I’ve done a lot of research on Giardia online, but I’d really like to read more stories from people who’ve had to get rid of this parasite from their dog… but first, here’s my story.
About a month ago, I got an adorable Papillon puppy. I went to collect her from a breeder. On the day I was due to bring her home, I noticed her little tummy was a bit bloated, but I didn't pay much attention to it, especially as the breeder told me she was in good health, was up to date with all her jabs, and had been wormed recently.
As soon as she arrived home, she started having diarrhoea which alternated with stools that were more or less formed. Getting her to eat was a real struggle and she would sometimes skip meals. She was sleeping a lot too. I wasn’t happy about it, but I told myself it might just be the change of environment and that I’d wait a few days. As the situation didn’t improve, I booked an appointment with the vet.
The vet said that, on the face of it, there was nothing serious since she didn't have a temperature and was in good spirits (when she wasn't sleeping). He prescribed some probiotics but said that if she wasn't better in a few days, we’d have to run some tests to see if it was Giardia.
As you’ve probably guessed, we did the tests and BANG: Giardia.
So, the vet started her on a treatment (using an oxfendazole-based wormer).
She’s doing better already, but I’ve read that it can take months to completely clear this parasite… so I’d really love to hear some of your experiences… If your dog has had Giardia, how long did it take to cure them? What were they treated with? What other extra measures did you take to help the recovery?
Translated from French
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Yeah, it’s possible. My vet told me about a dog he’d just seen that suddenly started having constant diarrhoea. He was 12 years old and tested positive; he’d come from a breeder and had always been a carrier, but he’d never had any symptoms until the day that...
I have two dogs and they’ve both got the same problems – they’re off their food, losing weight, and have diarrhoea with mucus. They’re 10 years old; is it possible for them to have giardia at their age?
Hi everyone!
I’m bumping my post to give you an update, as I see people are finally starting to talk about giardia on this forum! I think it’s crazy how little is known about it, especially among vets (!!!), even though it’s so common!
Anyway, the Dolthene treatment I mentioned did stop the diarrhoea, but it wasn't enough to clear that nasty giardia! My vet said he wasn't surprised because the treatment was too mild, but he hadn't prescribed anything more aggressive because my puppy was too small at the time (three and a half months old). Now that she's grown, we could give her something stronger. So, we did two cycles as follows: five days of Flagyl, five days off, five days of Dolthene, then five days off. A month after the second cycle, I had her retested. The result: negative! Woohoo! I couldn't believe it! I'm so happy! I think getting her to the vet straight away was the deciding factor.
I hope this post helps others and especially all the poor pups out there suffering from giardia!
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Thanks, I live in Canada and run a small family kennel with 10 dogs. Everything was going brilliantly until the day I bought a lovely Bichon puppy, about two and a half months old. She had giardia, but the first test came back negative, so I let her mix with the other dogs. Two weeks later, the test was positive and all my dogs were infested. We’re working really hard to try and beat this parasite. Do any of you know of any kennels that have successfully managed to get rid of it and how they did it?
Hi everyone,
I’m bumping this thread as I seem to be having the same issue with Giardia as you.
I have a four-month-old female German Shepherd who often has loose stools. We got her when she was eight weeks old, and she already had the problem back then. I emailed the breeder, and they suggested Flagyl for five days; it felt like they suspected Giardia (without actually saying it, of course). The vet prescribed Dolthène and Metrobactin for 10 days, and her stools were much better. However, it’s come back.
I contacted the breeder a fortnight ago to ask if they’d had any issues with Giardia, but they’re being very tight-lipped about it. It’s impossible to find out if the other puppies from the litter had it too. It would be so much easier if we knew, as it would help us get to the bottom of this once and for all.
Does anyone know of the LA ROCHEPOT kennels in Côte d’Or? Any information would really help me out.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Hi everyone,
I’m bumping this thread as I seem to be having the same issue with Giardia as you.
I have a four-month-old female German Shepherd who often has loose stools. We got her when she was eight weeks old, and she already had the problem back then. I emailed the breeder, and they suggested Flagyl for five days; it felt like they suspected Giardia (without actually saying it, of course). The vet prescribed Dolthène and Metrobactin for 10 days, and her stools were much better. However, it’s come back.
I contacted the breeder a fortnight ago to ask if they’d had any issues with Giardia, but they’re being very tight-lipped about it. It’s impossible to find out if the other puppies from the litter had it too. It would be so much easier if we knew, as it would help us get to the bottom of this once and for all.
Does anyone know of the LA ROCHEPOT kennels in Côte d’Or? Any information would really help me out.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Our little 2-month-old puppy has also come down with this nasty bug. After a week of diarrhoea, we took some stool samples in for analysis and it's definitely giardia. The vet got the results back the same day, which was today, so I'm heading back tomorrow to find out what treatment he’s going to start. Apparently, it's quite tricky to get rid of. On top of that, I have a large garden where she's been doing her business all week—it’s no easy task trying to clear up diarrhoea from the grass! Does anyone know how to treat the garden? Thanks in advance for any advice, and I’ll be sure to pass on any tips I receive myself.
Carine
Hi everyone,
I know this thread is a bit old, but it’s the only one I’ve come across with so many stories and possible solutions for giardia. I was given a puppy (a Labrador/Fox Terrier cross) two months ago, and she’s had diarrhoea from day one. I started by worming her (she was actually riddled with worms, so they all came out), then I changed her dry food. Her previous owner was giving her a cheap supermarket brand, so I switched to a high-quality grain-free kibble, but with some rice added since her stools were so runny. The vet gave me a supplement called Ultradiar, but it didn't do a thing.
Greasy, soft-to-liquid stools with mucus... according to my research online, it sounded exactly like giardia. I didn't actually get the tests done because the vet wanted me to try changing her food again and using probiotics and other meds first. I tried Panacur, which is supposed to be the best option according to tests, but it only has about a 50% success rate and it didn't work for us. We’d get a semi-solid poo every now and then, but it was always followed by ten soft or completely liquid ones.
I wasn't keen on going down the antibiotic route and messing up her gut flora... and re-reading @Alopez3006's post, I wondered why I hadn't thought about looking for a natural remedy sooner. At home, we use homeopathy and natural methods to avoid medication whenever possible, so why not do the same for my dog? My research into ozonated water didn't lead anywhere, but I found two sites recommending cloves for giardia. I’d also read that a bit of olive oil every day is good for dogs, so I started a home treatment: one crushed clove mixed with half a teaspoon of olive oil to help her swallow it.
The verdict: from the very first day of treatment, she had a proper, firm poo. I didn't want to get my hopes up because usually that’s followed by more runny ones... but no. It’s been 10 days now and she’s sorted. I did the treatment for 7 days and I stopped 3 days ago, and she's still doing fine.
Maybe it wasn't giardia, but it certainly looked like it, and after Ultradiar, Panacur, and Transiphytol all failed... this is what worked for me.
They also recommend giving orange vegetables to keep the worms from coming back, so I give her one raw carrot a day; it replaces the chew bones that she doesn't digest very well.
Regarding the ozonated sunflower oil, it’s one teaspoon (for a pet around 40 lbs) 20 mins before meals (max. twice a day). Give Vitamin E, but make sure it’s not at the same time as the ozonated oil doses. Supplement with propolis, ideally also away from the oil, about 4 hours later.
Turmeric should be given away from the oil too, max. once a day (ideally on an empty stomach).
To make it even more effective, use grapefruit seed extract as well; it kills parasites. Again, always keep this separate from the ozonated oil doses.
Try treating your dogs with turmeric capsules and ozonated oil. For us, it’s working much better than antibiotics and there are no side effects. We only started a short while ago, but she’s already doing so much better. We tried antibiotics for a long time and they didn't do a thing; even right in the middle of the treatment, the Giardia symptoms would come back even worse.
