Possible causes, methods of diagnosis and treatment of black feces in cats

Melena, a term used to describe black, tarry stool, is usually caused by bleeding in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract. This is also seen in cats after they have ingested a sufficient amount of blood from the mouth or respiratory tract.

Black stool itself is not a disease, but a symptom of some other underlying disease. The dark color of blood occurs due to the oxidation of iron in hemoglobin (the oxygen that carries the pigment in red blood cells) as it passes through the small and large intestines.

Symptoms and types

Symptoms are related to the underlying cause and location of the bleeding.

In patients with gastrointestinal bleeding:

• Vomiting blood
• Lack of appetite
• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Pale mucous membranes
• Anemia

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In patients with airway bleeding :

• Nose bleed
• Sneezing
• Coughing up blood
• Anemia
• Pale mucous membranes
• Labored breathing

In patients with abnormal bleeding disorders:

• Nose bleed
• Blood in urine
• Anemia
• Blood in the eye (hyphema)
• Pale mucous membranes

What does this indicate?

This phenomenon is called "melena" . In most cases, it indicates the presence of a large amount of digested blood in the stool. And, as is easy to understand, in a healthy cat it should run only through the vessels of the circulatory system. It should be understood that melena and bloody clots in feces are not the same thing. If the stool is black, then the source of the bleeding is somewhere in the upper digestive system . For example, this could be a perforated ulcer of the stomach or duodenum. Be that as it may, you urgently need to take your pet to a specialist.

Many of the causes of this phenomenon are so serious that your cat may bleed to death if he is not treated promptly by a veterinarian.

It’s not at all good when clots of pure blood are clearly visible in black stool. This indicates either very intense bleeding in the upper parts of the digestive tract (the blood simply does not have time to be digested), or structural damage to the intestines along their entire length. Here the clock can count.

Diagnostics

You will need to provide details about your cat's health, symptoms, and possible incidents that may have led to your cat's black poop. The history you provide can help your veterinarian understand where the blood is coming from. After taking a complete history, your pet's veterinarian will perform a complete physical examination. Standard laboratory tests include a complete blood count (CBC), chemistry profile, and urinalysis. The results of these tests will depend on the root cause of the problem.

A blood test may reveal anemia with red blood cells that are smaller (microcytic) and paler than normal (hypochromic). In cases of chronic blood loss, the anemia is usually non-regenerative, meaning the bone marrow does not respond normally to the body's increased need for red blood cells. In acute cases, anemia is most often regenerative in nature, since the bone marrow usually responds to the increased needs of the body by supplying new red blood cells.

Other abnormalities may include a decrease in the number of platelets (the cells responsible for blood clotting), an increase in the number of white blood cells called neutrophils (neutrophilia), and a decrease in the number of both red and white blood cells. A biochemical profile may reveal changes associated with disease states other than intestinal causes of melena, including the kidney and liver. A urine test can detect blood in the urine, which is commonly seen in patients with blood clotting defects.

An abdominal x-ray will be taken to look for any masses, foreign bodies that may have been swallowed, and abnormalities in the size and shape of the kidneys and/or liver. A chest x-ray will help identify lesions in the lungs and esophagus, which are also a relatively common underlying cause of black stool in cats.

Ultrasound is also used for internal imaging and often provides more detailed images of the abdomen and gastrointestinal tract. An ultrasound can detect tumors, liver disease, inflammation of the pancreas, or kidney disease. Another diagnostic tool your veterinarian will likely use is an endoscope, a flexible tube that is inserted into the stomach through the esophagus to directly visualize masses and/or ulcers in the esophagus, stomach and/or intestines. Endoscopy also helps take biopsy samples for tissue analysis and remove foreign bodies if present.

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Causes of black feces in cats

When the feces are black in color and the pet is feeling well, the anomaly is explained by natural causes.

The presence of additional symptoms is a cause for concern.

Physiological reasons

Blackening of cat feces is always a mistake by the owner, which can lead to dire consequences. However, one-time darkening is not a cause for concern.

The anomaly is explained by the following reasons:

1. A large amount of iron enters the intestines , which interacts with food masses and forms harmless black compounds. If the animal owner notices that an abnormality has occurred after using a food supplement, it should be discontinued.
2. The cat was treated to meat scraps or raw liver, which contain a lot of iron. If the diet contains a lot of raw meat, the feces will always be black, and the cat runs the risk of becoming infected with helminths.
3. The animal was given a drug or food containing colored pigments , such as activated carbon. Gourmet cats have strange preferences: either give them raw potatoes, or cucumbers, or cherries. In the latter case, the feces become black.

Although a single blackening does not cause immediate harm to health, the owner of the animal should not allow the described situations to occur again. And it’s not so much a matter of excess iron as it is a matter of protein overfeeding, a deficiency of dietary fiber and the danger of becoming infected with parasites or microbes that contaminate the meat.

Be sure to read:

A cat is vomiting hair: reasons, what to do, medications and folk remedies, prevention

Pathological causes

If the stool becomes black for a long time, this is an alarming symptom. There is only one reason: the entry of large amounts of iron into the intestines. Blood contains the most metal compounds.

Therefore, black staining of stool always indicates bleeding in the anterior intestine under the influence of the following factors:

1. High worminess. Parasitic worms injure the mucous membrane of the small intestine and feed on blood. Part of the biological fluid is digested by the body's enzymes.
2. Traumatic gastritis or colitis, accompanied by bleeding.
3. Gastroenteritis , which occurs under the influence of pathogens of infectious diseases or toxic substances.
4. A tumor process in the digestive organs, accompanied by destruction of the walls of blood vessels.
5. The formation of gastric or intestinal ulcers under the influence of food or abuse of oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

A pathological symptom indicates the occurrence of a serious illness and the need to seek veterinary help.

Care

The main goal of therapy is to treat the underlying disease, including kidney, liver and lung diseases. Successful treatment should eventually resolve the black stool problem. Fluid therapy will be given to replenish fluid levels in the body, and whole blood transfusions may be required in some patients with severe blood loss and anemia. Patients who experience persistent vomiting will require medications to control the vomiting and allow them to hold onto food long enough to digest it. Severe ulcers or tumors in the gastrointestinal tract may require surgery.

Treatment tactics depending on the cause of the symptom

When diagnosing stones or neoplasms in a cat, or detecting a foreign object, there is only one way out - surgical intervention. In other cases, the treatment plan is developed individually for each four-legged patient.

The primary task is to stop bleeding. Hemostatic drugs are administered intramuscularly or intravenously. As a rule, Tranexam, Vikasol, Dicynon, aminocaproic acid are prescribed. Information on standard drug treatment is presented in the table:

Life and management

The duration and type of treatment for your cat will depend on the underlying cause of the melena. Initially, daily blood testing may be required to assess your cat's ongoing anemia, which may evolve into weekly testing once your cat's health has stabilized. In cases with regular episodes of vomiting, it is necessary to maintain hydration to correct fluid deficiency. Monitor your cat for blood or color changes in its stool during treatment, and tell your veterinarian if anything seems unusual, including changes in behavior.

Most patients recover after treatment of the underlying disease. Because melena is just a symptom, the overall prognosis will depend on the diagnosis and treatment of the underlying disease or condition.

Price issue

Let's talk about the cost of the listed drugs. The same Prazitel is sold in veterinary pharmacies or hospitals. The price starts from 80 rubles per tablet or from 170 rubles per suspension.

“Drontal” in tablets will cost the animal owner 320-400 rubles, depending on the region of residence.

"Pratel" is a rather expensive drug. For ten tablets you will have to pay from 450 to 600 rubles.

"Dirofen" costs about 120-150 rubles.

The rest of the drugs are sold in regular, human pharmacies. Price categories are quite different, depending on the region where the pharmacy is located.

What treatment is prescribed?

Medication

Depending on the diagnosis, the veterinarian selects the most optimal treatment regimen, which often includes the following groups of drugs:

Dicynone is able to stop a minor source of bleeding in an animal.

• Hemostatic. If diagnostics show that the cat is developing internal bleeding, but it is not life-threatening, the doctor will prescribe medications that can prevent the loss of vital fluid. Effective drugs in this group: “Dicinon”;
• "Tranexam";
• "Vikasol".

Surgical

Sometimes surgery is the only option for an animal to return to normal.
Sometimes it is impossible to normalize a pet’s condition with medications alone, for example, with heavy internal bleeding. To save the animal's life, the doctor decides to perform surgical treatment. The manipulations are performed under general anesthesia. After the operation, a long recovery will be required, during which it is important for the owner to control the diet of his four-legged friend, as well as give him medications prescribed by the doctor to prevent the development of inflammatory processes and increase the body's defenses.