Hi there! I am new to the forum and desperately seeking advice.
My ~3 year old rescue male has had bright red blood in his stool on several occasions over the past few months. I took him to the vet for this problem a couple months ago. The vet did a rectal exam (I think he just went in there and felt around) and didn’t see anything unusual. He also took a urine sample and didn’t see any signs of a UTI. So, he recommended several other diagnostic tests that were going to cost a lot, and also the option to try antibiotics and see if the problem went away. So I just decided to try the antibiotics. There was no blood for awhile, then it happened again, so I gave him a dewormer for hookworms. I gave him two doses two weeks apart—but didn’t go for a third dose believing that the problem was solved and it was worms. They didn’t do a fecal exam, I just figured that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give him the dewormer. The dewormer was pyrantel pamoate and I determined the dosage based on his weight after doing lots of research.
Now, about 6 weeks later, he had more bright red blood in his stool. I have an appointment with another vet (who has better reviews on yelp!) this afternoon. Should I ask for a test for cancer, or anything else? Could the problem be that I didn't give him a third dose of the dewormer and the worms are back? At this point, I want to cover every possibility so we’ll do whatever diagnostic tests are recommended—I just want to make sure we do the right ones!
Also, my cat doesn’t go outside and there are no indications that he’s been eating anything dangerous. We feed him a premium brand of cat food, about 1/2 a can of wet food and leave out dry food for him to eat whenever he wants. His feces don't appear to be dry or overly soft. He's a big cat ~15lbs, and has continued to have a healthy appetite. The blood will be in his feces and also will drip from his anus, so I'll find spots of it on the floor where he might sit to eat or look out the window. I would estimate there are about 4 or 5 drops of blood each time I've seen it, and it is not dark or tarry.
Thank you so much for any advice!
My ~3 year old rescue male has had bright red blood in his stool on several occasions over the past few months. I took him to the vet for this problem a couple months ago. The vet did a rectal exam (I think he just went in there and felt around) and didn’t see anything unusual. He also took a urine sample and didn’t see any signs of a UTI. So, he recommended several other diagnostic tests that were going to cost a lot, and also the option to try antibiotics and see if the problem went away. So I just decided to try the antibiotics. There was no blood for awhile, then it happened again, so I gave him a dewormer for hookworms. I gave him two doses two weeks apart—but didn’t go for a third dose believing that the problem was solved and it was worms. They didn’t do a fecal exam, I just figured that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give him the dewormer. The dewormer was pyrantel pamoate and I determined the dosage based on his weight after doing lots of research.
Now, about 6 weeks later, he had more bright red blood in his stool. I have an appointment with another vet (who has better reviews on yelp!) this afternoon. Should I ask for a test for cancer, or anything else? Could the problem be that I didn't give him a third dose of the dewormer and the worms are back? At this point, I want to cover every possibility so we’ll do whatever diagnostic tests are recommended—I just want to make sure we do the right ones!
Also, my cat doesn’t go outside and there are no indications that he’s been eating anything dangerous. We feed him a premium brand of cat food, about 1/2 a can of wet food and leave out dry food for him to eat whenever he wants. His feces don't appear to be dry or overly soft. He's a big cat ~15lbs, and has continued to have a healthy appetite. The blood will be in his feces and also will drip from his anus, so I'll find spots of it on the floor where he might sit to eat or look out the window. I would estimate there are about 4 or 5 drops of blood each time I've seen it, and it is not dark or tarry.
Thank you so much for any advice!
