What causes black stools?

[anifunk1962]

My dogs have been on a raw diet for almost 2 months and are doing very well. My Jack Russell has recently been having stools that are black and a little runny - sort of looks like tar. It's just a litle bit. Most of his stools are hard and whitish in color. My son saw him go to the bathroom the other day and said it looked like he popped a cork out and then squirted out the black stuff. (Sorry to sound disgusting.) What would cause this? In humans, it can mean internal bleeding. What about in dogs?

[RawFedDogs]

What would cause this? In humans, it can mean internal bleeding. What about in dogs?

It depends on what he's been fed. Liver or heart will cause black stools, mainly because they have so much blood in them. It could also be a sign of irritation in the stomach. If your dog is otherwise feeling good and has normal energy, I wouldn't worry.

[rannmiller]

My smallest dog did the same thing when he got too much liver or heart, I think his body is still adjusting to such large quantities of rich meat/organs like that since he never really got that much of them before. All I did was cut back on it in his diet, and it cleared up.

[anifunk1962]

It could be the organ meat. I didn't know it would make the stools black. I haven't noticed it lately but I haven't really been watching his stools. He acts normal otherwise and is eating, drinking and playing like normal.

Thanks for the replies!

[Rodney]

Black stool is usually caused by bleeding in the upper GI. I had this once after a stomach cam procedure that caused a bit of bleeding. If this is happening to your dog, you should definately have hims een by a vet.