Well, long story short our female has had giardia since she was 4months old and she is one year old now.
First the vet had her on panikin and other pills, the giardia never cleared up, her diahrrea has been so bad and she has had it for so long that she would scream in pain (irritation).
We took her to a bull dog specialist who referred us to a specialist.
We have seen a specialist and she still has giardia. the specialist wants to treat her under a controlled environment and that would cost me a ton of money. We have spent over 3K on our dog and the pet insurance wont pay out any more refunds to us because of the on going problem. does anyone have any suggestions for a GOOD ethical vet who cares about the animal and not the money? Dr.Butchko in riverside was the best but he wasnt able to help her.
A great option is to take her to a Veterinary School. I’m not sure where you are located but UGA has an excellent program.
These are the three top schools in the country (according to US News)
Cornell University (NY)
Colorado State University
University of California–Davis
Your vet should be able to refer you. Make sure it’s a large program.
Good luck!!
I am not sure where you live but when our dog was diagnosed with giardia the vet gave her some medicine and it went away. I can’t believe that your dog still has it. I would question what your vet has been doing for her.
how long has she been on meds?3 weeks minimum per episode.also has anyone check her something other than gairdia?sounds like ibs or food allergies too
I don’t have any idea where u live but PetSmart has Banfield veterinarians at some locations. I think they are pretty versed in this area since they usually vaccinate against this at Banfield. Try them. Other than that, I don’t know where u are so I can’t tell u anyone specific. There are many Riversides in the U.S. and maybe some in Canada.
read something about panacur.
First, you are going to have to do a huge cleaning of your home. Everything she lays on, everything she has ever touched or could have pooped on. Bleach water works great.
“The following are recommendations from the July 1995 Cornell Animal Health Newsletter for eliminating Giardia from kennels:
treat all non-pregnant dogs with fenbendazole for 5 days
disinfect kennel areas, etc., with quaternary ammonium disinfectants which are effective in inactivating Giardia cysts (takes about a minute at room temperature)
bath dogs with shampoo to remove all fecal matter, rinse with water
rinse dogs with quaternary ammonium disinfectants, then water
allow kennels to dry thoroughly for several days
retreat with fenbendazole for 5 days
treat any new dogs with fenbendazole for 5 days even if they test negative for Giardia because it is so hard to detect in fecal tests ”
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/giardia.htm
A friend of mine used this product… maybe it will work for you.
http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/coccidia.html
Giardia are worms,
even humans are not immune to it.
I am so sorry but she just ahs to be continually “dewormed ” ?
There’s a lot to consider in a case like this. I can tell you I’ve only ever treated Giardia with Metronidizole (Flagyl) or occasioally Panacur. There could be something else going on with her. Did the Vets run any other tests on her? And what type of fecal did they do or did they do a complete fecal analysis? Also, can’t remember for sure, but I believe that if a dog has Giardia and defecates in the yard that it will stay in the soil and the dog can keep getting it again. Do you still live in the same place and has she always gone outside in the same area?
I wouldn’t say that any Vet is at fault , but I’m not sure of the area that you live in or how high the incidence of Giardia is. Hope it helps somewhat, add some more info. and I might be able to help more.
Flagyl is what was always recommended for our dogs by our vet. It depends on where you are located. UW-Madison has a great vet school where they are all learning and will be extra careful to make sure that they diagnose your dog correctly (especially if you tell them all of the problems that you have been having). If you’re in Illinois, I can get the name of the place we go to, but I’d have to look it up. You can e-mail me if you want more info gilmansgirl1@msn.com
this is caused from a parasite from bird droppings, you dog must have licked up bird droppings or drank water and it contained bird droppings I would get another vet who has had more experience in this disease and can tell you more about this parasite. you can call around and ask about this.
I have a friend who had the same problem with her Golden retriever.The dog had giardia and coccidiosis for almost two years.Every time they would try to wean him off the medication,he would get horrible diarrhea again.It finally cleared up after nearly two years.I cannot remember the medications they used,but I do know that metronidazole was one of them. I hope you can find a vet that can help your dog.
http://www.critterchat.net/giardia_fands.htm
If she hasn’t been already, she needs to be on Metronidazole. That’s one of the strongest anti-flagellates out there. Most vets should readily prescribe the metro at the first hint of giardia.
How is your dog exposed to giardia? Keeping her away from the source will go to stop the problem. Wild animal feces and
non-potable water (streams, lakes, puddles, and even irrigation water your dog might ingest off the lawn) are frequent places dogs can pick it up. If you suspect it could be on the grass, don’t let her out for at least an hour on a sunny day after the sprinklers have run. If necessary, walk her on a leash and only turn her out in a kennel off the lawn. Wipe her paws and legs of after she has walked in the source area and be very careful to ensure her water bowl is kept away from anywhere sprinkler water could drift.
Are you sure its giardia? I know from experience that it is difficult to find and identify under a microscope. Do you take in a fecal sample every time she goes to the vet? Does her stool look like snot? Giardia’s characteristic symptom is mucousy stool. Also, what other diarrhea-causing illnesses has she been checked for? Pancreatitis, colitis, food allergies, stress colitis, IBS, and gluten intolerance can all cause diarrhea.
Have you tried any holistic treatments to complement the medications yet? Try the following link to find holistic veterinarians in your area.
http://www.ahvma.org/
Herbals such as slippery elm can help stop loose stools, and there are natural “anti-parasitics” on the market too. Adding natural canned pumpkin (plain–not pumpkin pie filling with spices) to her diet can help soothe her digestive tract and stop the diarrhea. A good probiotic can help replenish the “good” microbes in her gut after she’s on the medications, and will help keep the giardia from multiplying again. Switching to a natural food free from dyes, artificial flavours, by-products, preservatives, wheat, corn and soy could also help. It may be necessary to try an “elimination diet” for allergies under a vet’s supervision if s/he thinks it could help.