Hi all,

We have just got ourselves a beautiful Weimaraner Puppy who is approximately 9 weeks old.

After a couple of days we noticed that she had worms (which is fairly common I believe) and took her to the vets, where she had the first of her injections and was given the once over by the vet, with a clean bill of health.

I have now noticed that there is blood in her stools which doesn't appear to be going. I have searched the net and found differing opinions in that this could be anything from being removed from her mother and rehomed / overeating / an infection.

Despite this the dog is lively, playful and eating/drinking well.

Could anyone please offer advice to a new dog owner what i should do and if i am worrying unnecessarily?

Your advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Steve

Hi Steve. Blood in the stools can be a symptom of an irritated colon, usually known as colitis. Can I ask what you are feeding? You should be aiming for a high quality, high meat content food, although you are probably feeding what the breeder gave you at the moment.... Claire

PS. Is the blood bright red or brown streaks?

Could be a number of things steve, and all bar one of the weimaraners I have now or have had in the past been sensitive to certain foods, particualry if I change their diets but only one has ever had blood in their toilet. Can I ask on what you are feeding her please> AND! I would definately haveaword with you vet over this and see what their views are - albeit the pup could well settle in a few days.
DT

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Is the blood IN the stools or on the outside of them? Is your pup straining to toilet?

I believe if it's on the outside of the stools it's not too serious as it may have just come from a little 'cut' on the way out, especially if the dog has been straining to poop. If the blood is actually IN the poop I think it may have the potential to be more serious.

Personally I wouldn't expect a puppy to have blood in it's stools just from being rehomed nor from overeating, but I'm not a vet...

Either way, if this has continued for more than a couple of days or if there was more than just a few specks of blood I'd definitely be getting the pup to the vet quickly.

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Thanks for the response Clair.

She is currently eating Eukanuba professional puppy lamb and rice. This is what she was eating at the breeders so we continued with the same.

Her stools are runny with red tinge around them. (sorry to be so descript!)

Is there like a slimey coating on the stools?

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Yes there can be slimy / oily coating and the colour differs from one to the next.

Although I'm not a Vet, it does sound like a touch of colitis to me. I think I would start by either adding a tablespoon of natural bio yogurt to her food or some Pro-Kolin (a paste you can get either from the Vets or websites such as Vet UK). This is a probiotic paste that lines the stomach and is used for colitis or upset digestion. It could be something as simple as a change in the water your pup is drinking......

If you want to try a different food eventually, there are lots of threads on here about foods ..... Naturediet is good for firming up stools.

If the loose stools continue (and especially if there is any fresh blood in them)I would definitely take her back to the Vets asap as she could have a campylobacter or giardia infection, which would need antibiotics to clear it up. Otherwise, you may wish to try some plain white fish (you can buy the frozen white fish blocks in the supermarkets - no breadcrumbs, just plain white fish). Your pup would be fine on this for a day or so and it may be enough to firm her stools if it's just a mild tum upset. Just make sure she is drinking as dehydration is very dangerous for a little pup. Good luck. This forum is excellent for new owners. Keep us posted on how your pup gets on. Claire

That definitely sounds like colitis - you may wish to try a grain-free food like fish and potato, which is good for sensitive tums. The colitis could be dietary or could be the sympton of a mild infection. I say mild infection, because your pup seems well in herself and there is no vomiting. Henry had a few cases of this when he was a pup but grew out of it once we got his diet sorted and his immunity got stronger.

soulds like colitius to me! sometimes this can be mild! sometimes full blown and notvery nice! BUT!! strange as it may sound wet food canand does help here! maybe worth looking at nature diet (lots of weim folk feed it) and maybe a better dry - fish for dogs maybe!
BUT! I would talk to your vet
All the best
DT

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