My 2-year-old Lab has burgundy diarrhea for a week. What should I do?

Duke is extremely ill, and he has to see a vet now. This is not something you can treat at home. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Happy. Dark red diarrhea can be a sign of intestinal bleeding from the stomach or the small intestines. I don't think this could be related to the beef she was given as that was 2 weeks ago and would be atypical anyways. I would advise that if this continues, worsens, or other signs develop, you should take Happy to your veterinarian to have her evaluated. Your vet can gather a detailed history and perform a thorough examination. From those, a diagnostic/treatment plan can be developed and started. Possible problems include intestinal parasites, gastrointestinal ulcer, toxin exposure, infection, inflammation, foreign body ingestion, nutritional problems, among many other things. Your vet may advise fecal/blood/urine tests and some imaging studies (x-rays, ultrasound) to get started. Once the cause is determined or suspected a treatment plan can be started. Treatment could include fluids, electrolytes, acid blockers, gastrointestinal protectants, deworming, antibiotics, medicines for diarrhea, etc. Good luck with Happy. I hope this resolves quickly and she recovers soon.

I would most certainly get his stool checked for parasites. If he is otherwise acting normal and eating well, then this is the most likely cause. If he is not fully vaccinated and also acting ill, then he could certainly have parvovirus. You can try offering a bland diet of boiled plain chicken and rice for now to help settle his stomach until you can get him seen by your vet. I hope that your pet Major is able to recover soon. Best wishes and take care.

Buck could have a parasite or infection causing the vomiting and diarrhea. Your vet can test a stool sample and prescribe medications to treat. He may need a dewormer, antibiotic, anti-vomiting, and/or other medications to help treat. You can also feed a bland diet of boiled chicken and white rice and add a probiotic to see if that helps.

Blood in the stool, even if it seems to "go away" and come back later, is never normal. The fact that it's accompanied by diarrhea suggests colitis, or inflammation of the colon, as opposed to some type of bleeding mass in the rectum or colon. Colitis can have a number of causes, including dietary indiscretion (eating something rotten or non-food), parasites, food allergies/food sensitivities, inflammatory bowel disease, or infection. Leah may improve with a diet change, perhaps a more digestible diet specifically for gastrointestinal problems. To assume it's a "tummy issue" could be to ignore causes that are treatable, and at this point she's not only having diarrhea but she also lost her appetite. It's been three days and she's not improving, so I recommend having her seen by her vet for labwork to include parasite testing, blood work, and urinalysis for starters. If all is normal consider a bland diet (as recommended above), and a probiotic supplement. Ultimately, she may need to have biopsies taken to diagnose the exact cause.

I would wonder if Shadow is developing some sort of food allergy or perhaps inflammatory bowel disease. I would recommend to talk to Shadow's doctor about a food trial for Shadow. This would be the best way to know if the diarrhea is related to food. I would also recommend to supplement him with probiotics more frequently as this helps to maintain a good GI flora. The doctor may also want to check blood values and maybe even an x-ray to rule out other causes of chronic diarrhea.

I'm sorry to hear Brodie is not doing well. I would definitely change him back to chicken and rice but I would go ahead and take him in since its been 3 or 4 days of an abnormal stool AND he vomited. They will likely check him for parasites and prescribe medications to calm his GI tract. Better to get in under control sooner rather than later. Hope Brodie feels better soon!