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09-13-2007, 07:05 PM | #1 |
Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Jersey Shore
Posts: 3,370
| Giardia? Hi guys. I'd like to pick the brains (LOL) of anyone who has experience with Giardia. I've been offered a little one about 12 weeks and weighing 1.5 lbs. that was brought into rescue. My home inspection is tomorrow but I have a concern. She has tested positive for Giardia. I've never had experience with this and I'm concerned as I have my other Yorkies and I do not want them to contact it. I did call my vet's office today and the tech there said that it's common and that as long as they their bathroom area is separate and that the fecal is picked up immediately that it will not pass to the other dogs. The thing is I also googled it and it seems a little more contagious then what my vet's office has stated. I'd like to hear from anyone with experience with this. Thanks so much in advance. Elaine |
Welcome Guest! | |
09-13-2007, 07:10 PM | #2 | |
BANNED! | Quote:
It is very contagious, but very treatable. Unless you have a poo eater it can be kept from the other dogs by keeping the area clean. They give meds for several days then do a re-check and almost all the time its gone by the next visit for re-check. I do know some people have had a more tough time getting rid of it, so hopefully they will put in their info for you. | |
09-13-2007, 07:19 PM | #3 |
Donating YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Georgia
Posts: 6,234
| I had a rough time with giardia at my house. I believe Juju had it when I got her. Then, Betty got it. They were treated...tested negative...but still had symptoms. The vet sent the next sample to an offsite lab. Giardia was still present. I paid several hundred dollars between testing, meds and office visits. And I'm still not positive it is gone. If you do get her, just make sure that she has been treated...clean up the bathroom area very well, with bleach if possible, because the pup can also reinfect herself. You also have to clear her tail end often. It's not always this hard to eradicate, but it can be. And be aware that the test that the vet performs inhouse is NOT as accurate as the one is that they send to a lab. So, even if she tests negative, check the stool daily because that is a better indicator. Good luck. I'm not trying to disuade you from getting her, only to let you know that you do have to be vigilant.
__________________ Jeanne: Mom to Betty & Juju Bean |
09-13-2007, 07:20 PM | #4 | |
YT Addict Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: santa rosa
Posts: 365
| i read back Quote:
ARE YOU GETTING A NEW BABY???
__________________ J.G. & T.B | |
09-13-2007, 08:06 PM | #5 |
Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Jersey Shore
Posts: 3,370
| Betty's mom Thanks for the info. and I appreciate how honest you were. And Thanks too to everyone else for their input and info. Sassy, yes I think I'm getting a new baby. We lost our 10 yr. old Yorkie (it will be 4 weeks tomorrow) and now my mom is dying so it's been a terrible month for me and my family. Didn't plan on a new one - atleast not this soon but you hardly ever see a baby Yorkie (pure bred) female in rescue. If you do usually 1000 people apply and she's gone. I just got lucky in that I spotted her right away and they liked my application. We're also thrilled that she's had a spay already. You can't beat rescue. $400 adoption fee which includes her spay and shots etc. Best deal for you and the pup Thanks again. Elaine |
09-13-2007, 08:39 PM | #6 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Petaluma
Posts: 2,217
| This will be long I just read this article today and it was interesting. Note the use of pancur and dosed twice at different intervals. My Tummy Aches! Example of a "typical" letter to me on a daily basis: Pet owner writes: "We had her stool checked for Giardia it was negative, of course". My Response: "From all that you are telling me, this dog has Giardia - you simply can't find it! It is so hard to find you just need to treat for it. Do this...worm her with Panacur - do it for 3 days, then in 10 days take the same dosage you have for 3 days and divide that into 10 days. This Giardia is IMPOSSIBLE to find. Everything you tell me says this is a giardia dog and you won't get relief until you get this cleared up. I know one pre-vet student that ended up taking her dog to work with her, pulling fresh stool samples several times a day for several days before they actually found it - and here she is working with the vets right there in the labratory and even they didn't find it! You have nothing to lose to try my suggestion because at this point nothing else is working." Owners Response After Following My Suggestion: We saw a new vet at the office and I convinced her to treat for Giardia. Within 2 days, her stools looked better than I had seen in a long time. Within a week, she gained 3 pounds. She still isn't eating a lot yet , but 2 1/2 cups dry and 1 can is better than barely 1 cup dry with gravy per day. She's gaining weight! She's definitely feeling better. Anyway, thanks again. I REALLY APPRECIATE everything. - TSM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION TO GIARDIA A Word About Giardia - this is a waterborne protozoa (a parasite, but not a worm) which is VERY difficult to detect. Only at certain cycles will the cysts be noticeable in the stool which makes it next to impossible to detect. To test for this you need to to have the vet go up inside the rectum with a loop and take a fresh/warm sample of stool from the dog in order to get an accurate reading. You can’t bring one in in a baggie! Even if the dog shows up as negative for Giardia, and the dog exhibits any of these symptoms, you need to discuss with your vet the necessity to treat for Giardia, in order to rule out any infestation. Intermittent loose stools (most dogs have this and it can happen to puppies). Will not gain weight Poor appetite Some dogs will eat but keep losing weight Graze on grass excessively Gassy Anytime you have a dog that will not gain weight, is on/off their feed and/or with intermittent loose stools, gas or diarrhea, you should check for Giardia first, before you start running up vet bills looking for other health problems. Sometimes these dogs will not eat, because Giardia causes such stomach upset and severe cramping. It is because of this, they will often graze on grasses excessively. Giardia is a very big problem, one that goes undetected by most veterinarians Carol Turkington writes, "Once an infestation of Giardia, it often reoccurs. Giardia is spread by food or water contaminated by the Giardia protozoan organism found in the intestinal tract and feces. When the cysts are ingested, the stomach acid degrades the cysts and releases the active parasite into the body. Once within the body, the parasites cling to the lining of the small intestine, reproduce, and are swept into the fecal stream. As the liquid content of the bowel dries up, the parasites form cysts, which are then passed in the feces. Once excreted, the cysts can survive in water for more than three months. The parasite is spread further by direct fecal-oral contamination, such as can occur if food is prepared without adequate hand-washing, or by ingesting the cysts in water or food." Turkington goes on to state, "Diagnosis can be difficult because it can be easy to overlook the presence of the Giardia cysts during a routine inspection of a stool specimen. In the past, the condition has been diagnosed by examining three stool samples for the presence of the parasites. However, because the organism is shed in some stool samples and not others, the infection may not be discovered using this method. A newer, more accurate method of diagnosing the condition is the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that detects cysts and antigen in stool, and is approximately 90% accurate. While slightly more expensive, it only needs to be done once and is therefore less expensive overall than the earlier test." Generally, Flagyll, Metronidazole and Panacur are often used for Giardia, and repeated again in 2 weeks if the symptoms have not subsided. In 2001, Flagyl (metronidazole) appeared effective in only about 60% of the cases. "Currently, some vets feel the effectiveness of Flagyl (metronidazole) is down to 40%. Known side effects of Flagyl are nausea, disorientation, yeast growth, liver failure depression, regurgitation, and nerve damage". * I have been told by several vets, the best course is to use Panacur for 3 days and repeat it again in 2 weeks, taking the same 3 day dosage and dividing it up over 10 days to get it at all stages of the cycle. I have recently read that Flagyll and Metronidazole are only 40% effective any more, so discuss this with your vet and ask about the use of Panacur. * www.holisticbirds.com
__________________ Peace and Light, Deborah My Sweet Sophie 1994-2007Welcome, Charlie Barley 4.14.07 & Sofia Bella 9.13.08 http://www.dogster.com/dogs/535291 |
09-14-2007, 05:28 AM | #7 |
Piper & Sebastian Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: florida
Posts: 14,495
| I myself had Giardia and was sick as could be. It took a long time for them to diagnose, but once they did, and I was put on meds. I started feeling better in a few days. Darn dirty water in a restaurant I went to.
__________________ Susan, Piper ,Harley & Suiki |
09-14-2007, 05:49 AM | #8 |
YT 500 Club Member | Hey Armani had giardia when I got him. He was on meds everyday and after 2 rounds it cleared up, no problems since. I just wiped his butt after he pooped and cleaned the floors with bleach. the only way they can catch is by eating each others poop or drinking water that had contact with that poop. If you are careful it should be no problem, I would def take the rescue!
__________________ Armani, the little devil Mommy loves you |
09-14-2007, 06:39 AM | #9 |
Bella Boo & Diggy Too! Donating GS Member | Diggy had it, took 1 round of meds and it was all gone! Yes it is serious BUT I would not let it stop me from rescuing by any means. It is very treatable and with proper measures taken, I am sire all will be great! Good luck!
__________________ ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN |
09-14-2007, 06:55 AM | #10 |
Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator | BOY do I have experience w/ giardia! It's nasty, but treatable - and is usually (mostly) symptomatic for puppies and/or dogs w/ compromised immune systems. Most (stress most) older dogs can fight it w/out symptoms, but not always. Giardia is notorious for re-infection as the "cysts" are shed all over the place and can re-infect quite easily. Puppies should be treated quickly bc giardia can begin to digest the mucousal lining in the intestines and this causes on-going problemss. My Marcel had giardia twice around age 4-5 mths - and we are JUST NOW starting to climb out of it at 10mths - it really did a number on his system. SO, it is indeed a tough one - but it is treatable. You're on top of it, so I wouldn't let it stop you!
__________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann | Pfeiffer | Marcel Verdel Purcell | Wylie | Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° |
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