persistent diarrhea after treatment for Giardia

[Nancy Sweet]

My poor puppy finished his 6th and final day of medication for Giardia and is still having diarrhea. I called the vet yesterday and she said the medication should have worked by now. She told me to start gradually adding chicken and rice to his food, which I started last night. On Tuesday they are going to run another fecal test. The vet also said if it is not the food, he may have an absorption problem. I have no idea how that is treated. I went on my breeders group within doodle kisses last weekend to see if anyone else had dealt with Giardia and I also mentioned my puppie's heavy shedding and was kicked off the website, told I was exaggerating regarding the shedding, and that I was emotionally unstable. I was just looking for advice and support. I am very worried about my puppy and very disappointed with my breeder. I have disinfected my house and I am cleaning my puppie's paws and bottom everytime he goes outside. I am exhausted. I just wondered if anyone has experienced this persistent diarrhea and how they treated it. I would really appreciate any advice and/or support.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

You were kicked out of the group???
What kibble do you feed her? Did you try canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling)? Banana?
My Samantha had girardia. The meds worked for her. I use a powder added to her food called 'Rx Clay'. It is used to keep the intestines 'stable'. I get it at the food store - not a PetSmart kind of place. If you can't find it and want to try it call ProPets in South Orange, NJ. They will send it to you. Anytime either of my doodles have an issue, he has helped me. My foster, Mickey, who is now my GrandDoodle, had the most horrendous case of kennel cough. After several different anitbiotics, the cough started to get better but was still bad. He gave me a bottle of some kind of drops to help the cough and he got so much better within days!! Was it the drops or finally all the anitbiotics kicked in in can't say. All I know is that I trust this man implicitly (sp???).
Whatever you decide to do, keep us posted.

Pro Pets LLC
Don Coltenback Dip. CNC, ACN, 154 Valley st, South Orange, New Jersey, 07079, Telephone [phone]
Specializing in Holistic Nutrition and disease specific nutritional support. we carry a full line of raw, pasteurized, canned and kibbled holistic snd species appropriate diets.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm sorry you are having so much trouble with your puppy. I fostered a doodle who had been picked up as a stray who had Giardia last year...he was on Panacur for 3 days, mixed into canned food, and metronazidole tablets, and that seemed to do the trick. He was adopted on his third day of treatment, so I don't know for sure, but he improved very quickly by the 2nd day on the Panacur. I agree that it can be exhausting cleaning up from Giardia.
I am also sorry you were treated in that manner in your breeder's group. It's a lot of nerve for anyone to call another person in a social forum "emotionally unstable". But I guess if people are afraid that they will lose business, they get defensive. You have a perfect right to be upset. Do you know where the Giardia came from? I have had dogs for 50 years and never even heard of Giardia until my foster got it last year...my dogs never had worms, either. I would expect those things from a pet shop dog, but not from a breeder.
As far as shedding, there are no guarantees that any doodle will be non-shedding. The F1bs have a better chance of not shedding, since there is no retriever on one side, but there is still no guarantee, and the breeder should have been honest about that. Your pup has retriever on both sides, so there is a chance. I know a lot of people talk about "coat changes", but that doesn't make sense to me. Poodles, wheaten terriers, and other purebreds which are guaranteed to be non-shedding, never shed their coats, either as puppies or as adults. There is no "coat change", except the fur gets thicker, coarser, or curlier. It certainly doesn't fall out.
It's natural that you would be concerned about your puppy, and it's a shame you aren't getting support from your breeder.
Follow the vet's advice regarding the diarrhea & diet. I hope your pup gets better soon.

[Alenka King]

I had the same problem with my Lucy. She would not stop having diarrhea. We switched different food brands. Than I visited a holistic pet store and ask them for advice. They told me that she could be alergic to all the kibble. I started her on raw diet and since then she has been doing great. She has been eating raw for three mounts. Of course my vet didn't like the idea but I didn't care. And she likes raw much better.

[Nancy Sweet]

What exactly is a raw diet? I hate to say it, but it sounds disgusting. I really don't even like to handle raw meat, I don't know if I could stomach feeding it to my dog.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There is no biological reason why raw food would be any different from cooked food in terms of "allergies"...it is the proteins within the particular food that would cause an allergic reaction, and those proteins do not change by cooking.
Also, digestive upsets are never a symptom of allergies in dogs. Digestive symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting are signs of illness or food sensitivity, never allergy. Allergies are permanent diseases of the immune system and the symptoms are always related to histamine responses in dog...itching, paw-licking, skin infections, etc., regardless of what kind of allergy it is. So if you want to follow a raw diet for health reasons, that's fine, (and Jane's advice to use a commercial raw food is the safest way to go) but it will not make any difference at all regarding allergies. Food allergies are eliminated by finding and eliminating the offending proteins, period.
(There is NO degree or formal education for a "Canine Nutritional Consultant" in the USA. Anyone can take a course and call themselves a CNC, including me. Taking food or supplement advice from a salesman is not usually a good thing to do.)
Nancy, I can guarantee you that your dog's diarrhea has absolutely nothing at all to do with allergies, and please don't allow yourself to become confused by well-meaning advice about diet changes. You need to get to the bottom of your pup's medical problem, and a major diet change is only going to cloud the issue. Giving canned pumpkin may be helpful, and a high quality food, whether raw or otherwise, without bulky fillers may help firm up stool. But your pup's problems seem to be related to the parasite problem, and that's what I would concentrate on.

[April Cliber]

I agree with what Karen said, although I would have said in a little softer way. :o) (My friends call me Mrs. Wiffle, lol.) If you want to feed raw, that's fine, but don't mess with his diet now. Get this situation resolved first.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I know people are only trying to help, and I don't mean to be criticizing anyone. It's just that I went through so much of the "blame everything on diet" kind of advice when I was trying to get a handle on Jack's medical problems, and it was not only confusing and frustrating, it cost me precious time during which my guy needlessly suffered. So I know how important it is when you are worried about a dog to get scientifically accurate, fact-based information.
No offense to anyone intended. You definitely have a softer way, April! :o)

[April Cliber]

LOL, see that was pretty soft. :o) I just try to avoid confrontation, if possible. I certainly have had my share of it though... =+)

[April Cliber]

Hi Nancy,
Albon, albon, albon!!!! Coccidia is hard to detect in a fecal but is EXTREEMLY common in pups. I'm guessing you treated the Giardia with Metronidazole? It will help with giardia but not coccidia. Even if the new fecal doesn't show coccidia BEG your vet for some Albon! It's very cheap ($8 - $12) and I'm 99% sure you will see a change within 24 hours. *****Disclaimer, I am NOT a vet, and don't know your pup. I am recommending that you still see a vet. I just know how frustrating a pup with constant diarrhea is and KNOW that Albon works.******* Some studies show that up to 76% of pups have coccidia that goes undetected!

[Mustard Seed Ranch]

Nancy,
I second want April says. Was the Giardia actually confirmed or just suspected? It is hard to get a confirmed sighting of the Giardia and the treatment is cheaper than the test so most vets just treat it as Giardia. I have found that many vets think Coccidia is not common-but in my experience it is more common than they think. I would suspect it just as April did.
Also How long has the puppy been with you? How long has it had runny poops (since you got her?) and has their been a food switch recently?

[Nancy Sweet]

The vet said that they did find the Giardia in his stool sample. My puppy is 17 weeks old, we got him when he was 9 weeks. He has always pooped a lot, 6+ times a day, and it has never been very firm, but the diarrhea did not start until 2 weeks ago. His first fecal test at 9 weeks was negative, but the vet said you can have a false negative. I have not switched food, I have been giving him Nutro Ultraholistic the whole time as my breeder suggested. We are going to the vet on Tuesday and submitting another stool sample. I will ask the vet about Coccidia. Thanks for the advice.

[Nancy Sweet]

What exactly is Albon?