Reasons for Blood in Your Dog's Urine or Stool

The reasons for blood in your dog's urine or stool may not be a serious health concern. Is your dog outside quite a bit and does he or she have access to twigs, sharp objects of plastic or even garden tools that may have splintered causing injury to the lining of the intestinal track. This type of bleeding would likely last only a day or two. Did your dog eat an animal or have a wound somewhere else on his body that they may have licked, thus ingesting blood? Even rawhide treats can swell inside your dog's stomach causing intestinal distress as it passed through the digestive system. Be aware rawhide cannot be digested at all.

Blood color also can give you an indication. Have you noticed if the blood was a bright red or was it dark red, almost black? Bright red blood is generally from the colon or rectum. Blood that becomes darker has been digested (higher in the intestinal track, or stomach) thus causing it to become discolored. Many times it is hard to tell if the blood is in the urine or feces, so collect a sample of both the feces and urine and take it to your veterinarian for testing.

Some reasons for blood in your dog's urine or stool can include a minor problem like an allergy or a more serious health concern like cancer or dog bladder stones. The following list shows the broad range of causes of blood in the urine or stool.

--Straining because of constipation

--Food allergies which can lead to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) also called Colitis or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

--Parasites

--Polyps which are not cancerous

--Parvovirus

--Bladder cancer and other diseases

--dog bladder stones

--Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Many times blood in your dog's urine can be blamed on dog bladder stones or a UTI infection. Your veterinarian can run the correct tests to determine the cause of the blood, the treatment and how to prevent future problems. You can also take the steps necessary to prevent further dog bladder stones by using the correct diet that is prescribed along with supplements.

Supplements that help to maintain or improve your pets' immune system can help fight off infections and delay future disease. If your dog does not have a strong immune system, and are prone to dog bladder stones and infections, they will be unable to avoid continued urinary problems; or for that matter other health issues like cancer.