What makes your poop black? my daughter called me this morning said my 18 month old grandson has a little bit of red blood in his poo and the poo is soft & black, he does not have a fever but has had diahareah on and off over the last couple days

Sometimes : Sometimes medications can make feces black. If the stool is black, tarry and stinks, that could be due to blood in his gastrointestinal tract. It sounds like there is also some bright red blood. Please have her call her pediatrician now. The pediatrician may be able to see your grandson quickly, or might direct that he be seen at the emergency room.

Hematochezia : Hematochezia is the presence of bright red or maroon colored blood in the stool which generally suggests intestinal bleeding from a large intestine source, while melena, which is the black, tarry stool, often foul smelling is associated with an upper intestinal source. In a pediatric patient, the causes for intestinal bleeding include: gastroenteritis (a viral or bacterial infection, generally self-limited), intusscusception (which is an involution of the small intestine on itself and presents with ), meckel's diverticulum (which is an abnormal outpouching of stomach lining in the intestine which is prone to ulceration), intestinal malrotation (which presents with recurrent abdominal pain, distention and vomiting) and polyps. If the child is having significant pain, gastrointestinal symptoms or significant bleeding, this should be considered a medical emergency and should be seen emergently.