Cally Has Giardia

[Brittney & Cally]

So instead of keep commenting on other peoples posts and commenting in the comment section. comment section, I figured I would start a post since I have a few questions.

Here is just a summery of everything that has happened.

So Cally tested positive for Giardia on Thursday after noticing her stool was getting softer. The vet (not her normal vet) and I agreed she probably picked it up from daycare since she was there more than usual in that last two weeks. She was put on three days of Panacur and 10 tablets of Endosorb. On Friday I got a call from her vet, after I asked you all about if it would be a good idea to get two more days of Panacur. She said she wants to put Cally on three more days of it and gave me a refill of Endosorb. Her main concern is that she first of all does not want to put her on Metronidazole/Flagyl and she wants to make sure Rosey would not get it because it would reak havoc on her.  She also wanted to make sure I was on a good probiotic and did not put Cally on the RX food. I am very impressed with her!

I started Cally on Chicken and sweet potato on Wednesday to see if that would help but it did not so I obviously took her to the vet. From Wednesday till Saturday she was eating a cup of Chicken and a cup of sweet potato per meal. Today I gave her a cup of her Fromm and started to give her a little white rice along with the chicken and sp. Her poop starts to firm up and then goes back to liquid.

Her poop from Thursday morning till Friday evening was straight liquid and covered in mucus. It started to firm up yesterday and then went back to liquid but there is no longer mucus in it. Her vet said do not worry about the diarrhea to much because the Panacur does not help with poop like the Metronidazole or something like that.

I have been a complete nut about cleaning the house. I am pretty sure I have bleached everything I could. I have come up with a system for her pooping outside. I try to catch it with a plate and if I do I just throw it in a Kroger bag and throw it out. If I cannot I clean up as much as I can with poop bags, then clean up the rest with clorox wipes and then bleach the area and obviously throw that all away in a Kroger bag. Cally gets new bedding for her crates after each use and then the dirty stuff and toys get thrown in the wash (I will have to get some new toys after this but I do not care). Every time Cally has a kong it gets thrown into the dishwasher in the high heat anti bacterial cycle. Her paws, butt and legs get wiped every time she comes in from outside. Her brushes are bleached after each brushing around her butt. Has also had a few baths from when her poop was really bad. So far Rosey is looking great and so is her poop!

So here are my questions.

How long should I keep up my insane cleaning?

Should I take her back to this daycare as I am sure all the dogs are reinfecting themselves. I did call the day care and they apologized and I of course do not blame them as there are irresponsible pet parents like there are parents of kids that take them to daycare when they are sick. I only called them to let them know so they could do something about it if that is what they do.

Cally needs a sanitary groom pretty bad and likely her summer cut, when is it okay to take her to the groomer or would this be her individual groomer question? I just know they clean around her butt and use those clippers on other dogs.

How long should I be cleaning her poop? Until she tests negative?

She has her obedience class on Wednesday, could we go to that?

Sorry for such a long winded post but I figured it was better to ask all this in one post and explain everything that keep having to do it on other peoples posts. Hopefully I did not forget anything.

[Brittney & Cally]

I forgot to mention I am now using some pedialyte and on probiotics and prebiotics.

[Brittney & Cally]

She is definitely getting baths but I was just worried about taking her to the groomers where they use the tools on a bunch of dogs.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's going to take some time to get her poop firmed up. Give the probiotics religiously, at least two hours apart from the meds (I know you know that). I'd keep up the cleaning regimen at least til her poop firms up, keeping in mind that if you are cleaning her bottom well and she hasn't stepped in anything in the yard or ingested it, the toys and kongs won't be contaminated. That takes direct contact with the giardia cysts. 

I also think it would be fine to go to the groomer once the meds are finished, and to the obedience class. 

[Brittney & Cally]

Yes do not worry the probiotics and probiotics are being used religiously! She gets probiotics in the morning and the probiotics right before bed. Okay I will definitely keep up my cleaning!

I am glad we can go to obedience class and the groomer! She needs a cut very bad and the Sani cut and she was suppose to test for her CGC award last Wednesday but I just was not comfortable taking her!

[Kerry Daly]

When Apollo came home with giardia the vet told me it could take up to three weeks after meds are done for him to be clear so I had to keep up the cleaning and insane picking up after him outside for three weeks u til he tested negative for it. I did not want Zeus to catch it and he didn't. Love the idea if catching it on plate never thought if that one. I just took him in an area that Zeus didn't go because of his electric fence. Good luck. It can be nerve racking but it does get better.

[Brittney & Cally]

I got the paper plate idea from reading all the post about Giardia, it does seem very common around here! I was very prepared for this but I just feel awful that Cally is not feeling good.

[Pam Thomas]

Brittney, I am so sorry Cally is sick. I am the same way. I would be bleach crazy. It seems I see a lot of Giardia and UTI's on here and FB but I never had a dog with either in all my life. Is this more common in doodles or just now a days?. Hope she gets better soon.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I never heard of giardia before I got involved in the doodle forums. :(

[F, Calla & Luca]

But I doubt it is limited to doodles or even necessarily more common in doodles. A vet might have some idea. It just might be more common altogether now.  I heard of it long before I got involved with doodles but mainly in people!

[Brittney & Cally]

I actually found it interesting that at my families Sunday dinner this evening I found out about quite a few of my family members had it. My brother had it when he was a baby and my aunt had it when she was pregnant and then one of my other aunts had it when she was battling Lymes disease. How do people get it? A similar way?

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I got it once in 1971 from contaminated water at a ski lodge were I was staying. It was spring and there had been a lot of freeze/thaw type of weather. A lot of people got sick there. Giardia has the nick name 'beaver fever'. It is found everywhere and thrives in cold water, including puddles. Many wild animals carry it. Breeders who live in the country have an increased chance of having contamination in their yards from wild animals.

I feel pretty lucky because I am a breeder who lives in the country and my dogs have had giardia only once in 2010. It started when I let my nursing mom out for a run in our unfenced area. I mistakenly thought she would be better walking around in her own space. She had 8 four week old puppies. 4 cream puppies were affected and 4 chocolate puppies were not. Only one other dog contracted it and that was a 7 month old boy. I was quite surprised that more dogs didn't get it as we all live in the house together and the dogs share the same yards outside.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think it is much more common in puppies that come from breeders with lots of dogs and litters, which is usually the case with doodle breeders.