Giardia -- ROUND 3 - give him FLora or Greek Yogurt???

[NS]

Our puppy was born on 11/10/12. We got him in January 2013 and he has been treated twice for Giardia with Metro + Panacur the first time, and only Panacur the second time. We just got the call from our Vet and he STILL HAS IT! The Vet does not want him to do anymore meds at this time since he is a puppy and does not want to compromise his system. He suggested giving him "FLORA"a probiotic for 2 weeks to see if that clears it up.  Our puppy does not have a lot of symptoms. Sometimes his stool is well formed others times it is runny. He sleeps thru the night, he eats normally, he is growing and has an overall healthy and happy disposition. What do you think of giving him FLORA as a probiotic versus just giving him non-fat greek yogurt which has the active enzymes. 

Thanks in advance for your advice 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

F you may want to delete this comment now, as the person we were responding to has vacated the premises, lol.

[Donna K & Quincy]

Yes, another hit and run.

[Charlotte and Bo]

It seems DK has left you defending against a ghost :-)  I saw your attackers post and then it was gone.  The facts will usually win.  I for one am glad you take the time that I admittedly do not take to keep us up to date and our doodles healthier.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LOL, Thanks, Charlotte. Sometimes, I wonder why I bother, but then I get a message that another dog whose owner I advised is doing well, so it's worth the odd skirmish.

Yes, the facts usually do win, because they are provable. 

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Hi

Tigger had giardia for two go rounds  when he was a puppy also.  The cure is also very hard on some dogs and most puppies digestive track. 

Giardia is a parasite, but it is not always present in dog's fecal matter even if they have giardia.  There is a lot of discussion in the veterinary community about when/if and how long giardia should be treated.  If the dog/puppy is symptom free the recommendation may be to not treat.  This would be especially true in a puppy treated twice already and  for the reasons given by your vet.

Many many dogs self cure or maintain the parasite population at such a low level that it is not a risk to them.

You are paying for educated, informed, licensed advice.  None on DK that I know of has a veterinary license. Either change your vet or follow his/her advice.  It is really really important to have a vet you trust. 

DK is great source of information on how to manage the dog, yourself, and the environment as to cleaning, etc.   Tigger and Roo are have just finished a go round with giardia.  It is time consuming, nasty (runny poops) and it is taking awhile to get Tigger digestive system back to normal.  Roo just sails through the whole thing as if it never happened - so I certainly sympathize with everyone who has to deal with a dog having it.

 

 

[Marnie, Stanlee's Mom]

I agree Maryann, I have a vet I would never question, took me some time to find her but she is worth the effort it took to find her.  She is who I go to first and foremost with all health related questions.  I may have some personal experience in specific areas that I have dealt with in the past but I try to remember when posting here to always recommend talking to a pet's vet.

[NS]

Thank you so much everyone. Yes, our breeder does have a history of puppies with Giardia. I assumed it would go away. We live in Chicago so it has been so cold, I figured the freezing temperature would eliminate the need to bleach our yard after he goes out. So most of you suggest using iflora -- i googled it and realized there is product for people and pets. Is this what you suggest I start giving him along with Panacur? 

http://www.amazon.com/iFlora-Multi-Probiotic-60-Capsules/dp/B0054S5...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yep, that's what JD's internal medicine specialist would advise. (Just making it clear that this is not "my idea", lol).

I'm in Chicago, too. Unfortunately, giardia over-winters, frost doesn;t kill it. :(  

[NS]

who do you see in Chicago? Our vet doesn't seem well versed on Giardia..... :(

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm in the Northwest suburbs, and most of JD's vets and specialists are in Lincolnshire and Buffalo Grove. His acupuncture vet is part of a holistic practice in the city, though. The owner of the practice is fairly famous, I think she's Oprah's vet, lol: http://www.royaltreatmentveterinarycenter.com/

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Karen - wasn't contradicting you or your judgment.  Just strongly believe that everyone should be able to go with their own vets advice, if not then find a different vet.  I realize some people may be in a "vet poor" area and DK advice, yours in particular, could be very helpful.  Perhaps I should have made that clearer. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No problem, Maryann. I am usually the first to say that someone should see their vet, lol. And as mentioned, the advice I provide on health issues is based on what i have learned from JD's specialists and vets, and veterinary articles, and is never just my opinion.

I do have to say, though, that while I trust my vet explicitly with medical issues, I don't take his advice about food. My own educational background in nutrition is far more extensive than his, and since 2009, has included canine nutrition as well. It is well documented that veterinarians do not study nutrition in vet school, and that there is a conflict of interest with the recommendations of Rx foods made by the  Big Dog Food companies that provide what little nutritional info the vets do receive. I include Fortiflora in that group, since it is made by Purina and sold through vets. 

The fact is, every professional is not up on the latest info in their fields all the time, and that goes for vets, too. Recently, we had a member whose vet did not know that Panacur is now the preferred treatment for giardia over metronidazole, and who balked when she asked for Panacur until she did some reseacrh herself, lol. That doesn't mean a vet is not to be trusted, just that they can't always be up to the minute on every issue. I know that it was hard for me to always keep up with every change in my profession, too. 

And of course, general practice vets are not specialists and can't know as much about every disease and treatment as the vets who specialize in those specific areas. Again, I trust my vet, but he spent three weeks doing tests and prescribing meds when JD first got sick with IBD, and it wasn't until he was in crisis that we finally saw an internal medicine specialist and the disease was properly diagnosed and treated. JD's symptoms were atypical and my vet didn't recognize them as being symptoms of IBD. That doesn;t mean he's not a good vet, it just means that he doesn;t see one-tenth of the number of IBD dogs that a specialist does and doesn't know the latest diagnostic and treatment methods for every form of it. The same would be true of human primary care doctors versus specialists. I've seen dozens of people whose dogs have allergies finally helped when they saw veterinary dermatologists after months of following their vets' advice about changing diets, using Benadryl, etc., all to no avail. Even the few tips I have passed along from JD's dermatologist about fatty acid supplements have helped several dogs here whose GP vets just didn;t have that information.  Since JD has four specialists, I do have access to information that the average dog owner happily doesn't get, lol, and you guys get it a lot cheaper than I did. :)