My old dog has diarrhea & bleeding. Can I give her Cipro at home?

Hello, and thank you for your question. I'm so sorry to hear that Marble is unwell. This is a situation that definitely warrants a trip to the vet. Given her advanced age, cancer is a possibility. Other possible causes include severe gastroenteritis (gut infection), pancreatitis, toxin ingestion, or parasites. The vet will start by performing a thorough physical exam, looking for any bumps or sources of bleeding. They may recommend blood work or x-rays to further pinpoint the problem. At minimum, they can offer supportive treatments such as fluid therapy to combat dehydration from the diarrhea, stomach protectants and pain medications. The sooner that she can see the vet, the better. In the meantime, I would offer her small, frequent meals of a bland diet such as boiled chicken and plain white rice, which should be easy to digest. I hope this helps, and that Marble feels better soon.

Poor Molly! I'm sorry to hear that she's having this problem. Bloody diarrhea can be a symptoms of many different things, including HGE (hemorrhagic gastroenteritis), pancreatitis, hookworms or whipworms, an intestinal infection, or a systemic illness of some kind. It's possible that the aspirin could be related, as this medication can cause stomach irritation and bleeding in dogs, but it may also be a completely separate problem. Since this has been going on for more than 24 hours now, I would recommend taking Molly to the vet for an exam. He/she can do a fecal exam and blood work if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment.

If it is persisting you may need an ultra to measure and look at the intestines or. A biopsy for a diagnoses. persistent diarrhea can be a sign of cancer or inflammatory bowel or a food allergy You can feed boiled chicken and rice or continue with the I/D, I know it is expensive but it does help. You can also try a hypoallergenic diet such as royal canine rabbit and potato. The goal of a hypoallergenic diet is a single protein and single carb to not make their GI track work as hard and decrease allergies You should also add a probiotic to the diet as this will help return normal bacteria population to the gut Sometimes a low dose of cortisone can help get rid of inflammation to help also

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would recommend bringing in another fecal sample to your vet to ensure that the coccidia have been killed. I would also recommend initiating a bland diet of chicken and rice and adding in a probiotic such as Purina Fortiflora. Sometimes a second course of dewormer is needed or a different dewormer is needed for treatment. With parasites, inflammation can result leading to diarrhea and soft stool and sometimes a bland diet or sensitive stomach is needed short term. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

It would be best to consult with your veterinarian before changing treatment or giving other medications. Legally, we are prohibited from recommending medications or dosing information in the absence of a physical exam and a patient-veterinarian-client relationship. You can try withholding food for 24 hours. Allow small amounts of water or an unflavored electrolyte replacement beverage. Resume feeding a bland diet in small frequent amounts until symptoms resolve. Transition slowly to the regular diet afterwards. A stool sample should be submitted to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. A veterinary probiotic such as Prostora, FortiFlora or ProViable may promote gut health.

Glad to hear that the vomiting was resolved with Cerenia. This is usually a pretty good indication that there is no serious obstruction within the upper or lower intestinal tract. If there is continued diarrhea, the addition of an antibiotic / anti inflammatory such as metronidazole would be my next step. You can certainly use medications such as pepto bismol or maalox but I do not find them to be very effective. They do not actually address inflammation in a particularly effective manner. Another possibility unfortunately that can not be ignored in an 11 year old animal are certain types of cancer. However, I would not truly begin to consider this strongly unless there has been a longer history of problems, including weight loss and muscle wasting. Hope this makes sense.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Stella. While all medications can have side effects, antibiotics typically cause gastrointestinal upset. Be sure to give the ciprofloxacin with food as this can help decrease these effects. If this does not help, then you will need to contract her veterinarian. She should be seen today if she is acting sick as such being lethargic or refusing to eat or drink as there are other causes of the symptoms you have described not related to her medications. I hope this information helps!