Giardia, Please Help

[Gus’s Mom]

We brought Louie home in June at 8 weeks old. At his first vet exam, we were told he had both coccidia and giardia. The coccidia went away after the first treatment; however, we cannot get rid of the giardia. He has been treated twice with panacur and metronidazole and tonight the vet told me that he wants to treat him again for the third time. I am so frustrated I don't know what to do. He does not have diarrhea, blood in his stools or any vomiting. His stools look pretty normal with the exception that they are soft. They are formed stools but when you pick them up they leave a spot on the concrete. I am bleaching every spot that he goes and then pouring hot water on it. I wipe his hiney every time he goes, I am continuously washing his bed, toys, etc. My other boxer Larry luckily has not gotten it, well at least not yet.

Can anyone please tell me if I am doing anything wrong? Or if there is anything else I can do?

I am so desperate, sad and tired!!

Please, if anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it.

Linda

 

[TwoDogs]

Could he be coming into contact with any wildlife feces? Or perhaps drinking water contaminated by wildlife feces? Deer, raccoons, foxes and other animals can all carry Giardia.

A large percentage of dogs with Giardia will be asymptomatic and show none of the classic signs of having Giardia but if his fecal tests are showing cysts then he should be retreated. A number of dogs come into the shelter I volunteer at with Giardia. It is not uncommon for some of them to require more than one treatment before their fecal tests come back clear.

FYI, findings from a Canadian study:

Current treatments for canine Giardia infections include metronidazole, fenbendazole, and febantel. Metronidazole has a treatment success rate of approximately 67% in dogs. Metronidazole-resistant strains of Giardia have been isolated from humans (12,13), and drug resistance has also been suggested as a reason for treatment failure in dogs (14,15). Fenbendazole has fewer side effects than metronidazole and 2 studies have reported success rates of 90% to 100% in small numbers of animals (7,16). However, some cases of Giardiainfected dogs have failed to respond to treatment with both metronidazole and fenbendazole (17). Albendazole has been shown to be effective in the treatment of Giardia in dogs (18) but has been associated with bone marrow toxicosis and is no longer recommended (14,19). Finally, a combination of praziquantel, pyrantel pamoate, and febantel has demonstrated efficacy against Giardia in dogs. After ingestion, febantel is absorbed and metabolized into several compounds, including fenbendazole, which is thought to result in the activity against Giardia (19).

A link to the article about the study in The Canadian Veterinary Journal:
Impact of Giardia vaccination on asymptomatic Giardia infections in dogs at a research facility

 

[Sansal]

Unfortunately Giardia is hard to get rid off :( My puggle had it a couple of times already and each time we had to treat it at least three times. Another thing you can do is wiping his paws (I used baby wipes) when he comes in. Are you visiting dog parks or other places that are frequented by dogs/other animals that could be infected? Is it possible he is eating feces when not watched? His own or that of other animals?

 

[Gus’s Mom]

Thanks. He has not been coming into contact with any wildlife feces or drinking any contaminated water because he hasn't been anywhere other than our backyard and there is no wildlife back there. We haven't brought him to any parks yet either because we were waiting for him to have all his shots, which he just completed yesterday. As far as eating his feces or that of any other dog, he can't be because we pick it up immediately after he goes and after our other dog goes too. We've been so on top of that since we were told he had it.

Sansal, it's possible that maybe it's the paws I'm missing. Maybe he's stepped in it after he goes and it's on the paws. I've been steady with wiping his honey but not the paws. So I will make sure I get them every time too. I keep the baby wipes by the back door to get his hiney so they're readily available.

I'm praying that this third round of medication will do the trick because if it doesn't I just don't know what I will do!

Thank you both for responding.

Linda

 

[dropzone]

Both of my boys had giardia as puppies. Luckily for us it went away after the first treatment, and I have to say that it didn't really seem to impact their health greatly. My first thought with them was the water at the dog park, but if your dog isn't getting a hold of a contaminated water supply then that definitely must be frustrating. Let us know how this third round goes.

 

[crazychopper]

what test ae they using to tell if your dog has it? If its the snap test it will remain positive for a long time post infection. So it is gonna matter how many times you treat. New school of thought only dogs experiencing symptoms are treated.