Doodles and giardia... why is this such a problem?

[Julie B.]

Well I found out today that my new pup has giardia and coccidia!! What is the deal with these parasites and our doodles? All three of the doodles that I have raised came from the breeders with giardia!! I have previously gotten 3 golden retrievers from breeders and none of them had this parasite. Yes, I know that the stress of a new home can cause it to flare up, and I know it is carried in water but it is also passed through feces and I just am beginning to wonder if the doodle breeders that I have dealt with are more concerned about producing puppies and having lots of them to sell than keeping their environments clean and free of this nasty parasite. I know how difficult it is to contain with a lot of dogs so I can sympathize somewhat with the breeders but why not treat preventatively for this just like deworming?? I intentionally looked for another breeder to get my new puppy from because my previous one gave me a pup with giardia and now I have it again. In case you can't tell-- I am pissed. Since I have another dog it means I have to pay to have her treated and then pay to have fecals done on both of them in 3 weeks. It is a very viscous circle and one I did not want to go through again. How many of you doodle owners out there brought puppies home with giardia??

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri did not have giardia, but our breeder thought she had coccidia and sent me home with treatments (turned out she didn't have it). This freaked me out, but then I realized it is so common for puppies to get. Even with the best of breeders (I am sure you will get some responses from breeders on this) this happens.
Sorry you are having to deal with this, Julie. I think it is quite a weird coincidence all 3 of your doodles had that when puppies.

[Debbie Penny]

I'm so sorry Julie, hope it clears your home without too many problems! I'd be pissed too, as I'd be treating 3 dogs, let alone them being sick. TC.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Guinness didn't have it when we got him, but he did contact it later. We believe he got it from standing water at the dog pens at our condo. He was really sick for a few days until the meds started to take effect, so I really sympathize with you. He's much better now, and we no longer use those pens. Good luck!

[Holly Doodle]

Holly had gaurdia too, we were pretty concerned especially since we bought her from out of state and weren't able to see her environment before getting her. We let the breeder know and she didn't seem concerned or surprised. She had to go through two rounds of antibiotics, the second being much stronger before she finally got a clean sample. We haven't had any issues since then though, and we had no other complaints about our breeder. I feel your frustration but am very thankful for her health being great besides that!

[Ann Kendig]

Duke had coccidia when I got him. Sheba never got it thank goodness. Had to treat both dogs...sigh.

[Leslie J]

Cocoa had coccidia- the breeder told us it was likely that she did because one of her littermates had it. She sent us home with meds and it cleared right up. She has quite a few dogs running around her farm so I guess the risk is high. The vet didn't seem concerned about it at all- I guess it is very common with all puppies.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

None of the dogs I have ever had, have had any of these problems. That includes Ned, our doodle. It also includes my children's dogs - Doberman, Whippets, and Lab. We are all in Southern California - maybe weather has something to do with making it less common in my area or maybe I have always just been lucky.