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Old December 14th, 2004, 12:29 PM
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jjgeonerd jjgeonerd is offline
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Giardia Experience?

Hello everyone. Gabby was diagnosed with Giardia over the weekend. She just finished her three day medication routine (worm medication) and is now on a white rice and boiled chicken diet (which she LOVES), per the vet's recommendation.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with their dogs having Giardia. Mainly wondering how long it took for their stools to get back to normal?
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Old December 14th, 2004, 01:14 PM
Lucky Rescue Lucky Rescue is offline
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I had a cat with giardia. Metronidizole for 7 days was the treatment.

IF your dog has very watery stools, be careful as dehydration can easily result.

Check for dehydration by gently pinching and lifting some loose skin on the neck. Twist a bit then release. If it snaps back into it's former position, the dog should be okay. If the skin does not snap back, call your vet.

You can try adding a tablespoon or so of canned pumpkin to his food and see if that helps.

Giardia is horrible.
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Old December 14th, 2004, 01:25 PM
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jjgeonerd jjgeonerd is offline
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Thanks Lucky. She doesn't seem to be having any dehydration problems...pretty much acts and appears normal. The vet prescribed Panacur, which is a 3-day cycle.

I'll give the pumpkin a try...rice is working OK, but not great. Was your cat back to normal after the medication cycle, or did it take a few days after that?
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Old December 14th, 2004, 01:41 PM
Lucky Rescue Lucky Rescue is offline
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There is really no licensed treatment for giardia in dogs, although Panacur is often used. But since giardia is not a worm, but more of a single celled organism like a bacteria, this treatment is VERY often not 100% effective. Your dog may need further treatment, or have the Panacur dosing extended.

The meds I named were very effective in my cat and was back to normal not long after.
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Old December 14th, 2004, 01:58 PM
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jjgeonerd jjgeonerd is offline
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Just called the vet. They said if she isn't better tomorrow then I should bring her and another sample in for them. I'll ask about other medications too. Thanks again!
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Old December 14th, 2004, 09:22 PM
Karin Karin is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LuckyRescue
I had a cat with giardia. Metronidizole for 7 days was the treatment.

IF your dog has very watery stools, be careful as dehydration can easily result.

Check for dehydration by gently pinching and lifting some loose skin on the neck. Twist a bit then release. If it snaps back into it's former position, the dog should be okay. If the skin does not snap back, call your vet.

You can try adding a tablespoon or so of canned pumpkin to his food and see if that helps.

Giardia is horrible.
This is the best treatment, please note...people can get giardia also from their pets.
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Be The Kind Of Person Your Dog Thinks You Are.
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Old December 16th, 2004, 03:48 PM
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jjgeonerd jjgeonerd is offline
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Update

The vet confirmed that Gabby does not have Giardia anymore , but she still has diarrhea . She is now on a lower dose 7 day cycle of Metronidizole, which is their common treatment for diarrhea. Vet feels that the high Metronidizole dose required to get rid of Giardia is unsafe, so they prefer Panacur instead, followed by a lower Metro... dose if necessary.

Thanks for everybody's input...I appreciate it.
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