HiCustomer

My name is XXXXX XXXXX X've been a professional answering questions concerning dog health and behavioral issues here since 2006. I've professionally worked with animals for over 16 years. I have over 14,000 satisfied customers. It will be my pleasure to work with you. It will be my pleasure to work with you. If you need to reply to me, please use the continue conversation or reply to expert button and not the rating box. Rating should be given once you are satisfied with my answer.

The most common reason for red blood in the stool is parasites such as worms or a protozoan infection such as coccidia or giardia. The most common worms found in dogs are: Roundworms, Hookworms, Tapeworms, and Whipworms and Heartworms

In some cases these worms are passed from the mother to the puppy, in other cases such as tapeworms, they are contracted by other methods such as ingesting an infected flea. . Dogs should be checked for worms periodically even if they appear healthy. This is so if your pet does become ill, you are not fighting a worm infestation along with a more serious problem. now I know your pup was just vaccinated and dewormed. Most pups need at least 2 dewormings two weeks apart before they are worm free. However, any inflammation in the bowels may lead to some blood show as well.

For additional information about worms, see this site

http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/worms.html

Common dewormers are Panacur, which is a prescription product so you need to obtain it from your Vet and it works on roundworms and whipworms. Wormers labeled as Pyrantel Pamoate are the best over the counter medication for roundworms. Drontal plus is also a prescription product and is used for the treatment of Tapeworms, though dewormers with praziquantel work well against tapeworms. Many heartworm preventatives also help control whipworms and roundworms. Another reason to keep your dog on Heartworm medication.

Coccidia manifests as mild or severe diarrhea depending on how infected they are. If it is severe, there may be blood and mucous in the stool along with vomiting and loss of appetite leading to dehydration You can read about it here:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1622&articleid=727

Information on giardia

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/giardia-in-dogs/page1.aspx

Symptoms of giardia are diarrhea with possible terrible smell, mucousy stool and sometimes bouts of vomiting.

Other causes could be anal growths, infected anal glands and inflammation within the large intestine. You can read about the various cause of red blood in the stool here:

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/hematochezia-blood-in-stool-in-dogs/page1.aspx

If there continues to be blood, you may want your vet to test for coccidia and giardia at the next deworming/vaccination.

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Since there have been recalls on certain foods, please check the following site to be sure the food your animals eat is not affected. If it is affected, contact your vet as soon as possible. Have your dog seen if they have any symptoms.

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/RecallsWithdrawals/

Customer

Was panacur the wormer used? If so, that is sometimes used to treat giardia. Coccidia is usually treated with other medications such as Baycox or Albon. Read about treatment methods here:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2102&aid=727

Lots of puppies end up with coccidia. Additonally, these are spread through standing water and feces as can be worms, so if the pup is going outside, it may become reinfected as well. Of course, as I mentioned, any cause for inflammation in the bowels can lead to some blood in the stool including a change in diet, ingestion of foreign objects to name a couple.

I did read your post and explained that pups need to be dewormed at least twice before they test parasite free. Sometimes they need to be dewormed more than that. My puppies are always dewormed at least 3 times before going to new homes. There are vets to answer questions and if you had chosen the Vet onl option, a vet would have answered. If it isn't chosen other non vet experts who have had their experience verified can answer. I've been in dog health field for 16+ years and have worked as a vet assistant and been breeding for over 16 years so I'm very familiar with pups and their health needs.

XXXXXXXXX,

I'm glad you have been deworming the pups regularly. Other possibilities would be a possible food sensitivity since I'm pretty sure you have already started weaning them at this age. This pup might also just be more prone to loose bowels in stress situation. Then some dogs just are more prone to gastrointestinal difficulties such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) which you can read about here:
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs/page1.aspx

At 6 weeks of age, he is probably gnawing on all sorts of things and it is possible he ingested hair, or other small not food items or even what ever bedding you are using for the pups. Many pups will tear up paper or potty pads and ingest small amounts which will lead to inflammation of the bowels as well.

With three dewormings the pups are probably worm free, but I would still have the pup checked for coccidia if he continues to have issues. As long as the pup is eating and drinking and otherwise fine, he should be ok. You could add a little canned pumpkin to just his food to help absorb excess water in the bowels and firm up the feces.

XXXXXXXXX,

Sorry I missed that you mentioned that in the first posting. Since you have done that already, try switching just this pup to a different food that does not contain the same protein source or grain source. If you are currently feeding a food with chicken and corn try switching to one that has lamb and potatoes or some other ingredients that are different then the current one. You will need to switch over gradually over a week to see if there is improvement. If you see improvement, then the pup might be sensitive to one of the ingredients in he first food.