Senior Dog and Giardia

[Poohlove]

My 17yo dog recently went to the vet for what turned out to be an arthritis flare and some gas. Roughly two weeks later she started with some bathroom problems so when we returned to the vet for a follow up I brought it up and they assured me it was a side effect the medication they had put her on. We discontinued the medication and busted her back to an even more bland diet with no improvement and after the proper testing it was determined she had Giardia. She did a course of treatment for it and there has been no improvement, in fact her issue has gotten worse. We went back to the vet today and they put her on another course of antibiotics as well as a prescription food. Before I ask the question I just want to say that I am realistic about her age and have a plan of action with the vet should these measures not help - my question to you guys is does anyone have any experience with this parasite? Any positive outcomes to share? We could use some happy stories right about now.

 

[Christine]

Uggh, I only have a personal story for it. Way back in the day, when I had finished undergoing some treatment regimen for thyroid cancer and I was severely hypothyroid, I went to Myrtle Beach with the family. My 1 y/o son picked up giardia there. If you are generally healthy with a robust immune system, you will shed giarida on your own in about 10 days, which my son did. However, I obviously picked it up also, most likely from dealing with all his issues. However, I was coming off of being severely hypothyroid and not well. I had it for 2 months before I could clear myself of it. Giardia is also supposed to be becoming more resistant to the treatments.

I would say that your dog's age probably has a lot to do with her own immune system and however long she's really had it. It's not unusual for a person to need more than one course of the medication to treat it.

 

[OneOftheB's]

Giardia is a parasite. The meds your vet prescribed should take care of her infection, but you have to ensure that she can’t reinfect herself by stepping where there may be giardia infected poop and making certain that the original source of the giardia infection is no longer accessible.

An antibiotic won’t kill the parasite. At the shelter where I volunteer, we use Metronidazole for 10 days and quarantine the animal. It’s is highly contagious and easily transmitted to people

 

[Poohlove]

Giardia is a parasite. The meds your vet prescribed should take care of her infection, but you have to ensure that she can’t reinfect herself by stepping where there may be giardia infected poop and making certain that the original source of the giardia infection is no longer accessible.

An antibiotic won’t kill the parasite. At the shelter where I volunteer, we use Metronidazole for 10 days and quarantine the animal. It’s is highly contagious and easily transmitted to people

I’m not sure where she acquired the original infection, my best guess is at the vets office when we went for her arthritis flare as the timeline fits for that. Right now we have a system - she is cleaned after she goes to the bathroom and it is immediately cleaned up and the spot is sprayed with bleach and her paws are wiped before coming into the house.Gloves are worn for the whole process. She is quarantined, much to her dismay. She did a round of Panacur and is on a second round of Metronidazole. According to her vet this is the course of treatment and I am hopeful he knows what he is talking about thankfully she is not a licker - that would make things so much worse!!

 

[boop0524]

One of our dogs is a poop eater and even though I do my best to pick them all up, she managed to find a straggler in the pine straw. Who knows how old. Anyway that led to a very severe case of girardia and also infected our other dogs, including a senior (not sure how old, adopted).

With the severe case, she was on prescription food for quite awhile and absolutely nothing else. No treats, nothing but that prescription food. She took the extra antibiotics as well. It eventually cleared up but we did have to be very strict with her diet. We also trimmed her “bloomer” area and made sure to always clean her backend as best as we could with wipes so she didn’t lick it. Bathed her often. We wore gloves while handling her so we didn’t catch it as well.

Good luck, it was brutal to deal with and I feel for you. Sending positive thoughts your way!

 

[Poohlove]

One of our dogs is a poop eater and even though I do my best to pick them all up, she managed to find a straggler in the pine straw. Who knows how old. Anyway that led to a very severe case of girardia and also infected our other dogs, including a senior (not sure how old, adopted).

With the severe case, she was on prescription food for quite awhile and absolutely nothing else. No treats, nothing but that prescription food. She took the extra antibiotics as well. It eventually cleared up but we did have to be very strict with her diet. We also trimmed her “bloomer” area and made sure to always clean her backend as best as we could with wipes so she didn’t lick it. Bathed her often. We wore gloves while handling her so we didn’t catch it as well.

Good luck, it was brutal to deal with and I feel for you. Sending positive thoughts your way!
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They do keep us on our toes don’t they!! I’ve been keeping Charmin in business with the flushable wipes to clean her with

What kind of prescription food did your dog have?The vet gave us Hills Prescription WD, I’ve never heard of it but she had some today and she has kept it in and I bet she is happy to have something other than plain rice which is what we had to keep going back to.

 

[boop0524]

that they do!! always something with our brood!!

they put her on Hills Digestive Care. We got a bag of hard food and several cans of soft food in it, which she loved. We did small 3-4 meals a day. She’s a mini dachshund so they recommended serving the size of a meatball. After her second round of antibiotics and the strict food, she had solid poops again within a few days.


The digestive care is easy on the stomach which is what they need to help fight the infection. Not sure about the WD. I do know our vet will allow us to return a bag if we’re unhappy though…maybe an option if needed!

 

[Poohlove]

that they do!! always something with our brood!!

they put her on Hills Digestive Care. We got a bag of hard food and several cans of soft food in it, which she loved. We did small 3-4 meals a day. She’s a mini dachshund so they recommended serving the size of a meatball. After her second round of antibiotics and the strict food, she had solid poops again within a few days.


The digestive care is easy on the stomach which is what they need to help fight the infection. Not sure about the WD. I do know our vet will allow us to return a bag if we’re unhappy though…maybe an option if needed!

Mine is a staffordshire terrier and the vet gave us canned food for now with a strict diet of only that, it is very encouraging to hear you had luck with this brand. The WD is a digestive, weight management and urinary care food. I started her out with a few small servings today to not overload her system since she has been on chicken and rice for almost three weeks and so far so good, no more accidents.

Thank you!!