Drug resistant Giardia

[Fitz & Henry]

Hi Gang,

I am new to DK and learning my way around this site. For those of you who have reached out to me, sorry for the repeat of the info.

Currently my puppy and I are battling a drug resistant strain of Giardia. He is 6.5 months old and he came to us with it, and we have been treating him on and off for the past 4.5 months.

We have tried Metro and Panacur, we have tried Tinidazole and Tylan and probiotics we have tried it all. We keep his rear very short and I wipe it after every stool. I only walk him on a leash (and that is only on our property because he is contagious) so that I can pick up his stool the sec it hits the ground.

I have cleaned and disinfected my house until my hands have cracked like its the middle of winter.

 

I am reaching out in hopes that one of you has gone through this type of Giardia battle and has some advice or suggestions to offer.

I am also hoping to hear "happy endings" and that there is life after the dreaded Giardia.

 

Thanks in advance...

[charlotte bednarsh]

Wow, I am so sorry to hear this.  My dog Paz who is a therapy dog, has gotten giarda, and wasn't able to work for about 6 weeks, until he was cleared.  I've heard about drug resistant giardia, but fortunately, have not experienced it.  Have you thought of contact a vet teaching hospital to see if they have any advice?

[jeanne & Lilly]

Hmmmm It sounds like you are doing everything right. ... Are you cleaning his paws before he comes into the house after walks? Leave your shoes outside? Wash his bedding? Food, water bowls, all toys in the dishwasher everyday? Do you clean the floors with bleach or a germicidal disinfectant?

[Fitz & Henry]

I do clean his paws when he comes in every time. But I don't wash his toys every day.
I spoke to my Vet about this and she did not feel the toys were our issue.... We really don't believe this is a reinfecting issue because he has NEVER ever gotten rid of it. The entire time he took Metro and Pancur the stools never changed. They were always rancid smelling and like soft serve ice cream. (sorry for the descriptive visual) so now we are searching for possibly a different drug or way to attack this.

I just want my puppy to be better... It's rough having a puppyhood full of drugs. The poor guy is trapped on my property can't have play dates or go to a dog park... When we are done with all this someday, he will be totally neurotic and never want to leave home.

[jeanne & Lilly]

Poor little guy and poor you! You sound so frustrated. Contacting a vet teaching hospital as Charlotte suggested is a great idea. There must be one near you in Chicago.
Here is a link to the CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/giardia/giardia-and-pets.html

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Sounds like you need to see a specialist. A teaching hospital is a good idea.

[Fitz & Henry]

I am a bit frustrated, but I'm also focused on getting him better....
I also saw that info on the CDC website... That's why I'm thinking we need a good hard winter, I think it might give me time to get him healthy. My vet has a call in to a parasitologist and that might be a great route to go... Our next move is to take him off to the vetinary specialist hospital... I can't even guess what that's going to cost. Ugh.

Thank you ladies you've all be wonderful, and I truly appreciate your advice & input....

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd also suggest that you get pet insurance. It won't cover this, as it's already in his records and therefore would be considered a pre-existing condition. But as the owner of a dog with two serious immune-mediated diseases and one serious orthopedic issue who visits one or another of his 3 vets at the specialty center on a weekly basis, I can tell you that I sure wish I'd gotten it. 

[Anita - Thunder, Noodle, Sparky]

We went through this for a very long time too. I was rinsing the ground where he went and that makes it worse. The vet had me get deworming granules from the feed store and I mixed it with yogurt and they took enzymes and probiotics along with the antibiotic. It was a big process and I had to treat 4 dogs. I recommend pet insurance too! We just got PetPlan for our youngest. Use doodle for an extra savings and if you do it, any current member can receive a referral discount. They just log into their account and send a referral email to you. I wish I would have known that when I signed up in order to help a fellow doodle lover.