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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Hi everyone,
I just wanted to share my experience of dealing with Giardia... It started after I bought a puppy who turned out to be infected, and he obviously passed it on to my other dog too... The diarrhoea was really bad, every 3 hours day and night! Luckily, some digestive paste helped keep things under control.
They had two 7-day courses of Flagyl, but the diarrhoea came back 2 days after the first round and 4 days after the second... After doing loads of research, I tried a different worming treatment, and it was like a miracle – the diarrhoea stopped by the second day!! Everything has been fine since. I hope my story helps someone else... Good luck to anyone currently dealing with infected dogs.
Hello everyone.
I’ve just joined the forum. It’s so upsetting to keep reading about Giardia. I’m unfortunately facing this problem for a second time now.
I’ve had two dogs—one in 2013 and the second in June 2016—from different parents but the same breeder, and both had Giardia. This parasite is an absolute nightmare to get rid of. With my first German Shepherd, it took nearly a year to finally get on top of it. He was treated with Panacur and then Flagyl, along with some incredibly strict hygiene routines.
As well as the Giardia, my first GSD also suffered from IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) and passed away when he was only 3 years old because of his condition. My second and current boy is 8 months old and, on top of the Giardia, he has monorchidism (one undescended testicle still in his abdomen). So, he’ll be going in to be neutered shortly.
Needless to say, I won’t be putting my trust in this breeder for a third time, even though they are a member of the official breed club. Anyway, the priority right now is once again fighting this battle against Giardia...
Best wishes.
Thanks for the reply, my vet told me to feed him high-protein food like meat, chicken etc. for now because he isn't putting on enough weight, as the giardia absorbs the proteins.
Yes, it can take a really long time, hang in there. A friend of mine went through this with their two Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs and it took quite a while to sort out. They needed intensive treatment and grain-free dry food to nourish them properly, rather than just filling them up.
Hi everyone!
I've been doing loads of research on Giardia online, but I’d really like to hear more stories from people who’ve actually managed to get rid of this parasite in their dogs... But first, here’s my story.
About a month ago, I got an adorable Papillon puppy. I picked her up from a breeder. On the day I was supposed to bring her home, I noticed her little tummy was a bit bloated, but I didn’t think much of it, especially since the breeder told me she was healthy, fully vaccinated, and had been recently wormed.
As soon as I got her home, she started having diarrhoea, which would alternate with poo that was more or less solid. Getting her to eat was a nightmare and she’d sometimes skip meals. She was sleeping a lot too. I wasn't happy about it, but I figured it might just be the change of environment and decided to wait a few days. Since things weren't getting any better, I booked an appointment with the vet.
The vet said that at first glance it didn't seem too serious as she didn't have a fever and was in good spirits (when she wasn't sleeping). He prescribed some probiotics but said if she didn't improve in a few days, we'd need to run some tests to see if it was Giardia.
As you've probably guessed, we did the tests and BAM: Giardia.
So, the vet started her on a course of Dolthene. She's doing better already, but I've read it can take months to fully clear this parasite... So I’d love to hear some of your experiences... If your dog has had Giardia, how long did it take to clear? What were they treated with? What other extra steps did you take to help the recovery?
***
Hi there, I’ve just got a male Husky, had him for 3 months now, and he’s having the exact same issues as yours. He’s had acute Giardia since the day I got him. He skips meals, sometimes has diarrhoea and stomach cramps etc. After 2 months of treatment and 6 stool samples, the parasite is still very much there. The vet also warned me that Giardia is a stubborn parasite and there isn't really a definitive cure for it yet. He told me he could have it for life if his immune system doesn't deal with it... I don't really know how to take that news and I'm incredibly worried about my dog. I see your post was from a while ago, so if you found a solution or a miracle cure, I’m all ears. Thanks so much.
Hi everyone, can anyone tell me if you can disinfect dog rugs infected with giardia by putting them in the freezer for a few hours (-18°C), or is a 90°C wash the only effective way?
I've been going through the exact same thing for the last two and a half months with my four-and-a-half-month-old Aussie... diarrhoea, then formed stools... he’s had a course of antibiotics for Campylobacter but nothing is working. He isn’t gaining any weight; he only weighs about 10 lbs (4.5 kg) when he should be around 22 lbs (10 kg), and now he’s stopped eating altogether... I’m at my wits' end. We’re at the vet every fortnight and keep changing antibiotics... I’m going back again tomorrow with what I’ve found, so thank you. My puppy might have Giardia... I'll keep you updated.
We did a 10-day course of Panacur with no breaks; three weeks later, we did the tests. Out of 8 dogs, 5 came back positive, including the youngest ones and my old 15-year-old boy. In the meantime, I’d called a breeder who advised me to treat them with Metronidazole (Flagyl), which is a human medication since Giardia can be passed to humans; it’s an antibiotic and antiprotozoal.
So, another 10-day treatment... and once again I’ll have to wait 3 weeks before doing the new tests.
If only it were just the medical treatments... but the hygiene routine is something else. The dogs have been bathed with an antiseptic wash (like Hibiscrub from the chemist) to kill any eggs that might be in their fur. Now, after every poo, their bums and paws are cleaned with the antiseptic, dried, and then I spray their bums with a 4% chlorhexidine solution (from the vet) and leave it to air dry. I also use this for paw baths, for their bedding and toys, and even for our own laundry (one capful in the washing machine, always diluted to 4%); because if you touch them or have a cuddle—and you’ve probably kissed your dogs just like I have—those eggs can contaminate you too...
It doesn’t stop there; every poo has to be picked up and burned, and the spot where they went has to be disinfected with a quaternary ammonium-based cleaner. Personally, I’m scrubbing the whole house with a professional kennel disinfectant or a steam cleaner—including everywhere the dogs touch: crates, the grooming table, leads... I wait for it to dry and then go over it again with a heavy-duty disinfectant (and don't forget the soles of your shoes, because you can carry the eggs back in after a walk).
Honestly, even if you’re usually a bit of a clean freak, Giardia turns you into a total obsessive... you end up terrified of every single germ. I’m just waiting for my pups to get better. No dog deserves to live through this constant stress, the pain, the fevers, the loss of appetite and this extreme level of care...
The worst part is that Giardia often recurs. Though as they get older, dogs sometimes build up an immunity.
They won't be allowed out in our garden until June 2016, because Giardia can live for three months in damp soil, two months in water (be careful not to let your dogs drink from dirty puddles while out walking), and four days at 37°C.
Good luck to anyone else going through this nightmare, because it really is a struggle. Thanks for reading; I just needed to vent my frustration.
To anyone reading this: just so you know, 1 in 3 breeders has an issue with giardia, but no breeder ever tells you about it. When you bring a new puppy home, make sure you quarantine them before introducing them to your other dog, as an infected puppy will pass it straight on to their new mate.
I run a small Cavalier King Charles breeding setup and I’m just starting out. My mistake was not quarantining a puppy I brought in... and unfortunately, "BOOM". Breeders advise you not to take them outside until they’re 3 and a half months old, after their booster jabs... but they tell you there’s no issue with your own dogs since they’re vaccinated. Their advice really ought to include quarantine!
Like many of you, I’m now facing this problem, and I think it’s actually been going on for a few months already, but my dogs live on about 2.5 acres of land. I’m not always right behind them when they're doing their business. At first, when I noticed my pups had loose stools, I thought it was down to their dry food, so I switched brands and waited for the transition... but when I saw there was mucus and blood, I went straight to my vet. She started by prescribing a treatment for coccidiosis. After three days, there was no change and two of the dogs had a fever. I told her how worried I was, so we did a stool test. She did three tests for parvo, which thankfully came back negative (as even if our pooches are vaccinated, there’s still a risk), then tests for giardia which came back positive—a really heavy infection.
More in the next post as there's a 3,000-character limit.
