Can Not rely On Anyone

[mindy10]

So I drop Sammie stool off yesterday and specifically told them i wanted it checked for blood because he has very black stool at times. They call today to tell me there is no worms in it. I tell them that is not why I droped it off. I dropped it off to check for blood. The vet tech comes on and tells me they can not check stool for blood like they do in people. Well thanks for taking my $41!! Told me vet said not to be concerned unless it is bloody diareha and he is showing signs of being sick. WTH

[Nancy1999]

Did you call the vet first and tell them you were going to be dropping of a sample so that they could check for blood, or was this something you just decided to do on your own? The problem I see is that the person collecting samples, may not be aware of what they can do test wise. If you had called first and they told you to bring a sample in to be tested for blood, I would demand my $41.00 back. I would probably find a new vet if he refused.

What are you feeding Sammie, and do you ever give pepto bismol, or any type of supplements? Here's some more information: What Can Cause Black Stools?

[mindy10]

yup i specifically told them to check for blood when I was there. He is eating a new food of beef with blueberries and spinach in it.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by mindy10

yup i specifically told them to check for blood when I was there. He is eating a new food of beef with blueberries and spinach in it.

No I meant did you call ahead of time and if you read the above article, blueberries will cause the stool to look black.

[mindy10]

Thanks for the article I did read that. I don't know why I need to call ahead of time. I got there to the receptionist specifically I wanted it checked for blood. She should of told me they can not do that and not taken my $41. But on the internet it said they can check for blood

[yorkiemom76]

There is a test to test for blood in the stool...not sure why they told you that. I believe it's called a fecal occult test. We've done a few of them in the vet clinic I work at but I think, if I remember right, we had to send them to outside lab. The bloody stool can be caused from parasites which is probably why they tested for them.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by mindy10

Thanks for the article I did read that. I don't know why I need to call ahead of time. I got there to the receptionist specifically I wanted it checked for blood. She should of told me they can not do that and not taken my $41. But on the internet it said they can check for blood

The reason I think calling is important is that someone could check with the vet or another knowledgeable person. The receptionist can be hired without any previous knowledge about animals, so she's not the one to give good information. From my understanding, they can check for blood, but the dog has to be there or you have to use a special kit. It may have something to do with "freshness".

Diagnosing Melena

The black color alone is not enough to determine that it is in fact blood that is being passed in the stool. Therefore, a doctor will need to confirm whether there actually is blood in your stool. This can be done in a doctor's office through a rectal exam. Or, it can be done at home with a kit that is used to collect a small stool sample which can then be sent to a lab for evaluation.

[Laura]

Maybe just fyi for next time, my dog was recently having bloody diarrhea and throwing up, not eating (obviously sick), but he had an extremely red, pure liquid poo and my husband put in a container to take to the vet. The vet was not at all worried about the blood, they checked for worms. Mainly he was concerned about the vomiting. He gave him a shot and meds for the vomiting, told me to stop food for three days and feed only nutri-cal. He was drinking just fine. He is just fine now.

[Yorkiemom1]

There are occult blood strips that you can buy at the pharmacy. These strips detect blood any place it is....human stool, baby stool, dog stool, counter top, floor, etc.

"A small amount of fresh stool is all that is needed. The veterinarian or veterinary technician may collect stool material directly from the pet's rectum using a gloved finger, or the pet owner may be asked to provide a sample of fresh stool from the pet. Ideally, the stool sample should be less than 24 hours old.Blood contains a substance called hemoglobin. When a stool sample containing blood is placed on a special testing material, the chemical activity of hemoglobin causes a visible color change in the testing material. This color change signals the presence of blood.

Although the fecal occult blood test is simple and easy, it may give incorrect results in certain situations.

For example, the test may fail if blood is not distributed evenly throughout the stool sample, or if bleeding occurs intermittently rather than continuously. In these situations, the amount of blood in the stool will be quite variable and as a result a particular stool sample could show Negative for occult blood, even though there is blieeding the digestive system.

"Diet can affect the accuracy of the fecal occult blood test."

Diet can also affect the accuracy of the fecal occult blood test. If a pet eats raw or undercooked meat, raw vegetables, or even some types of canned food, the test for fecal occult blood may be positive, even though the pet is not bleeding into the digestive tract. To avoid this problem, the veterinarian may suggest feeding dry kibble exclusively for 3 days prior to the test, and recommend that meat, meat scraps, and raw vegetables not be fed to the pet during this interval.

Because of variability in the success of the fecal occult blood test, your veterinarian may suggest repeating the test to ensure an accurate diagnosis.....".

It is my understanding you can possibly get false positives, but not a false negative if there is any blood present at all and it comes in contact with that test strip. Go buy you some strips and do your own test!

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

There are occult blood strips that you can buy at the pharmacy. These strips detect blood any place it is....human stool, baby stool, dog stool, counter top, floor, etc.

"A small amount of fresh stool is all that is needed. The veterinarian or veterinary technician may collect stool material directly from the pet's rectum using a gloved finger, or the pet owner may be asked to provide a sample of fresh stool from the pet. Ideally, the stool sample should be less than 24 hours old.Blood contains a substance called hemoglobin. When a stool sample containing blood is placed on a special testing material, the chemical activity of hemoglobin causes a visible color change in the testing material. This color change signals the presence of blood.

Although the fecal occult blood test is simple and easy, it may give incorrect results in certain situations.

For example, the test may fail if blood is not distributed evenly throughout the stool sample, or if bleeding occurs intermittently rather than continuously. In these situations, the amount of blood in the stool will be quite variable and as a result a particular stool sample could show Negative for occult blood, even though there is blieeding the digestive system.

"Diet can affect the accuracy of the fecal occult blood test."

Diet can also affect the accuracy of the fecal occult blood test. If a pet eats raw or undercooked meat, raw vegetables, or even some types of canned food, the test for fecal occult blood may be positive, even though the pet is not bleeding into the digestive tract. To avoid this problem, the veterinarian may suggest feeding dry kibble exclusively for 3 days prior to the test, and recommend that meat, meat scraps, and raw vegetables not be fed to the pet during this interval.

Because of variability in the success of the fecal occult blood test, your veterinarian may suggest repeating the test to ensure an accurate diagnosis.....".

It is my understanding you can possibly get false positives, but not a false negative if there is any blood present at all and it comes in contact with that test strip. Go buy you some strips and do your own test!

I'm not sure you read one of her replies, but she said the food had blueberries in it and it's one of the foods that can cause the stool to look black. Great tips though.

[magicgenie]

I have often felt veterinary practices, like many other places these days, rely on a menu list of things to guide them and help them avoid any need to think. Situations that doesn't match up to the menu cause great confusion and misinformation.
Sorry, not in a great mood today. My regular vet doesn't operate that way!

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

I'm not sure you read one of her replies, but she said the food had blueberries in it and it's one of the foods that can cause the stool to look black. Great tips though.

Those berries may cause the stool to be black (you are right!! I missed that reply!!) but if there is blood in that stool, that test strip will react positive for blood. While the berries may make the stool look like "black and tarry stool from bleeding", if the stool has NO blood in it, it will not react positively. If the stool was beet red from eating tomatoes or something, if there was no blood present in that little pile of red poop, the strip will not react positive for occult blood. That was my point for her...

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

Those berries may cause the stool to be black (you are right!! I missed that reply!!) but if there is blood in that stool, that test strip will react positive for blood. While the berries may make the stool look like "black and tarry stool from bleeding", if the stool has NO blood in it, it will not react positively. If the stool was beet red from eating tomatoes or something, if there was no blood present in that little pile of red poop, the strip will not react positive for occult blood. That was my point for her...

Yeah, I was just wondering if she needed to test, the dog has no symptoms except for black poop at times.

[Yorkiemom1]

True Nancy....maybe just for peace of her mind.....and she needs to know that you CAN test dogs with occult blood strips! I can not imagine why her vet office told her that!

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

True Nancy....maybe just for peace of her mind.....and she needs to know that you CAN test dogs with occult blood strips! I can not imagine why her vet office told her that!

I certainly glad I know now that you can do that!