Vet just called with feces results.....

DeniseV

Bella (our 13 week old pug) had her first (or second, but first with us) vet visit last night.

She appeared to be healthy and doing great! We brought a stool sample for them to test for the parasites.

Well....i am so saddened to say that I just got a call from our vet that Bella Has Giardia.

I know this is common but it is still discouraging. I have to go at 3pm and pick up her medications. The vet (who I LOVE by the way) said the newest theory on treating Giardia is using two meds; one pill and one liquid. So that is what we will do.

Additionally, the vet said we need to take extra precautions after she has a BM; bathe her, ensure her "potty" area is cleaned well, etc. We always pick her poop up, but the bathing after each poop? This may be difficult.

I am thinnking we wil get those "wipe your paws" damp clothes we use for her paws when she comes inside, and wide her bum really good...then bathe her 2x weekly.......I can't imagine bathing her eaach time she poops. She poops sometijes 5-6 times daily, sometimes more! She will still be wet and freezing when she goes back out to poop again. On the other hand, I want to do what is right.

Man, what a disapointment this is.....

digits mama

Im sorry your Bella has to go through this.. Soon she will be fully recovered and this will be just a memory.

I think the use of the wipes are a wonderful idea. Maybe after she poops and you pick it up..spray a bit of bleach water on the area where she goes..

Also feed her a bit of plain yogurt to boost up her good bacteria.

Good luck and let us know how she is doing.

Dog_Shrink

Awww don't worry hon.. Giardia is BAD but not the end of the world. It is zoonotic shich means you and your family can catch it as well... hence all the precautions. I wouldn't bath her even 2x a week... you'll give her some horrible dry skin issues which could manifest into worse skin conditions from her scratching at the dry skin. I think your idea of using a santi wipe after her BM's would be sufficient enough. Also like the other poster said... keeping a spray bottle with a diluted bleach solution to mist her potty areas will do a long way to controling the potential of reinfestation. If you have other pets you really need to keep the butt sniffing to a minimum because it is soooo contageous. If you have rugs in the house vacuum daily and if there's hard bare floors anywhere mop daily with that same diluted bleach solution. Make sure all her bedding is tumbled in the dryer for a half hour at least daily as well. The heat of the dryer should kill any cysts left in the bedding.

There are a TON of great threads and replies to giardia inquiries here and I totally wish I could get the info from my other puter to this one cause I had written an article for our local paper on Giardia and coccidia. Make sure that when you take stools in for recheck that you bring a couple different samples from different movements because the giardia cysts aren't shed in every poo.

Lastly poo'ing 5-6 + times a day is really unusual for any dog even one with Giardia... what are you feeding her (her kibble)? Did/were you able to slowly transition her from the food she was on previous to your bringing her home? what are her stools like?? Soft, runny etc. Usually multipul poos are indicitave of too high of a fiber content in their diet.

Good luck and don't worry... you're at the right place to find help with this issue... just don't lose your mind over it... I know that it's disappointing... If you got your dog from a breeder, and depending on what sate you live in you can seek reimbursment from the breeder for this issue. I know in PA we have a "puppy lemon law" Check your local attorney general's web site under consumer protection or just type puppy lemon law into their search bar.

DeniseV

Thank you all SO much for your replies! We are taking all measures we can...we aren't bathing every time, but we are using warm soapy water, washing her bum area then rinsing....it's time consuming, but hey, she is a commitment and can't do these things for herself. She's my girl...I have to do what she needs.

Thanks again for your responses.

Denise

Thank you so much for your detailed response!

The 5-6 times is on the high end; she had maybe 3 or 4 days when she pooped that many times. On an average day, she poops 4 times. She never has had diarreah..her stools are always formed and on the soft side; not runny at all; very formed but not constipated.

We feed her Iams puppy (the breeder fed her this and we continued it...I have since heard there are much better choices and perhaps we should gradually switch? Like give her 3/4 Iams, 1/4 better food until she is used to teh newer/better food?). Do you have thoughts on Iams? Is this a bad choice for her?

We don't have other pets so luckily, transmitting to other pets is a non-issue. Certainly, human transmission is a concern...we are crossing our fingers on that one.

We will get her retested in a month...I wish it were sooner! but the vet said a month.

I am curious about the puppy law you mention...would being positive for Giardia fall under this? I did get a health certificate and she was dewormed as a PRECAUTION...she didnt have worms when we got her, according to teh breeder and the vet, as the health cert was signed.

How does the pup get it? She didnt get it here, as we dont have animals. Is it something that can suddenly just come on; that she had them as a newborn but it took awhile for them to show in her stool?

Again, thank you!

Denise

Cracker

Giardia is a parasite, but not a worm..and typical dewormers dont' work with it. It is commonly called "Beaver Fever" and can come from infected ground water etc. It is also possible the dam has it but not diagnosed..not sure if it's possible to get Giardia in utero though..you may want to talk to the breeder so they can let the other littermates owner's know to have the puppies tested.