Dog's Poop Has Red Jelly-Like Substance In It...

[willyg44]

So, we just got Leo, a 1 year 2 month old pitbull a couple days ago. I'm not currently at the house where my g/f is taking care of him. She said that just today she noticed there was red jelly like stuff in the dog's poop. I have searched around a bit and read responses that said it could be red dye from the food he eats (which there seems to be, it's the food we got from the old owner) and others said it could be parvo. My g/f is definitely going to take him to a vet today. He also did not want to eat his food today my g/f said, but I'm not sure if this is related to the "shut down" process we're doing, or related to this issue.

Any suggestions, or anyone have a similar issue? I hope he's okay He was so happy just yesterday, I hope it's nothing too serious...

[willyg44]

More info my g/f just told me: The past 2 days (this is only the 3rd day we had him) his poop was a little mushy, but not total mush like diarrhea. He didn't play as much today, but still ran around in the yard a bit. He also didn't want any food today, and he only took about a half bowl of water. No vomiting or anything of that nature right now.

[Maryellen]

no food today at all?

[willyg44]

Nope...

[Maryellen]

i would definitely have her bring him to the vet and have him checked for parvo and maybe an xray for a blockage..

[willyg44]

Ok now my g/f tells me he did eat. UGH I hate having to get stuff in pieces by texts and not be at the house.

So, he only had 1 or 2 bits of his normal dog food that the previous owner had given us. It's purina she said. She fed him 2 hot dogs apparently, and he did have a couple of treats. So he did eat. Ergh.

I made an appointment for 4:15 today with a vet here. We don't seem to have many symptoms of parvo yet, so maybe it's something else. Let's hope.

[Maryellen]

hot dogs are VERY greasy, so dont feed those.. hopefully its something simple that the vet will find out.. if you are going to feed purina feed purina Pro plan instead.. its better then regular purina.. they make a sensitive stomach/skin salmon flavor too..

[mtlu]

Hopefully he checks out ok at the vet! I wonder if he's just stressed out about the transition to a new home.
When we adopted our dog from the shelter, her food intake and poops were irregular and we did see blood in her stool a couple of times. Also, I remember that she refused food a few times in those first two weeks until she relaxed and got used to everything. I was really tempted to free feed her because she was on the skinny side but stuck with picking the bowl up after 15 minutes even when there was one 24hr period where she didn't eat at all. Leo looks like he's a healthy size anyway so missing a meal or two won't be disastrous provided the vet rules out any sickness.

[InBearsMemory]

Hopefully it will be just stress related. It can happen. I second the Purina Pro Plan. It's a good food and better than what he was being fed previously. Please keep us updated on how he is doing and I wish you all the best!

[Misskiwi67]

Sounds like mucus with a little blood in it. If his appetite has changed, he needs to see the vet. Probably nothing major, but better safe than sorry.

[Gatorpit]

Could be hookworms, or coccidia...I've seen pups with those two things have jelly like bloody stools. Not nearly as serious as parvo...though at his age, even if it were parvo, he's more likely than not to make a full recovery.

[willyg44]

Thanks for all of the replies. The doc said he did a test and he really doubts it's parvo. He said that it's most likely stress related to being in a new environment, as well as the diet. Apparently Leo was the exact OPPOSITE of lethargic and lazy so the doc was like yeahhhh there's no way a dog this excited has parvo ... So, it was good news, he also gave my g/f a shot and some pills for diarrhea he said to give to him. It's a 4 day supply. 100 bucks down the drain, but it's worth it, even though we probably overshot the seriousness of the blood in the poop. I get so nervous when I hear about these parvo symptoms and stories I just wanted to be sure!

P.S. GatorPit do you go to UF I'm guessing? We just moved to Gainesville (g/f going to UF grad school), it would be cool to know someone close by

[Gatorpit]

No, LOL. Not everyonw who lives in G'ville goes to UF.

Did the vet test for anything? Did he test for Parvo, worms, coccidia or giarhdia? Or did he just assume?

[Misskiwi67]

No, LOL. Not everyonw who lives in G'ville goes to UF.

Did the vet test for anything? Did he test for Parvo, worms, coccidia or giarhdia? Or did he just assume?

Not every dog with diarrhea has an infectious agent. When there is a history of stress (such as changing homes) its perfectly fine medicine to assume stress is the underlying cause, particularly with mucoid discharge consistent with large bowel diarrhea, when all the other agents you listed affect the small bowel.

[Gatorpit]

No, LOL. Not everyonw who lives in G'ville goes to UF.

Did the vet test for anything? Did he test for Parvo, worms, coccidia or giarhdia? Or did he just assume?

Not every dog with diarrhea has an infectious agent. When there is a history of stress (such as changing homes) its perfectly fine medicine to assume stress is the underlying cause, particularly with mucoid discharge consistent with large bowel diarrhea, when all the other agents you listed affect the small bowel.

But wouldn't you still reccomend those parasite tests at least, as they are so common in any event?