Depending on how sick and unwell your dog is, they may require hospitalisation and extensive diagnostics. When you take your dog to your Vet, they will first perform a full clinical examination to assess the general health of your dog. Hunched posture: This is usually associated with acute abdominal pain or discomfort.Petechia: Petechia are tiny, red or purple spots on the skin or gums which indicate a bleed under the surface.Dogs with a significant bleed may be anaemic from the blood loss and pale gums often indicate anaemia. Pale or white gums: When you first notice melena, a great first step would be to check the colour of your dog’s gums to make sure they are pink.Some of the below clinical signs are more urgent and serious than others, I have listed the clinical signs in order of urgency. However, the following clinical signs can also be accompanied by black poo and must not be ignored. Your dog may appear absolutely normal apart from the presence of melena. This could be from the oral cavity, throat (pharynx), lungs or through licking a bleeding wound. Ingested blood: Blood that is swallowed could cause melena.Stomach or small intestinal foreign bodies.Recent surgery on the gastrointestinal tract.Metabolic diseases such as Addison’s disease (hypoadrenocorticism).Trauma: Your dog may have an internal bleed from acute trauma, for example an RTA (road traffic accident).Blood clotting disorders (coagulopathies).Tumours: The presence of gastric (stomach) tumours or small intestinal tumours can bleed into the gastrointestinal tract. Activated charcoal: Sometimes your Vet may prescribe activated charcoal for you to feed your dog following a harmful toxin ingestion, this will temporarily turn their faeces black.The most common medications which can cause gastrointestinal ulceration are corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. Medication reactions: If your dog is on medication and you notice black poo, stop giving the medication and contact your Vet immediately.Internal bleeding: Severe blood loss can be life-threatening.This list is by no means exhaustive, but it covers the most frequest causes As weird as it may seem, it can be very helpful for your Vet if you take a photograph of the melena to show them during your consultation (or maybe even a faecal sample from your dog!) What could cause this?īelow is a list of the most common causes of melena in dogs. Melena may represent a life-threatening illness. You need to contact your Vet immediately if you notice black poo.
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