Because she's so young and has been having ongoing problems it may take her system a little longer to settle anyway and the fact you're in regular contact with your vet is a huge bonus :)

Please keep us posted as to how she's doing - will keep everything crossed that your worries are over.
Best wishes, Teri :)  

Hi

Just to update you, Maggie is better now. 

We changed her food to one for sensitive tummys and she now has a powder called Protect (pro-biotics) on one meal a day and if she's a bit loose we give her baby's kolin from the chemist (which she licks off her spoon as she loves it).
She's no longer bleeding.  We had to give her poor tummy chance to recover, the Vet was great and really reassured us that there was not anything seriously wrong with her.
Shes 4 months now and growing very fast, I can't believe how much she seems to have grown up. She went from messing everywhere to been toilet trained within a few days.  All of a sudden I think things clicked into place once she felt better

Teri thankyou for your support.
Best wishes, MM

Hi MaggieMoo,

Delighted to hear your little girl is doing so well - young puppies are such a worry when they are poorly as they often can go down hill very quickly but you obviously did all the right things from the beginning and have a good relationship with a caring vet - something that's worth it's weight in gold ;)

Thanks so much for the update - it's always nice to have confirmation of improvements.  Enjoy your little one.

Best wishes to you both, regards, Teri :)