Sick dog??

Cris M.B.

We are looking to adopt a 5 year old female husky from a rescue shelter. We are concerned that the dog is in poor health. When we saw her today for the first time, we noticed some drops of blood coming from her anus. We are concerned as we don't know what this could mean. What could cause this? Do you think it could be serious? The lovely people that run the dog rescue center hadn't noticed it until we mentioned it to them. The dog was spayed 1 year ago and has been in the center for 2 months. We have been told that when she entered the shelter, she was in a state of severe malnutrition. Since then, she has gained some weight. She has been wormed and treated for fleas.
Please help as we don't want to take on a dog that has something potentially troublesome.
Thanks so much!

boomerang

If it was fresh (bright red) blood, it's probably just down to a change in food since entering the shelter. Off the top of my head I can't think of any chronic conditions that would cause blood in the faeces?

Shazanne

Is this a reputable dog shelter? I am just wondering if the dog has been neutered or, if not, could she be in heat?

Wisco

If you're serious about adopting her, perhaps a quick trip to the vet for a checkup before you finalize things might be in order? Colitis (which often occurs after a change in diet or high stress situations) can cause fresh blood in faeces but I'd also be worried about more serious things like tumours, parvo, etc. I know a vet visit costs, but then you could have peace of mind that she's ok. Great to hear you're looking to adopt though!

Cris M.B.

Thanks for all your responses. This is a reputable shelter. Before we left the shelter yesterday, we asked them to get a vet to give the poor dog a check up before we take her home. We should hear back from them during the week. Let's hope it's nothing too serious. Once again, thank you all for advice.

Shazanne

Thank you for taking the time to give an update:) So many people come on here with a problem/question/situation and then we never know whats happening!
I really hope everything works out well for you and you get to adopt your chosen dog - she will be lucky to get such caring owners.
Do keep us posted!

Cris M.B.

Hello! Just to let you know that we didn't adopt the dog in the end.
Last week we rang the dog shelter nearly every day to see what the vet had said about the bleeding. We didn't get a call back from the dog rescue till Thu evening. Apparently the dog spent 24 hrs under observation at the vet's surgery.They told us that it was in good health besides the fact that she is severely under weight. We asked what the vet had said about the bleeding since that was really the reason that was stopping us from adopting her. Their answer was that since the bleeding had stopped by the time they brought the dog to the vet, they didn't even ask; therefore it wasn't investigated!!
We thought about it a lot (till I personally had migraines constantly) and we decided that it's too high a risk adopting a dog that might have something potentially serious, health wise.
There are other families looking at the dog so I'm sure that she'll find a good home. She deserves it. I'm sorry it won't be us.