17. The Golden Retriever sees the vet for the 3rd time

The Golden Retriever passes blood for the 3rd time.

"This time, the blood in the stools is black," the young lady said. "My Golden Retriever had not been out in the garden. He was all right for 2 days and now, the stools are soft and there is blood.

"Blacker stools just mean that the bleeding is higher up in the intestines or stomach," I said.

This was the 3rd time the dog had been brought in within the last 4 weeks. I had shown the owner the normal brown firm stools 4 days ago when I asked them to take back the Golden Retriever. I advised feeding a particular brand of premium dog food which I had given to the 6-month-old. But now, the same problem surfaced. Why was the problem recurring?

It seemed to be something at home. Since the dog was now confined to a place, was it the drinking water? Water was from the tap. In Singapore, tap water is drinking water for people. But was the water in this house contaminated?

"So, what exactly is the name of the dog feed?"

"The pet shop just gave me the plastic bag with no name," the owner said. "The puppy had been eating this food from a young age."

"How do you know that it is the same brand?" I asked. "The puppy could have been given a different formula or he could have become sensitive to the same formula."

There was something wrong. The puppy was warded again. He was full of life, barking for attention. However, the bloody diarrhoea for this puppy must be resolved. Otherwise, he would die later.

It was a case of food allergy as changing to a different formula resolved the problem.