[NatashaH]

Hi! I know we're not supposed to post emergencies here instead of going to the vet - I'm NOT.
He's already been to the vet several times, had ultrasounds, blood tests, more prescription medication than I've had in the last five years and changes to diet.
The first two years I had him there was not a single problem. His diet didn't change. Then one day last January (2014) we woke up and his stomach had bloated to 2 or 3 times its normal size. We went to the vet immediately. He wasn't digesting anything and was completely "full". That situation got remedied.
Then about six months ago he got worms quite badly and lost a lot of weight. After three treatments he finally seemed to be rid of them and has gained (unfortunately quite a bit) of weight.
He would also go through a cycle of being fine, pooping fine, eating fine... then one day he would start eating grass. Wouldn't want to eat, even his favourites (he's a Basset... if a Basset doesn't eat available food something is VERY wrong). Then would have diarrhoea, stomach would start gurgling, like when you are hungry and your stomach growls, but his would be so loud you could hear it plainly across the room. He'd be lethargic and groan in uncomfortableness.
One night on a day like this he went outside and I heard him groan loudly. I ran outside and there on the patio was at least a measuring cup's worth of blood. Pure blood. No poop. Just some matter that we found out later was lining from his intestine. This lasted overnight. Then there was nothing coming out for a couple of days. During this time we fed him the Science Diet ID canned food, a few spoonfuls every few hours and saline solution. After a couple of days he started pooping again, it was normal and we started feeding him more and less often until we were back to his regular routine.
A month later, we came home to three puddles of blood. That was just over a week ago. It happened again last night.
All his tests and ultrasounds have come back normal, in fact in "perfect health."
I absolutely don't know what to do. The vet is "guessing" it's an ulcer of some sort but there's no known reason for it. and since he's eating the exact same food we have given him since the beginning, why would it suddenly cause an ulcer? The blood is very fresh so it's not coming from the stomach or upper intestine. I was wondering about hemorrhoids... he doesn't seem to be itchy, I know it's not common, but...??
Has anyone gone through anything like this? I've done research online for the symptoms but can't find anything that seems to fit. I'm really getting desperate.

 

[pappi pup]

What is he eating now, what have you tried feeding, and have you tried probiotics?

 

[AShepherd]

Have you tried feeding him rice? My friend's older cocker spaniel will sometimes have blood in his feces due to a bad pancreas, and every time this happens she will feed him white rice for a day or two, sometimes a week depending on how bad it is, then mix the rice with a little bit of soaked food. This is easily digestible and helps to clear out the digestive system from what I have observed.

I started using it for my dogs after Elsa and Finn got into a particularly bad otter carcass that someone left in their reach and the diarrhea cleared up within two days. So, it could help with your dog's sudden digestive problems?

Here's what I tend to do when Draco (the cocker) is having his bout of bloody poop:

I get a little bit of white rice, fully cooked and soft, mix it with a little bit of goat's milk and raw, grade A honey (both I have heard have good antibacterial properties, so it may help with the supposed ulcer!) and some shredded, unflavored chicken. The Goat's milk is incredible for digestion, and so is the honey. You can choose to not add shredded chicken, of course.

You can try to keep him on this diet for a couple of days and possibly see if there's any change?

Note: You shouldn't use a tablespoon more of honey per serving, and never feed your dog rice unless it's fully cooked and expanded!

 

[kelly528]

That's really peculiar-- usually blood from any point upwards of the colon (stomach, small intestines) will turn black dark in stool, not bleed outright. As a human I had a similar problem and what they needed to do in order to diagnose it was a colonoscopy so that they could examine the colon for irritation for damage. I'd ask your vet if he can refer you to a vet who has an endoscope so that they can possibly perform the procedure. The bloating and the heavy bleeding immediately makes me think of colitis.