Puppy has Gairdia

[Jess]

Since bringing Jack home he has had diharrea off and
On , after our first vet appt we got his poop tested as a regular check up type thing and sure enough he has Gairdia which makes me think he had it when we got him. You would think the breeder would test for this considering the type of money these guys cost.... I'm now freaking out that my little kids will catch it due to the fact that Jack has obviously
Pooped in the house since we are still house breaking him and my kids play all over the ground.... It can live in moist areas for months so how the heck do I stop him from re getting it? I can't bleach my whole yard.... I feel like my house is covered in parisites now.... Every time I'm feeling good and confident about this dog something happens that sets me back

I was feeling so good before I got the news

[Tracey & Spike]

Giardia is a huge pain. I agree. And many of us have been there. Sometimes more than once. When Spike had it as a young puppy we were given a lot of advice and helpful tips. One that was the most strange but most effective was "poop on a plate". When it's time to go out to potty take Jack out on a leash. When he squats to do his thing quickly slide a dollar store paper plate under him. Then just throw it out.
If your lucky enough to have snow on the ground you've got It made in the shade. Just bag it with the snow around it.
In terms of your house. Just use a really good cleaner on the surfaces that he has pooped on. Use diluted bleach and water if you can.
You will survive this! I've had two bouts with Spike (the second came much later. There was an epidemic at his daycare) and one round with my birds. Before we even had Spike. Your house is NOT crawling with parasites. You will be fine! :)

[Jess]

Thanks so much! The problem is he has popped in the house before I knew he had so I don't know which spots to clean now
Maybe I'll do the whole carpet lol
We did have snow but it melted. Great advice about the plate! Maybe I'll try that. Thanks for the reply :)

[Lisa Doggart]

I just found out on Saturday that my almost 12 week old puppy has giardia, too.  No diarrhea, though.  We, too, are still working on the going outside thing and miss sometimes.  However, my kids were more concerned about the dog licking them and spreading it that way.  The vet's office gave me a prescription to sprinkle on the food.  She is not too thrilled with it that way.  They also said that it could be in water outdoors or contaminated soil. It's kind of hard to protect them from all of nature.  My last dog was never tested for it as far as I know....I guess she might have  had it on and off and I never knew.

Good luck with this.

[Dawn and Molly]

Our puppy had it too when she came home a little over 3 weeks ago.  We didn't even realize anything was wrong.  The vet let us know when they tested her stool.  They put her on the medicine right away and she is fine now.  I also have kids, and they didn't have any problems.  I was a little nervous about it at first too.  There was a lot of mud/snow mess right before we got her.  She is also super curious and likes to eat everything.  I hope this clears up for you and is over quickly.  Congratulations on your new puppy!

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Our first doodle was 2 when we brought home our parti puppy (Beau).  When I took him for his wellness exam, I found out he had giardia.  I was super vigil about picking up after him right away - then I would pour a mixture of clorox and water over the spot where he had just gone to the bathroom.  My vet said to use one part clorox to four parts of water.  I saved several gallon milk jugs and so I would have the mix on hand all the time.  It took two rounds of panacur before we got a negative test result.   It is not too probably that your kids will get it.  It does not pass through saliva.  Just keep things as clean as possible.  BTW - Charlie did not ever get it.  I was so relieved.  You can do a search on this site - lots of good info.  Hopefully, your vet will recommend you give a probiotic when you doodle is on the meds.  I hope your darling puppy is healthy soon.

[Nancy & Echo]

I'm so sorry you are going though this.  It must be awful. I don't have my puppy yet, but I did find this on the CDC website.

Do not attempt to use bleach or QATS <quaternary ammonium compound products> in your soil or grass area, as they will be ineffective....

How long does Giardia survive in the environment?

• In the soil ^8,9
  • In cold temperatures (around 4°C/39.2°F), Giardia can survive for approximately 7 weeks (49 days).
  • At room temperature (around 25°C/77°F), Giardia can survive for approximately 1 week (7 days).
• Dry vs. moist surface or environment
  • In a dry, warm environment that experiences direct sunlight, Giardia can survive for only a few days ^8,9.
  • In a moist, cool environment, Giardia can survive for up to several weeks.
• Water ¹⁰
  • In water temperatures below 10°C/50°F (for example, lake water or puddle water during the winter, refrigerated water), Giardia can survive for 1–3 months.
  • In water temperatures above 10°C/50°F (for example, river water during the fall, tap water, and puddles during the summer), Giardia can survive for less time than in colder temperatures. For example, in water above 37°C/98.6°F, Giardia can survive less than 4 days.

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/giardia/prevention-control-pets.html

They also have recommendations on cleaning indoors.

It sounds like a big undertaking, but if bleach is not effective to eliminate it on grass or soil, that's one less thing to worry about.

[Melissa]

Just to make you feel better, I've had a pup with coccidia, and years later had a pup with giardia.  And two kittens another time that came to me with giardia.  Yes it's a pain!  But it is believed that the type of giardia that dogs have is not the type that humans catch.  There are something like 6 different "types" (forgetting the scientific terms!) and ours is different from dogs is different from cats.  

Basically there hasn't been a case that has been shown to be transmitted from dog to human according to the sources I've read.  The type we are susceptible to is closer to the one cats can get.  

Anyway, this info went a long way to helping me not feel so devastated at the situation!  If you need links I can try to dig them up again.

Also the vets told me that giardia is everywhere environmentally.  Not sure how literally to take that but they told me not to wear myself out with the outdoor situation, but do my best to avoid treading in old poop etc.  I basically just changed my puppy's pooping location for the next month while also treating (she needed two courses of metro and fenbendazole) and also using probiotics.

I feel for you - it does put a damper on the fun of puppy ownership at first!

[Nancy & Echo]

I'm so sorry you're going through this.  When I get my puppy, I may be facing this too.

According to the CDC and papers like this, the risk of giardia transmission from dogs to humans is very low but still measurable. I'm sure it varies from place to place. Its hard to quantify the incidence though. 

You're right, there are several subtypes. Molecular data have defined seven genetic Assemblages of Giardia duodenalis, named A-G. Humans are infected with Assemblages A and B, dogs primarily with C and D, and cats with F. Assemblage A has been subclassified into subtypes A-I to A-IV: A-I has been reported in humans and animals, A-II in humans, and A-III and IV exclusively in animals. Assemblage B has broad host specificity infecting humans and animals. Recently, small numbers of dogs and cats have been reported to also carry Assemblages A-I or B. Because these genotypes are found primarily in humans, and no comprehensive studies to address zoonotic transmission of G. duodenalis are yet available, the potential role of dogs and cats cannot be conclusively excluded.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20202906

There are different ways of measuring Giardia. ELISA, IFA and PCR reporting prevalence rates between 2.6 and 3.7 times greater than studies using microscopy.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25583357  I not an expert, but I don't think that any of these methods actually identify the organisms that are infectious; some/all of them measure only parts of the Giardia parasite.

Overall, just over 2% of dogs harboured potentially zoonotic assemblages of G. duodenalis in the studied communities and hence pose a minimal zoonotic risk for the transmission of Giardia to humans.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25175607

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20202906

This paper that looked at soil and air samples in Mexico found that slightly more than half of soil samples (n=21) and about 80% of air samples (n=12) contained Giardia cysts.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25043458 (subgroups weren't specified in this abstract.)

(emphasis mine)

I sure hope your puppy is better soon!

[Jess]

YAY poop test was negative!!!!!! My husband thinks im crazy, I was outside spraying bleach/water on all the areas he pooped lol.... who knows if it works..... but at least im not cleaning a doodles butt before he comes in anymore :)