Apollo home but issue...

[Kerry Daly]

Apollo came home on sunday and is as cute as can be!  Zeus and Apollo are becoming best friends!   I took Apollo to vet on Monday.  He has Giardia.  I am a becoming more and more worried every time i look it up on interent.  I am so afraid Zeus will get it.  Humans can even get it.  I am constantly washing my hands, I clean up after him immediately and I have been trying to keep the family safe - but Zeus and Apollo have been sharing toys and wrestling (gently of course). I cannot keep them apart.  Aparently Giardia is common in Ohio and many puppies have it.  But it scares me.  He is on day 4 of 6 for treatment and the vet said even in 3 weeks he will still be showing signs and contagious.  When does it end - why doesnt the drugs get rid of it.  Has anyone else had this issue?  What advice can you offer?  I am one worried mom - for Apollo , Zeus and my family.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's not a bad idea. Panacur is very safe and has no known side-effects, unlike Metronidazole. 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Karen -- What about using an ex-pen outdoors for the puppies potty area.  That way at least it wouldn't be all over the yard.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That would be good if you could do it. 

[Kerry Daly]

I have an area of the yard where zeus is unable to go that we take Apollo out to by leash.  So I am at least limiting exposure  by making sure he goes where Zeus cannot walk. Now it has not always worked but it has only been like twice where we did not get there on time  :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

As long as you disinfect the areas where he does go, it's fine. 

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Great info Karen ~ Exactly what my vet told me.  When we brought Beau home, the vet found he had Giardia at his wellness visit.  I was scared to death Charlie was going to get it, but he never did. I went out with them every time they had to potty and cleaned Beau's up and then poor bleach and water mix over the top. I mixed up bleach and water in a clean large milk container and kept in the garage so I could get to it easily from the yard.  I actually used an old fork to pick up his feces, so there were no little particles left on the ground.  Looking back, I think I was over the top paranoid! LOL 

It took 3 rounds of panacur to get rid of it (more than 3 weeks because after each round, we had to wait a few day before we did the test.  Each time it came back positive, until the third round.  We finally got a negative report.  I also started putting a 1/4 tsp of coconut oil in Beau's food, and also probiotics during that time.  I think that helped.  I was thrilled when he finally started having a firm stool and tested negative! 

At night I would put Beau's crate in an x-pen so he would have room and I put a piddle pad on the floor.  He would use it if he could get over there in time.  Initially he had projectile diarrhea on and off for two nights.  I felt so darn sorry for him. 

It passes through feces, so the I did feel the odds of me or family getting were too great.  But another dog, I suppose could step in that and then lick there paw, or something and get it.  My vet told me as long as I picked up right away, the odds were not that great that any of us or Charlie would get it.  I took a stool sample for both dogs when we finished each round of panacur. Beau is over a year now and has had no other issues with Giardia.

Hang in there!  

[a.k.a. Rodney]

Is Panacur something one should have on hand always??

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No, because you never want to give meds, regardless of how safe they may be, for no reason, and you have to go to the vet for a fecal test anyway to diagnose Giardia, so why buy it ahead of time? The only case I can think of where you might want to have it on hand would be if you are in an area where there is no vet that prescribes it or stocks it, and that definitely isn't true in your case. 

I did have a foster in the Las Vegas area once who had that problem, though. 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Sorry to  hear about this most unfortunate incident when bringing home a new puppy.

With a new puppy one would wonder why this pup contracted this horrible parasite?  You need to let this breeder know or every family that gets a dog from them will go through what you are going through. Maybe for many years to come if they do not follow a strict protocol.  I have to think they have unsanitary conditions at the facility. Sure, maybe just a happenstance but probably not.  Big dogs hiking maybe, but why in a puppy nursery?  Until this breeder cleans up the conditions do not recommend them to anyone.  I live in Ohio. Please send me a private message as to where you go this puppy so I do not recommend them either until this is resolved. 

Even some good breeders have had a case or two but usually it is unsanitary conditions that cause the problem in puppies.  Why is a puppy or mother exposed to dirty water or contaminated soil, or poop that is not cleaned up after a sick dog?

It is not that common in Ohio so don't let that be an excuse for this breeder

I would stick to internet sites with scientific information to help you get through this. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/giardia/

May you all get well soon and enjoy your new puppy

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree 100%, Joanne. The breeders often say thatit's very common and the puppies get it from their mothers, but it comes from poor sanitation, too many dogs all using the same areas to potty and/or being outdoors unsupervised and free to drink from puddles, etc. 

I have lived with dogs for 55 years and never heard of giardia until I got involved with doodles. It's absolutely avoidable. 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I was just looking at one reason that the CDC reported;  Dirty nasty water from Beavers.  So, WTF?  Why would a puppy be exposed to dirty nasty water from rodents?  

Sorry, just not good enough for me.  I think it is common because of bad breeders, not that is common because it is a natural thing to catch as a baby puppy.  Not the same thing.

Contact this breeder, tell them you got a sick puppy, and make them pay the bills! 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Here is how I handled the last incidence of parasites *( many types) in two foster puppies I had here at home. Not the best method, but I was not contaminating my entire yard for years to come.

I would open the crate and take them to a padded area to go potty.  We filled the area wall to wall with puppy pads and when they went immediately cleaned up the pads and bleached the floor.  Each day, I mopped out that area again with bleach. 

One of the pups had whip worms. If you got those in the soil, there was no way to prevent re-infestation unless you took off the first 4 inches of top soil.  No other way to get rid of those little buggers.

So, an idea for you is to create a place using puppy pads in one area of the yard, then clean up immediately.  We had a cart filled with cleaning supplies, trash bags, gloves. Just like an isolation room. 

Well prepared, this task became easier to deal with.