Giardia

[KJohnson]

Westin has a very strong possibility of having Giardia (our friends Rottweiler just got tested and diagnosed and Westin has more and worse symptoms) and we think he got it from the puddle water at Marymoor park (in Redmond, WA).
I know some of you have experience with this, do you know any way to prevent him from getting it after we clear it up this time? (he's getting meds sometime tomorrow) I don't want to NOT take him to the park anymore just because he drinks out of puddles! Any advise would be appreciated.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by KJohnson

Westin has a very strong possibility of having Giardia (our friends Rottweiler just got tested and diagnosed and Westin has more and worse symptoms) and we think he got it from the puddle water at Marymoor park (in Redmond, WA).
I know some of you have experience with this, do you know any way to prevent him from getting it after we clear it up this time? (he's getting meds sometime tomorrow) I don't want to NOT take him to the park anymore just because he drinks out of puddles! Any advise would be appreciated.

First be forewarned that giardia is contageous to people. Be sure to wash your hands after cleaning up after him or handling him.

Yes, giardia can be found in standing puddles. Maybe best to avoid places with puddles until the puddles dry up.

There is no way to prevent it if he's going to drink from puddles. Or even walk through them and then lick his feet.

Peggy

[MyPemCharlie]

When Charlie had 3 or 4 recurring bouts of diarrhea, I kept taking stool samples to the vet that always tested clear of giardia, and other worms. However I had read that giardia and coccidia may not show up even with several samples.

I did treat him with fenbendazole (Safe Guard at the pet supply store) for worms. Recently fenbendazole has been shown to be an effective treatment for giardia in addition to worms. It is possible that Charlie had giardia, but it was not diagnosed, and the Safe Guard knocked it out.

You could periodically give Westin fenbendazole to prevent reoccurrence of symptoms or knock out a new infection. I have read that once a dog gets giardia, they always carry it but don't have symptoms unless stressed.

[colbycorgi]

we just went through the coccidia and girardia bout with our two and i am just keeping them away from puddles...im neurotic about it actually, i have a planter outside that is frozen to the ground but had some standing water on top and i about freaked out when i saw them sipping from it the other day and its right in my own yard....i just dont want to have to go through that again....EVER!!! its not fun at all....wish you the best of luck....

[Michael Romanos]

Giardia is in almost every stream, river and creek world wide to varying degrees. Humans more vunerable than dogs but its a strong reason why dogs syffer from dystentary, mucky stools etc so often.

[Jane Austen]

Although I have heard the name before I never connected that it was some thing my dog could get. Duchess drinks out of puddles all the time and I didn't think too much of it. Stupid! She will no longer be free to go through the puddles at the dog field. And I'll try to get Safe Guard or ask my vet about preventatives.
I am really thankful that someone woke me up to this danger. Jane

[MattC]

Giardia stinks. Nick used to get it all the time when he was a puppy and we couldn't figure how he was getting it. We finally realized that he was getting it from puppy day care. We immediately pulled him from day care and started giving him two walks a day from a local dog walker. Surprisingly enough the giardia went away. As for other prevention. we always wash his feet when we take him for a walk and we never let him drink out of puddles. Which means if it rained yesterday no dog park.

[colbycorgi]

ditto here as we dont want to have the giradia again...and just a side note, that coccidia virus which is somewhat similar, as in both are proazotas(sp) something or others, but coccidia CAN survive freezing temps where we are of the understanding that girardia cant, but coccidia is not passable to humans and girardia is...so....6 of one.....you know the deal....both are just plain old no fun....

[MyPemCharlie]

I don't think any of us who take our dogs to parks, pet supply stores, shows, walking around the neighborhood...essentially any place where there are other dogs...can ever totally prevent exposure to Giardia. It's too prevalent and too contagious. Most dogs who show clinical signs of the disease will always remain a carrier of Giardia and pass it to other dogs. Flare-ups are much less prevalent in adult dogs once their immune system is strong.

There is a giardia vaccine on the market now, but I think it requires annual boosters. The Safe-Guard 4-in-1 product recommends treating an adult dog every 6 months...and that product cost I would expect to be much less than a veterinarian vaccine (and maybe safer), or vet's prescription for Flagyl (potential side-effects) or Panacur (same active ingredient as the over the counter Safe-Guard).

Anyway, Giardia is a very nasty little bug, but most cases are easily treatable.

[KJohnson]

we live in Washington, which means if he's not allowed to go out when it's wet... well, he's only allowed outside two-three months a year! I think we;ll end up going the "preventative-medication" route and just treat him every few months... but we have to wait and get the test back first!

[Michael Romanos]

Clean puddles of water are generally ok, very recent puddles created from rain are also generally ok. There is the possiblilty that a puddle is formed on already contaminated ground.

[Vannette]

I bought the Safe-Guard...Pancur online. I was reading about it a few months ago and it was saying to just home treat once a month or every 2 months. It treats for all worms and the whole bit so why not. You treat 3 days in a row according to weight.
Same thing, living in Washington, going to the park, these dogs are always drinking out of puddles or the lake. Can't live in a bubble.