puppy irish wolf hound blood in poop

by colin geary
(hertfordshire, england)

My irish wolfound is 18 wks old , for the past two days he has been getting a jelly substance in his poo also with a small trace of blood , the vets is now closed unless its an emergency call out.

Does anyone have any advice, i will call him out on emergency if essential but would rather not for obvious reasons

kindest regards
colin geary


Hi Colin
The biggest question here is whether or not your pup is showing any other signs of being ill. Is he vomiting, or having trouble keeping food or water down? Is the diarrhea of the 'water jet' variety? is he very lethargic or showing no interest in his surroundings? Has he lost his appetite?

If the answer to the above questions is 'no', your pup is up to date with his vaccinations, and he's pretty much 'business as usual' except for the mucus and blood in his poop, then it's unlikely to require an emergency vet visit right now.

There are several possible reasons for what you're seeing, mucus and streaks of blood in a puppy's feces is a sign of colitis, or inflammation of the colon/intestines.

Although this can be a symptom of several very serious dog illnesses, there are other, less worrying possibilities. A change in diet, eating
people food', ingesting the forbidden objects and items that puppies tend to enjoy, parasites such as worms, or even just inflammation caused by an initial bout of diarrhea are some of them.

If your pup's stools don't improve over the next 24 - 48 hours, then I would recommend that you take him to your veterinarian as soon as they are open for business this week. This, of course, applies only to a puppy who seems otherwise healthy and happy.

If your puppy shows any of the other signs of illness mentioned above, then you will need to get him emergency veterinary attention asap. Bloody diarrhea is one of the first signs of Parvo and other diseases such as Distemper or Coccidia.

Hope this has helped you decide what to do. Best of luck with your pup. Happy Easter!