Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Oliver has giardia - and I have a few questions
Oliver is a little over 3 months and has been with us for two and a half weeks.
A day after changing food he had diarrhea - after getting a stool sample to the vet, he tested positive for giardia.
We have been adding a bit of mashed sweet potato to his food to firm him up a bit.
The vets office initially gave me metro, but thanks to DK I requested Panacur instead.
They gave me 3 little baggies of powder - a 3 day supply.
Question 1: I know I'm supposed to give a probiotic either two hours before or after he takes his meds. Yesterday we bought all natural fage Greek yogurt - is this a probiotic? Or is yogurt & probiotic not the same?
2: how often should we give him yogurt? Just once a day before or after his meds??
3: I asked the guy at the vets office if in a week or two I should give another stool sample, but he said he would just take more Panacur in two weeks. This sounded weird to me as I dont want to give him more meds than necessary - am I right for thinking that?
4: as far as cleaning, I know to be diligent with his poop cleaning. Is the only way he can reinfect himself by eating licking his poop???
5: he just got his booster shot yesterday - should I avoid taking him outside until this passes?
6: how cantageous is he to other pups? We have a puppy socialization class on Wednesday that I now think I should cancel?
Lastly, I will take as much advice & recommendations as possible!
Thanks
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Robin and Libby Louise on
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He is so adorable!!!!!
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Permalink Reply by F, Calla & Luca on
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Ditto.
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Permalink Reply by Nicky, Riley & Boris on
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Poor boy, he looks like a stuffed toy he is so adorable.
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Permalink Reply by Judi Kilpatrick on
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Poor Oliver, sure hope he makes a speedy recovery. It's an awful time for everyone when they don't feel well.
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Permalink Reply by Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear on
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Larry, what a cute doodle! Sorry you've had such a challenge with your pup. Hopefully soon you will look back on this as a distant memory soon. Thanks for sticking by Oliver.
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Permalink Reply by LarryL on
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Hey guys,
So Oliver has been off the panacur again for about a week.
And poop is still soft.
A few days ago was the first time since this whole battle started that he had really really runny watery stool.
Its gotten better since, but its still soft serve.
we'll probably be bringing a stool sample to the doc next weekend.
Karen, when you mentioned 'if he tests positive, as long as their are no cysts - he's ok'
Would you mind elaborating on that?
He also just turned 6 months last week, and I'm starting to think about neutering him.
Do I have to consider the fact that he still might have giardia when thinking about neutering him?
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Permalink Reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on
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If he still has giardia, that would have no bearing on being neutered.
Regarding the cysts and the positive test, I can't explain it any better than I did above:
It is possible to get a false positive on a giardia test. False negatives are much more common, though. And if they are using an antibody test, (ELISA) it can show a positive result in dogs who no longer have giardia.
I would do one more round of Panacur, being sure to give the probiotics religiously for at least another month, and then retest, using only a fecal float test. If they don't see any cysts, he's fine.
Permalink Reply by LarryL on
Thanks Karen,
Based on what I learned from you and everyone here, I asked the doc last time what kind of tests they are doing and he told me it was a floatation test.
So after this round, wait two weeks, retest - and even if he is positive, just no cysts, that means we're getting there?
Permalink Reply by Karen & Jackdoodle on
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Yes, but if they see no cysts, the test would be negative.
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Thanks Karen,
I really appreciate your help & advice all the time.
So far Oliver has had 3 rounds of Panacur, this latest time a stronger dose.
You still suggest doing one more dose to be safe?
The doc did say they used a flotation test.
So if its still positive but they see no cysts - we're in the clear and not a threat to other dogs?
And what should I do regarding the possibility that it is his food giving him the loose stool.
When do I consider that?
I have him back on only chicken and SP's for the moment.
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If he is still positive, I doubt that another round of Panacur is going to help. I think you need to talk to the vet about the possibility that this is an antibiotic-resistant strain and see what other treatments he may be able to suggest.
I would be very, very cautious about using metronidazole.
It seems extremely unlikely to me that it is his food giving him loose stool, since he has had these ongoing issues almost from the day you got him, and if I remember correctly, it's been ongoing with more than one kind of food. He's also really too young to have developed any kind of food sensitivity. When a dog has an ongoing parasitic infection in the gut and is on medications that alter the normal bacterial balance of the gut, it's pretty much a given that he isn't going to be able to form stool properly.
Remind me what he's been eating, including all treats and chews.
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Let me also say this. There have been a number of members here who have had a very hard time battling a drug-resistant strain of giardia, and all of those puppies have come from the Pacific Northwest. I believe Oliver did, too. Here are some links to some discussions about this, maybe there will be some tips for you in what worked for others. At this point, it's going to have to be something other than metronidazole or Panacur. And do not let the vet sell you Rx food, it has no medicinal or therapeutic ingredients whatsoever and will only make matters worse in the long run.
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/manorlakelabradoodles/forum/topic...
http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/looking-for-others-who-ve-...
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Karen,
Oliver has been eating orijen puppy. Before that it was royal canin puppy.
Additional this last week I have been giving him boiled chicken and Sweet potato.
He stool was getting better up to a week ago.
He also gets the occasional orijen treat - which he's been getting for a while.
A few weeks ago he chewed on one of those split elk horns with the soft marrow inside.
He ate all the marrow - which is just like soft bone tissue.
So far he's had:
Small dose of Panacur, followed by metro, followed by a stronger dose of Panacur.
I know if he's positive again, the doc will suggest more metro (which we won't do)
So I'm thinking what's next?
One of the drugs he mentioned was Tylan - so I, trying to figure out if that should be our next step.
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