 Possible Giardia exposure; what next?
#339402 - 07/22/2011 10:44 AM |
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Sasha (my puppy) and I spent last weekend (Fri, Sat and Sun) at a friend's house with her two dogs Archie and Jed and another friend was there as well with her dog Bacchus. I just got an email from the first friend telling me that Bacchus has been diagnosed with giardia which he got, she thinks, from a black lab he plays with.
My questions are these;
1. The black lab has no diareha(sp?) only weight loss. Bacchus just started getting the runs and needs to get outside at least every two hours. What other symptoms should I be watching for?
1. Is there anything I can do proactively to prevent Sasha getting giardia if in fact she did pick it up. I was thinking of dosing her with Panacur. If so, what would be the dosage for a 125 lb dog?
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Re: Possible Giardia exposure; what next?
[Re: Debbie Martin ]
#339406 - 07/22/2011 11:30 AM |
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http://www.critterchat.net/giardia_fands.htm
This is a very good overview of giardia.
Some dogs can be carriers but not manifest any symptoms, it is best to treat all dogs that have come into contact with giardia. JMO
I am sorry I do not know the dosage. I am sure your vet will know.
Joyce Salazar
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Re: Possible Giardia exposure; what next?
[Re: Joyce Salazar ]
#339473 - 07/23/2011 01:53 AM |
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go to the vet get the meds and treat for it.
WARNING!!
I got it from my dog. it wasn't fun for me either! 
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Re: Possible Giardia exposure; what next?
[Re: Nick Logan ]
#339487 - 07/23/2011 10:12 AM |
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I checked with my vet and he said that he doesn't like to treat an animal just because they *may* have been exposed to something. He doesn't believe in medicating just the the sake of medicating.
He said to keep an eye on her and if any symptoms come up, we'll have a good idea what to test for. I like his plan.
So far, Sasha has been fine; eating good, poops are great and energy level is good considering how hot it is.
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Re: Possible Giardia exposure; what next?
[Re: Debbie Martin ]
#339492 - 07/23/2011 10:56 AM |
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Re: Possible Giardia exposure; what next?
[Re: Debbie Martin ]
#339493 - 07/23/2011 11:45 AM |
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I checked with my vet and he said that he doesn't like to treat an animal just because they *may* have been exposed to something. He doesn't believe in medicating just the the sake of medicating. What next? Hmmm......
I say your next step should be driving back to the vets office and give them a really big hug, because they sound like a good one.:wink: 
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Re: Possible Giardia exposure; what next?
[Re: Michael_Wise ]
#339495 - 07/23/2011 12:00 PM |
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This is definitely true of many (or most) parasites, IMO.
Giardia presents a slightly different challenge because of the false negatives and the often strong possibility that the dog has it but is testing negative.
Still, I agree, as long as the vet and the owner understand this:
http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=134&Number=339189&Searchpage=1&Main=30477&Words=fecal+Connie+Sutherland&topic=0&Search=true#Post339189
I also do understand completely when there is a clinical giardia diagnosis that many vets will treat for it without actually seeing the organism.
We have had so many threads here in which the owner says "it's not giardia; he tested negative" and five pages later, it is giardia.
Also, giardia with a foothold is hard to eliminate. That is, it often seems to be extremely persistent and prone to recur during times of stress, illness, etc.
And added to that, an asymptomatic carrier can appear completely well while shedding giardia cysts.
With giardia, I can see that each of the the rainbow of treatment protocols (from vet to vet) has something to validate it. JMO, though!
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Re: Possible Giardia exposure; what next?
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#339497 - 07/23/2011 12:02 PM |
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PS
About the internal parasites readily identified via fecal exam, I'm pretty strong for dropping off a fecal every so often (and of course if there is any evidence!) rather than regular deworming just as a matter of course.
JMO!
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Re: Possible Giardia exposure; what next?
[Re: Debbie Martin ]
#339499 - 07/23/2011 02:02 PM |
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Debbie, we've had times when we've had 2 dogs and one of them got giardia and the other didn't. They both drank out of the same lakes, walked through the same puddles and only one of them got it. And none of our dogs got it from the one that had it.
We have also never gotten it from our dogs! Sure, you have to wash your hands after picking up the poop, but hopefully we all do that anyway!
I agree that you should hug your vet for not treating just because your dog was exposed! I also strongly agree with Connie when it comes to the testing procedures. We tested 3 times with a regular fecal test and it was negative, but the dog had all the signs of giardia. It wasn't until we did the Elisa test that it came back positive. If your pup starts having all the signs of giardia, just go straight for that test - by the time you pay for the cheaper one a couple of times, you've already paid for the Elisa!
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Re: Possible Giardia exposure; what next?
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#339507 - 07/23/2011 04:08 PM |
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I just called my friend where we stayed to see if her dogs were ok and they are both fine. We were all very proactive about picking up the poop as soon as any dog went. Four dogs for a weekend would have left quite a mess otherwise.
Sasha is still very young at only 7 1/2 months old and I really don't want to put her on meds unnecessarily even if it is just Panacur. I'm going to wait and see what happens. If we start having symptoms, at least I'll be pretty sure what the problem is. My vet is 5 minutes down the road so if I see anything at all suspicious we'll get in to see him right away.
Lori, Thanks for the tip about the Elisa test.
Edited by Debbie Martin (07/23/2011 04:11 PM)
Edit reason: add ty
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