A logical approach to the bleeding patient – a tale of three dogs.

Bleeding is a potentially life-threatening clinical sign that often requires prompt assessment and management. As with all clinical signs, a structured approach is key to ensuring that important differentials are not overlooked. Understanding the pathophysiology of bleeding is also important, particularly in relation to interpreting relevant clinical pathology. In this lecture, we will discuss three dogs that are anaemic with evidence of melaena but with very different diagnoses. The principles of the approach we will discuss apply to any site of bleeding. Most importantly – is this animal bleeding because of local disease or systemic disease?