blood in otherwise normal looking stool

[KristinBNLI]

I noticed a bit of blood in my 6 year-old dog Maggie's stool yesterday. The stool looked otherwise normal--no diarrhea or straining. Should I be concerned?

[Ash]

Blood in the stool is always concerning. There could be a growth in her intestines or an internal injury. Please bring her to your vet.

[davet]

red blood is a problem within the last few feet of gut...not a good thing, get it checked, may be nothing but better to find out before it is something

[Traci]

I agree, although not all blood is indicative of a serious condition. Sometimes small amounts of blood in the stools are stress-related, or if combined with mucous, stress-related. On the otherhand, if a large amount of blood is seen more than 2 or 3 days, combined with mucous, you will want to get Maggie checked and opt for a fecal to rule out clostridium, etc.