4 month cavalier

johnnyb6

Hi I have a 4 month cavalier for past 2 months and he in great form and eating great . I have him on Burns puppy food from early on. He is fully vascinated and wormed. The last few days he has been passing blood in poo, usually as he is just finishing. My vet says that its not virus as he in good form and eating well and said to keep eye on it for few days and see then. Would anyone have any idea what it could be. By the way he is eating everything that moves ,eg beetles, timber, stones ,bits of coal.


Thanking you

DBB

Is he actually consuming those non-food items, or is it normal puppy investigation of everything with his mouth?
If he's actively seeking out non-food stuff to eat, and his gut is irritated (which it clearly is), you may be looking at a dietary intolerance, or more seriously, a malabsorption problem.
I'm not a huge fan of Burns, to be honest. It was, in its day, a revolutionary food, but it has been far eclipsed by better foods since. I feel that it's way too high in cereals (though it is rice, which is usually benign enough... But not always) and causes intestinal irritation in a fair chunk of dogs.
Were I you, my first port of call would be to try out a cereal-free food. Whether it's dry food, high-quality tinned food (you won't find this in supermarkets), or a home-made fresh diet, I'd experiment with this for 5-6 weeks to see if things improve. If they don't, you're looking at getting your vet to dig deeper and investigate potential absorption issues.

Billiethepup

If the blood is fresh and red its more likely to be a lower bowel source, ie. anus, anal glands, rectum, large intestine irritation. Malabsorption issues are small intestine based, digestive from stomach and (in my opinion) rarely would be a cause red blood in poop.

I wouldn't panic about your feeding choice. Plenty of people feed Burns and while its not the most scientific food on the market it sure beats most commercial dog food! To me it sounds like your doing everything right, once the little chap is eating and happy to wait a few days is not unusual.

ABajaninCork

I feed mine Burns as it's the only food that agrees with him. My dog has a sensitive tum...

Might be a bout of colitis, OP. Shoot the pup into the vet. He'll prescribe antibiotics, and maybe a probiotic to settle the tum. That's what my boy gets.

DBB

Just to clarify, because I knew people would say they feed Burns and their dog does well on it, that's great. But that does not mean that it suits all dogs, and I have met quite a few who it doesn't suit.

DBB

Billiethepup wrote: »

Malabsorption issues are small intestine based, digestive from stomach and (in my opinion) rarely would be a cause red blood in poop.

I'm not suggesting that blood in the poop is indicative of a malabsorption issue, but eating non-food items can be.
Eating non-food items is also a possible symptom of a dietary issue or intolerance.
The blood in the poop is not something I was prepared to address without more info, and in any case the vet doesn't seem terribly concerned about it.

johnnyb6

HI thanks for getting back to me.When I say he eating every think, I know he is just been a pup and although he spitting it out I assume some gets eaten. I put him on Burns as I have 5 year old cavalier as well and he had problem with anal gland which caused him to scoot and this food solved this and its recommended in a lot of places.The pup is on Burns for 2 months now so would it take this long to show up. When he makes his poo, he drops 2 or 3 drops of blood as he finishes. Mostly the poo isn't discoloured with it.

tk123

johnnyb6 wrote: »

scoot and this food solved this and its recommended in a lot of places.The pup is on Burns for 2 months now so would it take this long to show up.

I would say yes it could take a few months for an intolerance to flare up. I had the same problem with Burns (and Luath which is pretty much the same) with my older dog - he'd be fine for months then start passing blood, then be fine again and a few months later the same thing.

I'd also agree that it's kind of old school - yes it suits lots of dogs and is better than some foods out there but imo you just can't call a food with 50-70% rice as it's first ingredient holistic or Hypo-Allergenic when one of the most common intolerances is cereals?

Easiest thing for you to do would be put him on something like chicken and potato/rice (I favour potato because my dogs love it) for a few days and see if it clears up, then back onto Burns and see if it happens again. If it still happens on the chicken and potato you'll know it's just all the extra junk he's eating (like my pup :rolleyes:) and if it stops while he's off it then starts again when back on it you'll know it's the Burns.

johnnyb6

tk123 wrote: »

I would say yes it could take a few months for an intolerance to flare up. I had the same problem with Burns (and Luath which is pretty much the same) with my older dog - he'd be fine for months then start passing blood, then be fine again and a few months later the same thing.

I'd also agree that it's kind of old school - yes it suits lots of dogs and is better than some foods out there but imo you just can't call a food with 50-70% rice as it's first ingredient holistic or Hypo-Allergenic when one of the most common intolerances is cereals?

Easiest thing for you to do would be put him on something like chicken and potato/rice (I favour potato because my dogs love it) for a few days and see if it clears up, then back onto Burns and see if it happens again. If it still happens on the chicken and potato you'll know it's just all the extra junk he's eating (like my pup :rolleyes:) and if it stops while he's off it then starts again when back on it you'll know it's the Burns.

Hi thanks a lot for the help. Do you boil the rice and add potato, and what do you moisen it with as I was told not to use milk. Is water ok with it

ABajaninCork

Yes.

lorebringer

johnnyb6 wrote: »

Hi thanks a lot for the help. Do you boil the rice and add potato, and what do you moisen it with as I was told not to use milk. Is water ok with it

If you are going to feed rice/potatoes, make sure they are really well cooked - boiled is perfect. Don't mix any milk with the dogs food - dogs are lactose intolerant and can't digest it, so it could cause an upset belly. You can add a little warm water to the food if you want to moisten it but often this isn't needed - your pup should gobble it up!

odckdo

johnnyb6 wrote: »

Hi I have a 4 month cavalier for past 2 months and he in great form and eating great . I have him on Burns puppy food from early on. He is fully vascinated and wormed. The last few days he has been passing blood in poo, usually as he is just finishing.

Not sure if this is related to your problem.

I know someone who tried Burns on her small dog. Everything started out well but after a while their dog had the same problem.

We think the problem was that the owner didn't measure the food and the small dog was getting too much Burns each day. Burns has over 60% rice and the dog had problems passing it through their system so this may have caused the blood.

I think Burns is fine as a food (as mentioned, over the years there are now better ones).

johnnyb6

thanks for all the help. I am putting him on potatoes and chicken for week and see how we go I always measure out his daily amount so don't think its that. he will be delighted with new menu as this is the food he always wants but didn't get. Thanks again

ABajaninCork

johnnyb6 wrote: »

thanks for all the help. I am putting him on potatoes and chicken for week and see how we go I always measure out his daily amount so don't think its that. he will be delighted with new menu as this is the food he always wants but didn't get. Thanks again

I bet the dog's thinking : Wahooo! Chicken!! Party On!!!!