Facts About Common Dog Bleeds That You Should Not Ignore.

Any pet parent should know how important it is to pay attention to your dog’s health. When your furry pal suddenly refuses to eat or drink, feels ill, acts lethargic, or simply doesn’t feel like his usual self, then you should know something is up. 

As with most dog health conditions, pet parents must know that some cases may not always be as dreadful, and can usually wait until your next vet appointment.  But noticing any amount of blood from your dog might be a different story--as seeing it can be more alarming and it’s easy to start thinking the worst. 

So in this article, we’ll help you learn more about dog bleeding and what you should do in case it happens:

DOG BLEEDING can be either external or internal. External bleeding is easy to see and usually comes from a skin wound. This wound is obvious, unlike internal bleeding, which is difficult to detect and requires immediate help from your vet.

A blood loss of as little as two teaspoons per pound of body weight is enough to cause a dog to go into shock. Every dog parent should know how to control or stop bleeding, even if it’s just long enough to get a dog to the vet.

 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT EXTERNAL BLEEDING

 

External bleeding can have many causes that range from physical trauma to poisonings to infection and other internal diseases. These are most common especially for more active & more playful dogs.

Take note of these when dealing with External Bleeding:

• For small wounds caused by accidents, it’s best to know how to administer dog first aid. For wounds not bigger than your palm, use a clean cotton swab, bandage or towel, and place firm pressure on the wound for 5 to 10 minutes. Some wounds may need topical treatment or antibiotics, but make sure to get your vet’s advice before using any.
• For trauma resulting from broken teeth, cuts, over-clipped nails, lacerations, a hit in the head, or falling off from anywhere, elevating and applying direct gentle pressure, then applying first aid are the first steps. Then immediately transport your dog to the nearest veterinarian.
• A usually unknown life-threatening cause of external bleeding in dogs is the engulfing of anticoagulant rat poison. You may not see bleeding until days or weeks after the ingestion of the poison. But once you’ve learned your dog has ingested it, quickly visit your vet even when signs of bleeding aren’t present yet.
• Ear infection, foot or toenail injury, and oral issues are also some of the most common causes of external bleeding, and can be treated with first aid.
• In cancer, the condition may break down the cartilage of the nose and mouth, which may result in bleeding. Cancer can also result in liver failure, where the blood clotting proteins are no longer made in the body.

 

IGNORED FACTS ABOUT BLOOD SPOTTING IN DOGS

 

When you spot blood on your pet’s stool or urine, or even just in and around your house, you should know that it is never a symptom you should ignore. There are various reasons and conditions for it besides having a simple external wound, so take note of these:

• Urinary or Bladder Infection - very common, and usually happens when they contract infectious organisms in their urinary system. Discomfort may also be visible when they contract urinary tract infection
• Intestinal or Rectal Issues - may occur when your pet strains to defecate when he is constipated. Bouts of diarrhea can also produce spotting of blood.  Inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal diseases are also conditions which can produce bloody stools
• Prostate Problems - when blood is seen on the dog’s penis, it is most probably caused by a problem with his prostate
• Heat Cycle or Menstruation - Spotting of blood from the vagina of a female can be indicative of a heat cycle. When you know your dog’s pregnant, it may be indicative of a pregnancy issue, but not always

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT INTERNAL BLEEDING

Internal bleeding in dogs is potentially life threatening due to blood loss. Blood pools in the abdominal or chest cavity, but does not result in blood spotting in the stool or urine. So, because of its invisibility, its evaluation and treatment should never be delayed.

Some reasons for internal bleeding are poisoning, ruptured masses on the spleen, trauma and sometimes in the case of immune-mediated disease. 

Again, this bleeding happens inside your dog’s body which you won’t see visible on the outside. However, there are some external signs which will help you determine the possibility of an internal bleeding:

Gums appear pale to white

Feeling cool on the legs, ears or tail

Coughing up blood or having difficulty breathing

Unusually subdued; progressive weakness

Sudden collapse

A painful belly when touched

When noticing one or more of these symptoms, do not delay and transport your pet to the nearest veterinary clinic for immediate diagnosis and treatment.

In times when an emergency blood sample is required by your veterinarian, you’ll have no other choice to carefully collect the blood from either the:

1.   Lateral Saphenous Vein:

Requirements of Anesthesia: No

Repeat bleeds required: Yes

2.   Jugular Vein:

Requirements of Anesthesia: No

Repeat bleeds required: Yes

3.   Through cephalic vein:

Requirements of Anesthesia: No

Repeat bleeds required: Yes

To know more about collecting blood samples, visit this site.

Every pet parent sure hopes that we do not experience any of this at all. But educating yourself with these facts (that can save the lives of your fur babies), sure won’t hurt. Talk to us about Yunnan Baiyao if you are looking for a all natural way to control any type of blood loss.