Kaye was right: Giardia
The Vet also commented that Chummie was now at her ideal weight of 70 pounds (woo hoo!) but that Maggie at 55 pounds is underweight and needs to put on up to 10 pounds. Maggie will be thrilled to get more food. I've been giving her 4 cups per day but she is apparently burning right through it. . . |
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Val, it'svery easy for them to get reinfected. If you live in an area with lots of birds they can get it from them, from the droppings and drinking any water they find outside. I can't remember what it's called but there is a shot they can get, one shot, then one more two weeks later. My four all had giardia at the same time, after the shots they've never had it again; it's been about 6 years. Good luck, I know how gross it is  |
| I've heard of this infection but have no experience with it. Is it contagious? Can the dogs at the park be passing it to each other in playing? Once the antibiotic is done and the infection is gone, do they still have to take anything, or do you just have to keep a watch on them for reinfection? This was also the cause of their diarrhea, I'm assuming?
Poor Chummie and Maggie!!  Glad to hear they're doing better, though!  Give them both a big hug and ear scratch from me and Drez!
Chris |
Drezzie's Mom wrote: I've heard of this infection but have no experience with it. Is it contagious? Can the dogs at the park be passing it to each other in playing? Once the antibiotic is done and the infection is gone, do they still have to take anything, or do you just have to keep a watch on them for reinfection? This was also the cause of their diarrhea, I'm assuming?
Chris It's contagious in the sense that, as in my case, one dog brought it home from a show, infecting the others. It is transmitted through standing water, from birds and from dogs smelling and licking each other, and from not being vigilant in washing towels you've used on an infected dog, etc. It does cause runny stool that looks like it has sausage casing around it, kind of slimy looking and it smells horrible Since we used the shots we've had no problem, we didn't use antibiotics so that I don't know about. |
Poor Val and pups! I hope this clears up soon.  |
| I'm glad they diagnosed the problem and Chum and Mags can get treated. Yea, for Chum's excellent weight loss program! Hugs and kisses to you all. |
| The dogs can get it from sharing water bowls at the dog park. I definitely do not let my dogs drink out of water bowls that have been sitting around and I try to curb them from drinking out of other people's bowls. Just use the, We don't want to drink all of your water, courtesy line. I like to hold the bowl for my dogs at the park then as soon as they are done you can toss the extra and put the bowl up. It is definitely easier said than done! Especially if there are boxers around who like to steal your water bowls!
Don't forget parvo can also get passed around in water bowls at dog parks and never let your dogs drink standing water. |
At the dog park that we go to a lot of people bring bottles of water for the dogs to drink out of. They use the bottles with the sports tops so that you don't dump half the water on the ground. It works quite well. You just have to remember not to drink out of the same one as your dog. 
Amanda |
| Years ago, Joan got a sports bottle specifically made for the dog. Attached to the neck of the bottle is a little trough that when put away is the same size as the bottle, but when swung out forms a little trough-bowl for the dog to lap his water!
It's really cool, but I have no idea where she got it. I'll have to ask her. |
Ron wrote: Years ago, Joan got a sports bottle specifically made for the dog. Attached to the neck of the bottle is a little trough that when put away is the same size as the bottle, but when swung out forms a little trough-bowl for the dog to lap his water!
It's really cool, but I have no idea where she got it. I'll have to ask her. You can get it at JB pet. I have one for my dogs that I got there. It even has a carrying strap. |
Thanks everyone for kind words and suggestions. It really has been a gross couple weeks (and so stinky!!) but everything looked fine this morning. 
Ron -- I have one of those! It is called a gulpie. I am ashamed to admit that I never actually bring it. I will have to start using it. I thought they could just wait til they got home. . . Is it bad to let them share water from people who bring sports bottles? There is someone who leaves metal bowls at the park which collect water and they've both drank out of them. I will make a point to empty/raise them when we arrive so the girls can't get to them. I've also caught them drinking water on my patio. I never knew that was an issue. Where I grew up, our dog got into everything (including the polluted river out back) and never had a problem. I am going to powerwash the patio this weekend and be more vigilant. . .
I will have to ask my vet about the shots. Those sound great. Also, my cat seems fine but they say that all animals in the household should be medicated. .. I suppose I should ask the vet whether Miles needs meds too. |
ButtersStotch wrote: Ron wrote: Years ago, Joan got a sports bottle specifically made for the dog. Attached to the neck of the bottle is a little trough that when put away is the same size as the bottle, but when swung out forms a little trough-bowl for the dog to lap his water! It's really cool, but I have no idea where she got it. I'll have to ask her. You can get it at JB pet. I have one for my dogs that I got there. It even has a carrying strap. We have one too..it's blue. I think I bought it at Petsmart. Comes in handy when we've needed it. |
| What should one do about doggie daycare? When Barney goes, he's gone all day long and I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure they drink all together. Should I be worried (in general) about this? |
Maxmm wrote: . . . I like to hold the bowl for my dogs at the park then as soon as they are done you can toss the extra and put the bowl up. It is definitely easier said than done! Especially if there are boxers around who like to steal your water bowls!
Hmmmm, I wonder what she could be talking about???? 
Chris |
barney1 wrote: What should one do about doggie daycare? When Barney goes, he's gone all day long and I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure they drink all together. Should I be worried (in general) about this?
I would take my own water and a bottle just to be sure. Having been through it I would try to avoid giardia if at all possible. Humans get giardia also but it's not yet known if it's transferred between dogs and humans. bdx4 |
Quote: a sports bottle specifically made for the dog. Attached to the neck of the bottle is a little trough that when put away is the same size as the bottle, but when swung out forms a little trough-bowl for the dog to lap his water!
Hi All 
Got one of these at Petsmart just this past week! It's Terrific...safely watered all 3 shaggies after a long walk at the park Diane...highly recommend it Found this...Gulpy Water Dispenser Gulpy Water Dispenser, at Amazon.com |
Sorry to hear about the girls, at least you know what was causing the dreaded ........ now. So sending hugs for them and a speedy recovery too. Also hopefully no more major clean up as well for you  .
The drug they are on is wonderful but with giardia can be a long term treatment on it for them. Usually when the course is finished it can easily start up again, so sometimes it needs to be administered for a longer period of time. Yep had one that had giardia many years ago, she was on that but took a few courses to eradicate the bug. Everytime we stopped the tablets it came back the dreaded .........
The injection sounds interesting |
| Mynie has been on and off the Met for quite a while and she and her brother both had girardia when we got them. He cleared up quickly and she is taking a lot longer (she has other issues to though) and the vet said she does have a lower immune system than most, so for her, it is wise to get the shot.
Also, I had a great dane and a lab, who both loved swimming in Boulder Creek, yet another fabulous way of picking it up! Both of them had the shot too! Good luck and I hope they get feeling better soon! (Oust works wonders!!!) Mynie and Co |
| Hi Valerie,
I'm sorry to hear you're going through this with the girls.
I'm hoping they'll feel better soon and you get some much deserved rest from it all! Marianne and the boys |
| How are the girls doing today, Val? Hope it's getting better for all of you!! |
| They are now doing GREAT. The metro has really helped -- and so fast! Energy and mood are both elevated, poos are solid, and I'm so happy!! I'm transitioning them back to regular food and it is going well. They seem so ravenous. I'm still adding yogurt (which I always do). Does it make sense to keep adding pumpkin? Is it generally beneficial like yogurt or is it just for when you need some firming up? How much is a good amount? |
Awww that is so great the girls are doing well. Glad for you too 
Pumpkin is up to you, would not hurt to keep giving it to them as they do get a lot of goodness out of it. Help with them being ravenous since they have not had a lot in the belly with all that has been going on. Means also that you can take the dry a bit slower with building them up to what they normally had before. Remembering that they can still be quite red raw in the bowel, so gently, gently with the dry and use the pumpkin as a filler. |
| If I recall correctly, several months ago a friend of mine was recently diagnosed with giardia. It is believed that she had contracted it from her new puppy. It is highly contageous, and rarely passed to humans but it is possible. She was very ill (nausea, vomitting, diarrhea)and after multiple tests a stool test confirmed that this is what she had. It had to be reported to the state. It has been about three months and has been on several rounds of antibiotics and she is finally starting to feel better.
Please be very careful and be sure to wash your hands often!!! |
| My boxer has had 3 bouts of giardia since starting doggie daycare (within a 4 month time frame). I really don't want to change daycare facilities because who is to say he won't get it elsewhere. We adopted our dog at 8 months old. From 8 months old till now (3 yrs. old) he has been healthy up until the giardia bouts. He was neglected as a puppy before we adopted him, so no doubt he has a compromised immune system.
What can I do to stop him from getting giardia again? I have changed his diet to all holistic foods and I always make sure he is negative each time before he returns to the doggie daycare. The giardia vaccine is not a cure but a means of helping to prevent the cyst from occurring in the bowel. None of our vets in the area have ever used the vaccine. Has anyone had the same reoccurring episodes of giardia and what steps have you taken to minimize the re-occurrences. Frustrated in NJ |
| I believe we had this going around the pack for several months a few years ago. We did numerous cultures and the all came back negative... which can happen with Giardia.
Good sanitation and treating them all at the same time with a couple of rounds of Panacur finally cured them all. We haven't had it since. I think you need to make sure it's actually been cured and another dog isn't simply reinfecting him. Good luck to you~ |
taz wrote: Has anyone had the same reoccurring episodes of giardia and what steps have you taken to minimize the re-occurrences.
There are some things you can do to boost immune function with supplements like Cod liver oil. We also have our dogs on Acidophilus daily (chewable people form). I've been reading about Echinacea boosting immune system function on canine patients undergoing chemo so you might want to look into that as well. More importantly I would look into the root of what is bringing on the Giardia. Since it's so contagious, there must be other dogs getting it, if your dog is having it so frequently. Is the daycare changing water bowls enough? How are they cleaning up feces at the facility? If a dog is having a runny stool while on their premises, they should encourage the owner to look into it. Giardia is contagious to humans too. |
6Girls wrote: Good sanitation and treating them all at the same time with a couple of rounds of Panacur finally cured them all. We haven't had it since. I think you need to make sure it's actually been cured and another dog isn't simply reinfecting him.
Panacur is slowly becoming the protocol to treat Giardia vs the traditional Metronidazole (Flagyl). Frequently the Metro doesn't get rid of the buggers completely. |
Quote: Panacur is slowly becoming the protocol to treat Giardia vs the traditional Metronidazole (Flagyl). Frequently the Metro doesn't get rid of the buggers completely.
This is the first time I've heard this but we did experience it... thanks for sharing this
We treated with Metronidazole and antidiarrhea meds exclusively and it kept coming back. Giardia can be very difficult to even detect... we did numerous stool cultures and they all came back high in bacteria only. No parasites were ever found. We had 4 dogs at the time and we'd get one well and another would come down with it. It was SO frustrating. We switched vets and he had recently attended a seminar on this. After we told him about this recurrent problem (which we were again seeking help for), he immediately prescribed Panacur for the entire pack and THAT was the end of the loose poops. We haven't had a problem sense. |
| The Metro worked fine for us when Frank got it, but I remember reading an online veterinary journal about the observation of the drugs.
Good thought aobut the Giardia being recurring too, never thought that maybe the bugs just weren't being killed... Verve |
| Giardia is OFTEN passed to humans, but most generally through drinking from streams when hiking or from day cares for human kids.
The parasite is passed by woodland animals through their wastes into streams or in rain runoff. Humans can contract it through drinking water from these streams--or from family members and it is easily passed around at day cares. Hand washing is essential, especially after you groom or wash your dogs hind quarters, as I am sure is necessary right now. I know this is normal procedure for everybody, but I wanted to emphasize that it is essential. I would also avoid being licked in the face, and make sure I wash my hands if my dogs licked them, just to be safe. In humans, it causes diarrhea and can cause weight loss. Again, in norma,l healthy individuals, not life threatening, but not pleasant. If your immune system is compromised, it can be very harsh. The giardia may also be the reason your girls have lost weight or why one is underweight: in a healthy individual, it doesn't cause actual harm (if you don't count the diarrhea) but can cause weight loss. Re-infection is common, mostly because giardia is found in puddles, standing water, streams--places dogs like to drink from. My 3 picked it up last spring/summer, probably from drinking standing water outside somewhere or another. I thought it was colitis because of the mucus casing. For mine, there was not the typical foul smell I hear described on this board--it looked like colitis, which is treated the same way, btw, but not contageous. It took a lab test at the vets to diagnose. |
| We have had our boxer treated with Flagyl every time he had the giardia and he came up negative after two weeks on the meds. Unfortunately, the first two times that he obtained the giardia were from new puppies that arrived at the daycare, however only my boxer showed the symptons (severe vomitting, lack of energy, no appetite) no other dogs did. Most daycare centers don't require giardia tests . Once our dog showed the symptons, the puppies were tested and found to be positive. The daycare cleans up and disinfects weekly. Our dog has gone at least 1-1/2 months between bouts, so I didn't think that there was re-infestation at the care center. I am just worried that if we move him to another daycare, he could get it again from another dog...
Frustrated |
Taz wrote: The daycare cleans up and disinfects weekly.
I would hope they would do certain things daily like mop floors and clean water bowls. If other owner's dogs there are getting Giardia, your concerns should really be addressed to the owner of the daycare to try to prevent more outbreaks. |
Quote: It does cause runny stool that looks like it has sausage casing around it, kind of slimy looking and it smells horrible
Is this always a symptom of giarda? Morgan has this periodically. He has recurrent bouts with this and diarreah. |
| Colitis also causes mucous encased stools and diarrhea. My first OES would have periodic bouts with colitis (once every year or two), and Archie has had it a few times. Lab tests were neg for parasites, and vet diagnosed colitis.
On the other hand, as I mentioned earlier, my 3 actually got giardia last spring or summer--I thought it must be colitis: encased stool, diarrhea. Mine did not have the very foul smell described here, but the lab test was for giardia. Healthy individuals (human and otherwise) may be asymptomatic for a while, and may just have flare ups if they have giardia (or colitis). The only way to tell is with lab tests. |
| If all dogs aren't treated at the same time, they might just be spreading it back and forth. I've read that Giardia has an incubation period of 1-2 weeks?? In a daycare situation, it's impossible to treat everyone at the same time but it may explain why your Boxer keeps getting reinfected... unless treatment for some reason was ineffective.
Here's an article on Giardia... http://www.petplace.com/dogs/giardia-in-dogs/page1.aspx The sanitation part is also important... you might read over the "Home Care and Prevention" part of the article to see if this is being done at home and at the daycare. |
| What was the shot for giardia? My cat has it now & had 2 shots & flagil pills. He is laying around alot. I am worried. He is 4 yrs. old |
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