Bloody mucus in stools

[hudsonthehusky]

Hi, any suggestions on what to do for my dog who has bloody mucus in his stools? He was diagnosed with liver cancer in January 2018 when his gallbladder ruptured and was removed. He recently has been eating infrequently, which is kind of common in the summer months but even less than usual. I wasn't able to get him into a vet yesterday and now have an appointment with a semi-holistic vet on Tuesday but wondering what to do in the mean time? He is still playing some, wanting to go on walks and seems like himself but a little more subdued. We are also in the middle of moving which I'm afraid is causing him some distress. Should I take him to an emergency vet this weekend?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Crystal, and welcome back to the forum.

Let's look at this symptom's full context and your pup's "bigger picture".

What kind of liver cancer has he had for 19+ months?

When did his BEAM (especially appetite) start dropping and exactly how (acting hungry but not eating, sniffing the food and walking away, or...)?

You are correct that the big change of the move is what may be triggering this "stress colitis".

Try to get him to play nosework games inside (in the a/c) tomorrow.

Well-cooked organic oatmeal or rice mixed with white meat chicken or low fat cottage cheese is great for soothing his bowels.

Dia-Assist is also a super supportive supplement.

Dia-Assist previously Good-Form BM - HomeVet

This formula helps to support normal intestinal functioning and can improve many problems with diarrhea. Often trouble is merely a symptom of disharmony in the intestinal function of re-absorbing water from the wastes passing through it.

www.homevet.com

 

[Dr. Christina]

Because of the stress of moving, you may want to start dosing him frequently with the totally safe "rescue remedy" combination from Bach Flower Essences. It is available in most health food stores. You do not need the Pet version (it just has no alcohol). Put 4 drops of the RR in an ounce of water, then put a drop in his food, several drops in a bowl of water (separate from his water bowl), rub a few drops of the undiluted on your hands and pet with it several times a day, put a drop on the blanket where he rests.

if you have "emergency essences" from any other company you can use it the same way.

Another modality you could learn for the future (or maybe you already know) is Reiki. I recommend taking a class in this as your hands become healers that help especially in acute situations.

Readily available at your local health food store you may find Marshmallow Root powder or Slippery Elm powder, or combinations of these and other herbs for stool problems like diarrhea. While made for humans these can be very useful for your pet.

Once you go to your vet tomorrow, remember the steps of HMDM:
1. set a goal (stop the diarrhea while building vitality and balance),
2. Research your pet first. Create a timeline of symptoms seen. Quantify each symptom. Describe the stool in great detail and quantify everything (how much blood - 5 drops, mixed in mucus, streaks in mucus, pile of blood, etc) Research your treatment options. Do not do just what the vet says. Ask questions. Ask if there are any other possible options. Ask how dangerous the current problem appears to be.
3. "Paws" to think about your information. Maybe come home and think about your next steps. Maybe take the holistic vet's suggestion, then think more about it. Write down your plan of action, then Take Action.

Keep us posted.
Dr. Christina

 

[hudsonthehusky]

He was diagnosed with Hepatocellular carcinoma. It slowed down about 10 days ago when he skipped two full days of eating. He has always eaten less in the summer months but I could tell he was slowing down more than usual. Most of the time I can't even get him to come near his food but other times he looks hungry and will sniff the food but then walks away. I have been trying different foods (homemade, store bought fresh pet and evermore organic) and some will work for a day and then he's not interested again. He ate more yesterday but i was having to lay out a few bites at a time to get him interested. We hide treats around the house every night and Hudson always eats those.

I will try the oatmeal and chicken later today.

The one bowel movement that was most alarming was mainly raspberry colored mucus. It was long strings of mucus and then some small soft stools.

I will try the other suggestions too!

One thing I am very worried about is his Rabies vaccination expired 12/2018 and in the state of Texas there are no health exemptions allowed. We are moving to another state but I haven't been able to figure out West Virginia exemptions. What do I do if they insist we vaccinate?

Thank you both so much for the help!

 

[Dr. Christina]

Wonderful details. Keep making detailed notes.

Contact Dr. Jane Doyle in Berkeley Springs, WV, especially if you are moving anywhere close to that town. She is a phone consulting veterinary homeopath. 304-258-5819

Most states will take cancer as an exemption, so ask her about that as well.

Interesting that he eats the treats at night. He will not eat the same treats in the daytime? You may want to consult an intuitive as to why he has a fussy appetite and what he would want. This is probably one of the symptoms of his internal imbalance that may correct with the best matching homeopathic medicine or series of prescriptions.

Dr. Christina

 

[hudsonthehusky]

We will be about two hours from there but I will look into her!

From what I have found texas does not have any exemptions so I'm wondering what I can do tomorrow at the appointment to avoid vaccinating?

He would probably eat those treats whenever but I only offer them at night. They are made of sweet potato an salmon but i don't give him too much because they aren't organic and i doubt the fish is wild caught.

 

[Dr. Christina]

tomorrow, just do not mention the rabies vaccination.
If they bring it up, remind them that the package insert of all vaccines says to give only to healthy animals, and he is not healthy right now.

Maybe you could crumble the treats on his regular food.
Dr. Chambreau

 

[hudsonthehusky]

Thank you so much for the help! Luckily, they never mentioned it.
They did prescribe a few medications so I was wondering if I should give them to him.
Entyce (appetite stimulant)
Sucralfate 1 g tabs
Fast Balance GI Pro by Vetri Science

 

[hudsonthehusky]

I forgot to mention that his stools have improved and are looking pretty normal now. He's still barely eating though.

They also mentioned getting an Ultrasound and radio graphs on his abdomen so we could see what was going on inside and if anything has spread. We will discuss at next weeks appointment when we review his labs. Do you think it would be worth it to do those or more harm than good?

Thank you for all your help!

 

[Dr. Christina]

Now that his stools are normal, I would wait a day giving no meds to see if he will any treats or food rolled in treats.

If not, I would start the Fast Balance only.

I would wait to see how he is doing this week before even thinking about the ultrasound.

Also, maybe take the time now to decide if you want to work with Dr. Doyle for your homeopathic treatment or to begin with Dr. Jeff.
Christina