# Puppy diagnosed with Giardia - now how to disinfect areas??



## becky2226 (Aug 30, 2010)

My 4.5 month old Riley has had loose stool since we picked him up on Sept 1st. At first we thought it was due to stress and new food (rescue told us that he doesn't have a set food because they depend on whatever they get from donations). He went on antibiotics after a couple days with us due to an infection on his neuter site, and after the round of meds were done his stool seemed to firm up. Then on Saturday afternoon he surprised us by pooing in the dining room. It was the first time he's had a #2 accident, and he didn't let us know he needed to go. He just went. And of course it was diarrhea. It was awful to clean, and to smell.

Sunday I fasted him in the morning and then fed him rice and hamburger for dinner, with a little baby food squash mixed in (the grocery stores near me were either out of or not carrying canned pumpkin). His stool was still loose, but he stopped going every 2-3 hours. Yesterday I took him to the vet and they prescribed metronidazole while we waited for the results of the fecal.

The results came back today positive for Giardia. Now I'm paranoid that either my husband and I are going to contract it, or my cats are. I've read that they are hardy little parasites, and can live for months outside of their environment. I may be already too late, but how can I disinfect my carpeting where he had his accident on Saturday?? How about the yard where he poops now? We live in a townhouse subdivision with lots of dogs and stray/feral cats; I don't want to risk infecting anyone else's pups (even though Riley probably got his infection from one of them, since there are several people in the subdivision that don't know how to pick up after their dogs) or any other animals in the area. I also try to get Riley to only go potty in the backyard, but sometimes he will only do it when we walk. But regardless, our backyard is public space, so I'd still need to disinfect that area too.

Will Lysol spray kill anything? I can't use bleach on the carpet. The backyard I'm not sure how to disinfect.


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## sammy loo (Sep 21, 2010)

I'd think the best you can do is now do what you can in your home, clean and then vacuum frequently, and then keep your cats and dog away from other annimal droppings during your walks. Of course, if you let your cats run, then they will always bring back to you whatever they find.

Btw, as for pumpkin, pet owners like us(and kennel owners/breeders especially) have driven up the demand to outweigh the previous usual halloween demand......


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

Pick up poop as soon as it hits the ground. I picked up a bottle if clorox say at grocery store, spray poop scoop and poop spot. Use baby wipes on dog butt first couple days of meds. Giardia in puppies is like kids and lice, it happens. We have been through it 5times. As for rug, just clean the spot and let it dry, they don't survive dry environments.


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## becky2226 (Aug 30, 2010)

Yeah, good point - I'll definitely up the cleaning. Good thing is that my cats are strictly indoors, so I don't have to worry about "presents". Unless some poor unsuspecting rodent makes the mistake of getting inside our house.

I did call my vet and she told me that I needn't worry too much about disinfecting the carpeting, so long as I cleaned it up right away and used carpet cleaner, which I did (Woolite OneShot + some pet enzyme cleaner to boot). I also washed the towel I used to sop up the Woolite in hot water. She also recommended just making sure to pick up the doo in the yard immediately, but didn't say anything about disinfecting. I'd still like to do that though... from what I have read this is a pain in the --- parasite to get rid of. So, I might clean and dose with Lysol spray. Or maybe this green cleaner I have that has a bleach derivative in it. As it is, cleaning up his stool right after he goes has been difficult due to it's consistency. *sigh*

lol, luv2byte - I was typing this as you were replying, apparently. I'll go ahead with the spray then as well!


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## becky2226 (Aug 30, 2010)

OK, so despite my best efforts, I am freaking out a little. Having a parasite infestation is a living nightmare for me 

Riley is crated when we aren't at home. What should I do about his doggy bed? Should it be washed daily until the all clear is given, or should I not worry too much about it? He has toys in his crate while we are gone too - should those be tossed?

I've read that I need to keep him away from areas where other dogs go to the bathroom, and that almost all bird droppings carry the parasite and to keep away from bird poo. This is almost impossible. It's impossible to keep him away from other dogs, because of the fact that there are several in our community. The bird poop is just an inconvenience, because he LOVES to walk in the grassy areas by the retention ponds and the ground there is littered - _littered_ - with goose poo. That's another place he could have picked it up too, if he didn't have it when he came to us - when I first started walking him there he just loved to smell it and once had it in his mouth! YUCK!!

I've read that the parasite is present in many dogs, but often doesn't affect them. Will I need to be worried about him forever? When he's all cleared up I want to get him into training (had to decline the invitation to the one that started tonight because of this) and I want to be able to take him to dog parks so he can run. Will I need to be worried that he'll possibly infect other dogs for the rest of his life?

Please forgive me if this sounds ridiculous. I've never had experience with this type of an infestation. I'm used to worms, where you just give a dewormer and (hopefully) out they go.


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

You don't need to go crazy & don't drive yourself crazy. It is as common as kids and lice. If you are worried about your yard then you can mix a spray of bleach/water in a 1:32 mixture, it will kill it and not kill your yard - trust me, I did my whole 2.5 acres with it. Shortly after a surfice is dry they die. My 2 cats & 2 birds never got it and when our puppy had it our older dog did not get it. It isn't that big a deal and by day 3 they are usually gone & the dog doesn't shed anymore cysts.


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## becky2226 (Aug 30, 2010)

Thank you for the reassurance!!  I will breathe now, lol.

Riley started Panacur yesterday- he's on a 5 day dosage. They told me to keep him on the metronidazole as well for the whole 10 day dosage, even if he shows signs of improvement. Yesterday I started wiping his rear and paws with baby wipes every time we came in from outside (or after he pooped). It was difficult because it rained all evening. This morning I picked up all the remaining poop in the yard, but will have to go back to spray. I'll likely give him a bath and wash his bedding and toys in hot water. His food and water bowls are already cleaned daily. We'll have to disinfect the kitchen floors again; the counters are done multiple times a day.

It's a relief to hear that your other animals did not catch it. I'm so afraid that my cats will and that will be a huge pain in the rear, seeing as how they use litter boxes and we're not there to clean up immediately every time. !


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## becky2226 (Aug 30, 2010)

Well, I was cleaning out the litter boxes tonight and found that one of the cats has diarrhea. I'm hoping that it's just a fluke and NOT giardia!! I'm taking in a fecal sample tomorrow after work. 

*Please, _please_ don't be the parasite!!*


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

That could also be your source


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## becky2226 (Aug 30, 2010)

Well, the diarrhea in my cat lasted just that one day. She was fine the next, so I think it had something to do with the boiled hamburger I was giving her in the morning to appease her so I could feed Riley. Asia's always had a more sensitive tummy, and likely just couldn't stomach the beef.

Cats and Riley have been cleared with negative fecal samples. However, Riley continues to have soft stool and bouts of diarrhea. This last Monday he had pure liquid stools. I took a fecal in that night and it came back negative - giardia or otherwise. I still think that this is what is affecting him however. The vet told me to bring in another stool sample in 2 weeks and if that's negative then they mark him as "cleared" of giardia. I asked what I should be doing about the diarrhea and they just told me the whole "bland diet w/ canned pumpkin". The poor dog was on bland diet for over 2 weeks. I'm so afraid that he's not getting the nutrients he needs, especially at this pivotal time in his life. 

I've had him on his food (Wellness for puppy - a little canned with mostly kibble) for the last week. When he had the liquid he'd been on pure Wellness with no rice mixed in for a day and a half, so I can't say that it was because he's not used to the food. Since the vet (well, the vet tech who answered the phone at least) is unconcerned with his continued soft stools and bouts of diarrhea, I'm going to look into different food. Maybe the Wellness is too much for him?


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## Dogmom60 (Feb 19, 2017)

Becky, thank you so much for sharing your concerns! I got my puppy (who is 4 1/2 months old) already infected with Giardia! The breeder was not very upfront about it. I love her to bits, but have been so concerned. I want her to get over the Giardia but also don't want her to infect anyone else. I am not the best at cleaning, so I have been overwhelmed with the thought. I work outside the home, so when I'm home I want to be with Bonnie, my puppy, and it is hard to get things done when she is not in her crate. I don't want her to be in the crate more than she has to be!


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