Dear Mary: >What does it mean when they poop and then scooch blood? His little rectum >protrudes out and there's blood sometimes. His rectum does go back in, >however (thank goodness). Is he straining so hard to leave his scent >because I have an 8 month old jill? The important factor is the prolapsed rectum - anytime you drag mucosa across the ground, it's going to bleed - it's soft and the ground is not. Then it becomes a vicious cycle - the rectum gets raw from dragging across the ground - it irritates him, then he strains when he goes to the bathroom - and the straining causes more of a prolapse. First we want to see if there is a reason other than the physical irritation that it is prolapsing - I would have your vet check a fecal sample, look carefully at the character and frequency of the feces, and look at what he is eating, as well as a good physical exam. (Bloodwork usually isn't helpful in these cases.) If everything checks out, then symptomatic therapy for the prolapse (my remedy is apply a cream of Preparation H and 0.5% cortisone three times daily and after every bowel movement.) Hopefully if we can decrease the irritation, and there is no pre-existent disease which neds specific treatment, we can handle the problem quickly and expediently. With kindest regards, Bruce Williams, dvm [Posted in FML issue 3273]