Giardia???????Presley has it ..HELP!!

[Presley]

I just found out my dog hasn this , my vet gave me two meds. Metronidazole & prutrol?? i find that he has lost wieght not eating ..i do not know how to spike his appitite i tried hambuger & rice, chicken & rice he likes apples and chick peas but this parasite eats away at his intestines and feeds off his nutrient's.. can some one help me.. My dog is still playful and has energy but very nervouse.. can some one give me some pointers and guide me re:what to do abbout sterilization of home and bed.. and eating...

[MaxiMillion]

my roommate's dog had it and he had to take so many different kinds of medicines for 2 straight months. some of them included antibiotics, anti-diarrhea, anti-paracitic... he had it for a while, but his behavior was completely fine/normal.

you don't have to worry if you will get it from your dog b/c it is a different strain of giardia that runs in humans.

[LuvMySissy]

We've been through this with Sissy. Her next sample is in another week and we'll find out if we've finally gotten rid of it. You need to sterilize her bedding, toys and area. The easiest way for toys and bedding is to put them in the washer/dryer on Hot water and Hot heat (adding a little bleach to the detergent if it won't hurt the colors). The area where she stays/sleeps also needs to be disinfected - so wash the floors, etc. According to my vet, humans can get this from their pets, so no mouth kisses for a while. Some people recommend wiping their bums after they poop with a baby wipe. Any other animals in the house should be treated, just in case, cause they share this stuff!!

As far as the appetite goes, Sissy was on Pancur the first time, Metronidazole the 2nd. The 2nd time it was noted she was very infested, she got very ill with diarrhea and became dehydrated. That was when she was switched to the metro. I think it must change their taste buds, cause she stopped eating her dry food at that point and I can't get to eat any other brand either. She also refused all canned food. While she was on her meds, she would only eat boiled chicken/rice and eggs. Once the meds were finished, she now gets yogurt and oatmeal for breakfast and will eat the Natural Balance meat that comes "rolled" in the casing. Sometimes she will not eat that, so she gets a little of meat/potato or rice/vegetable that is my dinner.

Good luck to you both. This is definitely not a fun thing to deal with. Vitamins might also be a good thing.

[hollywoodyorkie]

Hello all, can anyone please tell me some symptoms of Giardia, and how it is spread? Thank you.

[LuvMySissy]

Giardia can be asymptomatic (no symptoms at all) or your pup can have diarrhea, vomiting, lack of appetite. It is easily spread from an infected animal's poop (they can lick it, step in it and then lick their paw). My vet also told me the parasite lives in standing water also. Stress can cause any parasites to multiply tremendously. Sissy was diagnosed through a routine stool sample. At first, she just showed trace amounts, was was treated as a precaution. A month later she was boarded and got really sick following this board. The vet thinks the stress of boarding caused the giardia to flare up and show tons of it.

[Presley]

Jodi & Sissy,
Thank you for responding to my message. Presley is so sad he cant go out & play, Do you know how long it was before sissy could go outside?? My pup wont eat any meat or rice or chicken likes to eat his treat and raw carrots, but i get nervous because he is only 11 months old.. i dont leave the house because since he was b infected my vet told me i have to wipe his little bum with selson blue every time he poop's (Yuck).. he does drink lots of water.. do you know if his pee is contaminated by this too?
what dog food do you feed finikey eaters...?

[Presley]

Thank you everyone at Yorkie Talk for always being the best people to talk to.. All your help in the past & now makes life better.. Presley is my best friend and he has eyes that make you fall in love with him.. from our hearts to yours ..We send kisses & thanks
love Presley & Angela
(presley's mommy)

[red98vett]

Jodie gave you some great help - I just want to say I hope he feels better soon and starts eating better - I would give him what he likes to get his weight back on ....and good luck ! At least you have the problem being treated so he's bound to get better.

[Baby Blessing]

Originally Posted by Presley

Jodi & Sissy,
Thank you for responding to my message. Presley is so sad he cant go out & play, Do you know how long it was before sissy could go outside?? My pup wont eat any meat or rice or chicken likes to eat his treat and raw carrots, but i get nervous because he is only 11 months old.. i dont leave the house because since he was b infected my vet told me i have to wipe his little bum with selson blue every time he poop's (Yuck).. he does drink lots of water.. do you know if his pee is contaminated by this too?
what dog food do you feed finikey eaters...?

Try putting a little bit of cottage cheese with the food, and chop up just a bit of carrots in with it, we had to do this with Baby Blessing and then I also baked chicken breasts and chopped that up with tad bit of cottage cheese, she loves that, now I just give her the dry food and tell her to eat and she does also every now and again when I just give her the dry food I give her just a tiny bit of nutri cal and that seems to help, it sure takes a lot of patience in getting them to eat when they are so finicky, we been there and know what you are going through. We also give her baby carrots as a treat, she loves them. Prayers for things to be going smooth real soon for him and you. Please keep us updated on how he is doing. Patti

[LuvMySissy]

Originally Posted by Presley

Jodi & Sissy,
Thank you for responding to my message. Presley is so sad he cant go out & play, Do you know how long it was before sissy could go outside?? My pup wont eat any meat or rice or chicken likes to eat his treat and raw carrots, but i get nervous because he is only 11 months old.. i dont leave the house because since he was b infected my vet told me i have to wipe his little bum with selson blue every time he poop's (Yuck).. he does drink lots of water.. do you know if his pee is contaminated by this too?
what dog food do you feed finikey eaters...?

I allowed Sissy to continue going outside to potty, just wiped her bum with a baby wipe if she pooped (usually 2 times a day). Once she felt a little better, I took her with me to those places where I can. I do not believe the urine has any contamination. When you have a picky eater, you basically keep trying till you find what they will eat. Try come yogurt, cottage cheese and old fashioned oatmeal. Have you tried melting a little cheese on his meat and rice? Sometimes that will work. If you haven't tried canned food - get a can or two of a premium brand and see if that works. Like I said, Sissy will only eat the Natural Balance meat roll (usually sold in the pet stores in the area where raw hides are). There are a couple other brands that make these meat rolls, too. I would also use some NutriCal to make sure his blood sugar doesn't drop if he is not eating much food. Keep trying.

[DJ30]

I'm so sorry to hear Presley has giardia. I found out Angel had it after I took her for a puppy assessment at the vet's as part of the contract w/ the breeders. You can read the thread here: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44285.

I was told to shampoo her bum after every bowel movement as the cysts can cling to their hair. I bleached her pen area and floors w/ 1 oz. of bleach mixed w/ 30 oz. of water to disinfect things. I also washed her toys and bedding in the washing machine w/ hot water and dried them in the dryer w/ hot heat. To disinfect plastic toys, I was told to let them sit in the mixture of bleach and water and then pour hot water over them. Then I let them air dry or used tissue to dry them. I fed Angel pineapple every day to prevent her from eating her stool as they can reinfect themselves that way, though I've never seen her eat her poo.

Humans can get infected by animals and vice versa. Just wash your hands after handling your dog and his stool. Dogs can get it from stagnant/contaminated water, eating other dogs' poo that's infected w/ the parasite and I would think sniffing another dogs' bums as cysts could be in their hair. Keep your dog away from other dogs' poo and bird droppings. I live in Canada, and the breeder said it's common in Canadian geese.

After going through this experience, I'm paranoid about taking Angel outside. I've been trying to get her used to her harness and leash inside the house, but we haven't gone outside for a walk yet. I'm planning to walk her on the road on a dead end street and not grass at first.

[Pipersmommy]

Haven't had a chance to catch up on all these sites, but when I got Piper home she had Giardia. After 3 weeks of medication she was doing a lot better, although she was tested for coccidia. She is still on medication 4 weeks later. Piper is eating well now, actually she's a piggy. She was 1.6 lbs, when I got her from the breeder 4 weeks ago at 13 weeks. She is now 3 lbs at 4 months. She loves cottage cheese, and baby carrots, along with chicken. Haven't found a dry food she likes much, but since she was so sick when we got her, I was just trying everything to get her to gain weight.

[DJ30]

Originally Posted by Pipersmommy

Haven't had a chance to catch up on all these sites, but when I got Piper home she had Giardia. After 3 weeks of medication she was doing a lot better, although she was tested for coccidia. She is still on medication 4 weeks later. Piper is eating well now, actually she's a piggy. She was 1.6 lbs, when I got her from the breeder 4 weeks ago at 13 weeks. She is now 3 lbs at 4 months. She loves cottage cheese, and baby carrots, along with chicken. Haven't found a dry food she likes much, but since she was so sick when we got her, I was just trying everything to get her to gain weight.

Sorry to hear about Piper. When I found out that Angel had Giardia, I wasn't happy, especially w/ all the disinfecting that had to be done. I didn't realize how common this parasite is. What meds is/was she on? I hope she gets better soon!

[Pipersmommy]

It is a long story with Piper , but I will try & make it brief. The breeder didn't send her at 12 weeks due to transportation. Also she said she wanted her to gain some weight. She was 1.8 at 13 weeks when we got her. After taking her to the Vet & finding out she had Giardia which will cause anorexia. She gained 2.2 lbs in 3 weeks. Piper was on, Amforal/ Endosorb tabs for diarrhea
Metronidazole, for the parasite. That was 6/17. Back in 7/5 The Vet put her on a 2nd round of Metronidazole,& Amforal/Endosorb Tabs, Fast balaance-GI,
Albon, & cough tabs for bronchitis. $300.00 dollars later she is doing fine. We did change Vets after all this. While we were waiting for her to see Piper, she was reading her chart out side the room talking to someone. Quote " What kind of a dog is a Morkie? Breeders are doing anything to make money, no wonder were getting sick animals." We didn't say anything, probably should have. I just called another Vet and had their papers transferred. I should have know when we got Misha a full breed Maltese, took her in and the Vet said Quote" What have we got here a Terrier"

[DJ30]

Can cysts remain in carpet after vacuuming? Does the carpet need to be disinfected?