Do It Yourself Giardia Test Kits....Am I Crazy?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We're in the middle of dealing with Murphy's Giardia, and I've been doing lots and lots of reading about it.  It is a nasty parasite, and it can be very difficult to diagnose.  It doesn't always show up in stool samples, so you can easily get "clear" samples when they actually have the parasite.  I really believe this is something that Murph may have had for a while, and that could be why we have not been able to solve his food issues even with home cooking.  Anyway, I found that I can order the test kit online (SNAP) test.  I can get 15 tests for $169.99.  It can be purchased through Amazon and it comes from Revival Animal Health which sells lots of other pet meds (like Frontline).  There are lots of reviews for this company, with 97% of them positive.  The reason I'm seriously thinking about this is that I want to be absolutely positive that we clear it up, and one fecal test is just not reliable.  I can see myself bring in samples to the Vet every few days at $30 each time.  Doing it myself seems way more convenient and practical.  Has anyone ever done this or ordered anything from this company?

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Jane, I have no advice on the Giardia test kit, but I did want to respond to the other question. Yes, you are crazy....LOL! We all are on this site :)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

LOL Laurie...

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

It is the snap tests that are not totally accurate, I recommend having the stool samples sent to the lab for a better reading. It also may not be just giardia that is causing the soft stools.

 

You might want to have a blood sample sent to the lab to check for clostridial which is a strep/ecoli issue.

 

Unfortunately giardia can be found on nearly any moist surface, when your pup takes a walk and comes in and cleans his feet he has been exposed!

 

You can order Fish Zole from Lambert Vet Supply, it is Metronidazole.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Thank you so much for your response!  I did have a full blood panel done on Murph about a month ago...I wonder if that would have disclosed clostridial?  Murph is on Metronidazole now for the Giardia.  I guess I'm just wanting to be absolutely positive that we get rid of this, since I read that it's extremely difficult to fully cure.  I'm worried that he'll have a clear fecal once the treatment is complete, but not truly be over it.  My thought was if I could run tests every few days I could be sure.  I need to check with my Vet to determine exactly which test(s) were used in diagnosing Murph.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

I think they specifically have to look for clostridial to see it. It can be nasty too.  It is reported that 90% of diahreah in dogs is actually clostridial.

 

To treat giardia effectively treat for 10 days, rest for 10 then retreat.

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I recently called my vet to ask about this, and was told that the snap test (at least the one they use) has a very high reliability.

I've also found that with fosters, Panacur is what you need; metronidazole alone doesn't seem to do it.

 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Thanks, Karen.  I did use Panacur along with the metronidazole.  I have to bring Murph to the Vet this afternoon (anal glands again), so I'll ask her what test was used.  I know they sent it out to the lab.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We went to the Vet this afternoon, and I'm so glad we did.  Poor Murph's anal glands were full again, and I'm sure he's feeling much better after having them expressed.  He also has an upper respiratory infection and is now on Doxycycline for 10 days....can't imagine where he picked that up.  I asked her about the Giardia test, and she does send them out to be analyzed.  She said that they place she uses does both the fecal flotation and the Snap (which she said is an ELISA test).  She said she learns different things from each of these tests.  She said she had no problem with me ordering the Snap tests online, but it wouldn't tell the full story, and we'd have to validate any of "my findings" anyway.  So, with that it's probably not worth the money.  I'm just going to have to live with having multiple fecal samples tested over the next month or two.  I also asked her about why she treated Murph using both the Panacur and the Metronidazole, and she said that she felt she had to be aggressive since Murphy was very symptomatic and was also shedding cysts.  She did not feel that I should be concerned about side effects from the treatment.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

Panacur is the same base drug as Metronidazole.  Panacure is Fenbendazole a "Zole" drug so giving Panacure with Metronidazole serves as a treatment against worms and giardia but is not a more effective way to treat giardia alone.  There really isn't a more effective way to treat it.

 

You can use Metronidazole, Panacure or Safeguard to treat giardia.  Fish-Zole is also actually Metronidazole but off labeled for fish and can be obtained without a prescription for not a lot of money.

 

It should be noted that prolonged use of these drugs can damage kidneys so you need to treat and be done, do not overdoes or double up on these meds (Panacure and Metronidazole together is not good).

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Some information on Metronidazole VS Fenbendazole:

Veterinary use:
Metronidazole is not labeled for animal use but is widely used to treat infections of Giardia in dogs, cats, and other companion animals, although it does not reliably clear infection with this organism and is being supplanted by fenbendazole for this purpose in dogs and cats[7] . It is also used to treat enteric (gi) and systemic infections. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibits the use of metronidazole in food animals. [8]

Veterinary Drug Handbook, 6th ed, Ames: Blackwell Publishing, 2008

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

I love this junk- a drug rep will tell you they are nearly the same drug.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, I tend not to believe what salespeople tell me about a product, and prefer independent assessments. If you look at the chemical structure of each drug, they are considerably different, even though they are in the same family.

I don't think I would call well-researched information in a peer-reviewed Veterinary Drug reference book "junk", but to each his own.