Giardia

[Anthony Leong]

I just got news from my Vet my puppy got Giardia. I got to go to the Vet office to get the meds.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Well, that is more or less good news.  Now you can treat it and know what the problem was.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

The first thing I would do is contact the breeder and let them know you just picked up a puppy from them with Giardia. In my opinion, they should be reimbursing you for the vet fees. Here is just one discussion we have had here on Giardia. Please read the first response from Karen.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/giardia-from-hell

Here is another one. Hope this helps.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/giardia-help

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, and giardia has an incubation period of 10-14 days, so this puppy definitely had it while still at the breeder's.

[Anthony Leong]

I just pick up the medication from my Vet and my puppy got Giardia Elisa.  No cysts. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Elisa is the name of a kind of testing.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

No wonder you are having sooooo much trouble potty training. This makes it so very difficult. Hope her tummy feels better soon. Poor baby. I certainly would be contacting this breeder

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Not sure what Giardia Elisa is but the medications will help very quickly. Please search on the forum for precautiouns needed to keep all areas clean and disinfected or Mr. Giardia will be visiting often. Some mother dogs have or are carriers of giardia and their pups will have it too. You were probably given Flagyl, and Panacur and a probiotic is recommended usually (which if sold by your Vet is pure junk, so skip the probiotic ) .
Be sure to ask for Albon medication as it treats giardia the best. Besides if you need another round of Flagyl you can ask her for a prescription and get it much cheaper at your own pharmacy.
And just give her a tummy rest with some rice and chicken and pumpkin for a few days and she will improve.
It is sometimes difficult to rid your yard and environment of the parasites and be very careful with hand washing as people get Giardia as well. Many, many puppies come from breeders with it. It's very common actually.
Poor baby.

[Anthony Leong]

I have a professional steam cleaner which goes up to 324 degrees.  Will using my steam cleaner help with getting rid of Giardia?

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

It's a start. Inside. Again, search the forum and you will see many discussions on how members have dealt with this issue. Good luck.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I have found Panacur to be the most effective at treating giardia. 

The "Elisa" part is the name of the test.

I agree that Fortiflora from the vet is a lousy probiotic, but I would definitely give the puppy plain, unflavored, fat-free yogurt to help maintain some good flors in the gut. One tablespoon teice a day, spearated from the meds by at least two hours either way.

 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I have had much better luck with the Albon, however, there may have been bacteria involved in some of their cases of Giardia, that the Albon took care of as well as having the Panacur. Alone, the Panacur did not quite treat the problem, for me anyway.
Yes, Elisa is definitely a type of testing, I have never had my vet do one. Nice to know there is one to confirm giardia.
It will be interesting to hear how the breeder responds and if there are other cases brought to her attention that she will admit to.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Some info from the Univ. of Wisc. vet school on treating giardia:

Treatment of Giardia infections in dogs and cats:

• Metronidazole (e.g., Flagyl) can be used in both dogs and cats (not in pregnant animals).
• Albendazole (e.g., Valbazen) was recently found to be quite effective in dogs, and may be more efficacious than metronidazole in stopping the shedding of cysts. However, both metronidazole and albendazole have been associated with significant adverse reactions in dogs and cats:
  • Albendazole: leukopenia +/- anemia and thrombocytopenia; anorexia, lethargy; CNS signs; vomiting and diarrhea; salivation; elevated hepatic and pancreatic enzyme levels; abortion and teratogenicity
  • Metronidazole: vomiting; CNS signs
• Fenbendazole (e.g., Panacur® or Drontal-Plus®) now appears to be the drug of choice. Used in dogs and cats at 50 mg/kg for 3 (-5) days, fenbendazole has been shown to be completely effective in eliminating experimental Giardia infections, and with only mild vomiting/diarrhea as potential side effects.

Albon is a drug called sulfa dimethoxine, which is used to treat coccidia. Coccidia is often present along with Giardia, which may be why it helped your dogs. But Albon is not considered an effective treatment for giardia. http://www.marvistavet.com/html/sulfadimethoxine.html

Coccidiosis and giardiasis are both very common protozoal infestations that have the exact same clinical symptoms; therefore, I recommend that both diseases get treated one right after the other:  coccidiosis for 10 days and giardiasis for 5 days if using Metronidazole or 3 days if using Fenbendazole. Once again, treat coccidiosis with Sulfadimethoxine (Albon), and giardiasis with Metronidazole (Flagyl) or Fenbendazole (Safe-Guard).

fenbendazole (pancure) is a much more effective drug against giardia, and it will also take care of most worms except for the flea tapeworms.

I know that a lot of breeders use it, and I can't help saying that might be why so many puppies come home with giardia, lol.