Our fingers are crossed but our poop plates are ready...

[Binny P]

Because I have not talked about poop with the internet in a while, here is our current status:

• My partner is obsessed with the poop paper plate and feels it should be widely adopted, regardless of giardia. Today he walked around downtown Seattle equipped with both the dog and the plate, prepared to shamelessly plate our pooches poo in full city view. He is both a hero and weirdo.  
• My dog is a poop Olympian who can achieve solid-ish, pudding-like, and straight up drippy poop all in the same day and occasionally all in the same pooping session. 
• Tomorrow is our last day of Panacur and we are not feeling hopeful. While there has been some improvement, we are still looking at the whole range of poops, see above re: poop Olympian

We are diligent lawn-killers with our bleach water when we have a poop/plate failure, have washed all the toys and bedding and are going to do so again tomorrow, mopped all the floors, wipe paws and butt when coming inside, and wash his food and water bowls after every meal. I really am at a loss of what else to do.

Is there anyway to know whether the Panacur has worked? Or do we just have to wait for another two weeks until we can do another fecal? 

Oh giardia. You are the gift that just keeps giving. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Binny, remind what probiotic you're using? Have we talked about VSL#3? If the next fecal comes back negative, that might be the way to go.

[Binny P]

We have had him on OptaGest, but I have read other threads where VSL#3 is mentioned -- we will check it out!! Anything to help the poop! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Optagest is not really a probiotic. It's a prebiotic and "digestive aid", and digestive enzymes can actually make stool softer. The Optagest could actually be contributing to the problem. You need to replace the good bacteria in his gut that is necessary for proper stool formation, and that requires a high grade probiotic that contains at least 5 billion live cultures per dose. Typically, we recommend Proviable DC, but in this case, I'd say go for the VSL#3. You can get it at human pharmacies (it's a human probiotic), call around and see who has it in your area. I get it at CVS. You want the capsules, not the "sachets". It must be kept refrigerated, so you can;t pick it up on your way to do other errands. And it's pricey, but after seeing the price of the Optagest, any good probiotic is going to seem pricey in comparison, lol. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am echoing Karen's post about VSL#3.  We got Charlie last June and he had parasites as well as stress of being adopted by us AND going on 2,500 mile trip all in the first month.  His poop was basically a MESS.  Sometimes okay, sometimes soft, sometimes explosive diarrhea. He had Panacur  for the parasites and Metrodonozyle ( I absolutely cannot spell this)  to try to stop the diarrhea - which, of course, it did WHILE he was on it.  We tried yogurt and Proviable which didn't help, so at Karen's suggestion we went to the big guns.  VSL#3 and kept it up for a month.  What a relief it was to have a dog with normal poop.  Charlie will still, on occasion, have loose stools which he always deposits on our patio. A few days of the VSL#3 always cures the diarrhea. I strongly recommend you give this a try.  It really helps the gut.

[Binny P]

Thank you! We will!

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Oh Binny this made me laugh! Henry is a triple threat in the pooping department...can't go just once, it has to be up to three piles in different places. Me with the paper plate? Laughable. Me chasing a crab walking doodle who is trying desperately to get away from me and that dang paper plate under his butt? Hysterical! Now that giardia is in the rear window, Henry still has a complex when he goes to do his business, looking at me from under his floppy haired brow as if to say, please can you let me have my dignity and poo in peace? 

It took three rounds of Panacur, the last being for 10 days to FINALLY concur the parasite. He's now 22 weeks and has had normal stools for about 2-3 weeks. I really feel that the Panacur, yogurt, steamed sweet potatoes and Proviable DC the entire time really did it. I have one packet of Proviable left so we went through almost the entire 80 count box so he was on it for a good two months straight.

By the way, I am sitting on our patio looking at the industrial sprayer with bleach and my hand shovel I used. I still keep it at the ready, just in case. Giardia will make you paranoid every time you see a loose stool you think OMG, again? So, I'm going the overkill route for just a bit longer...just in case LOL.

[Nancy & Echo]

Though of course its good to try to pick up poop /prevent poop from reaching the ground (giardia infected or not), several sources (CDC, several state agencies, medical journals) have said that using bleach on organic surfaces (such as grass, soil) is NOT effective.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/giardia-how-contagious?xg_...

Of course, this is a free country, and people are going to do what they think are right, no matter what the scientific evidence.

I'm just trying to save you some work that may not produce the effect you want.