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Bloody stool or also known as “Hematochezia” is the passage of blood that is bright red in color coming from the anus, rectum or the colon that is often mixed with a stool.
Although bright red in color is the most common during a bloody stool, it may also depend on the site and location of the bleeding in the person’s gastrointestinal tract. Thus, it means that the closer the rectal bleeding is to the anus, the more the bloody stool will be brighter and red in color. That is why, bloody stool are most often seen as bright red in areas such as from the anus, sigmoid colon and rectum whereby those that comes from the right colon and transverse tends to be dark red and sometimes maroon in color.
Bloody Stool Causes
Bloody stool may be a sign of a problem in the gastrointestinal tract. A stool that is accompanied by bleeding can have many causes. Some of which are those caused by:
- Ulcers or ulcerative colitis
- Crohn’s disease (inflammatory bowel disease) that causes inflammation of the digestive system
- Growths or polyps of the colon that can either be benign or malignant
- Anal fissures in which there is a crack in the lining of the opening of the canal
- Intestinal infections that are caused by inflammation
- Hemorrhoids (common cause) wherein there is a blood vessel near the anus that is swollen and ruptures that leads to bleeding
- Colorectal cancer
Bloody Stool in Children
Bloody stool in children can have a lot of causes and this may somehow depend on the child’s age. Although this condition is common and less serious for children, seeking professional help is still very important.
Bloody Stool in Infants
Infants with bloody stools have unknown cause as my cases have been reported thus a parent must not be alarm if the baby is feeling good. Bloody stools in infants often originate from the gastrointestinal tract but sometimes it could still be coming from the infant’s urinary tract.
Some of the causes include slight anal fissures probably due to the infants strain when passing the stool due to constipation; it can also be due to the infants’ milk such as the cow’s milk of which some infants are allergic to.
Thereby, if the baby is experiencing sever abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and fever then parents need to seek professional help and asked the cause of the infants stool to be bloody for further investigation and possible treatment options.
Bloody Stool in Cats
Cats can also experience bloody stools. It can be upsetting for the pet owner to see a blood in their cat’s stool. Although, small traces of blood is not alarming but if it occurs more frequently than normal then it is time to consult your veterinarian.
Cat’s stool that appears to be bloody are caused by a variety of factors such as the presence of parasites or an infection, ingestion of rat poison and house cleaning supplies such as chemicals.
For pet owners, knowing the cause of your pets bloody stool is very important for you to immediately take appropriate help measures before it can lead to a more serious problem for your pet if left untreated.
Bloody Stool in Dogs
Seeing a blood in your dog’s stool or feces can be alarming for us dog lovers as we do not usually know what the subjective complaints of the dogs rather we only know from what we have observe. It is very difficult to determine if your pet is feeling pain or if something is bothering to them because we cannot communicate with them by speaking. Thus, objective assessment is our only way of knowing.
Bloody stool in your dog can have many causes some of which are rectal injuries, parasites, and the most common is Parvo, a serious and life-threatening disease.
Consult a veterinarian if you think your dog’s condition is starting to get worse for proper treatment to be given.
Bloody Stool Treatment
Treatment options may vary and this depends of the cause as well as the severity of the bleeding. For a more serious bleeding, hospitalization is required for monitoring and further evaluation.
For severe bleeding, it might lead to complications thus being confined in the Intensive Care Unit is necessary for close monitoring.
Certain diagnostic test will be done such as barium studies, blood works, colonoscopy, culture of the stool, and xrays of the abdomen to determine the cause of bloody stools.
Bloody Stool Remedies
Before deciding to be confined to the hospital, one must first try to use a remedy for the bloody stool so as to somehow control it before it worsens.
Some of the remedies that are readily available are ginger and cayenne. These herbs are known to be an anti-inflammatory and thus are recommended for abdominal inflammation and GI tract diseases. Marshmallow root also helps heal the mucous membranes that are inflamed. Food to avoid includes soft drinks and foods that are processed that contain artificial sweeteners.
References:
http://www.medicinenet.com
http://www.webmd.com
