# My puppy has giardia



## thatkidhugo (Nov 29, 2008)

I took my min pin to the vet on Monday and got the stool results back today at the vet. He has giardia.. hes 9 weeks old and I was told it CAN be fatal if not treated after a long time, it is also (can be) contagious to humans. Anyone have any experience with this? Im picking up the meds tomorrow afternoon. Its supposed to be a 7 day thing in liquid form. Just posting this because im concerned and wanted some help.. im calling my breeder right now.


----------



## dleggs15 (Mar 4, 2008)

I'm sorry I cant offer any help..to be honest I'm not sure what it is...time to google..but..i wanted to send good thoughts your way and hope everything turns out ok for you and your new pup! Oh BTW I have a Min Pin as well


----------



## Bearjing (Oct 24, 2008)

My pup Boudicca came to me with giardia. The treatment was successful, but it took several rounds of the medication before she finally had a clean test. Boudicca's most significant symptom was the runny poops, but in more severe cases, you'd be seeing inability to gain weight or weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting, lack of appetite and nasty greasy-looking stools. 

Giardia is actually a VERY common parasite: It's estimated that something like 70% of dogs area actually infected, but the vast majority show no symptoms. In an immune suppressed adult or a young pup, it's more likely to cause problems. However, treatment is typically very successful. Many pups do require multiple courses of meds, however. With my girl, she'd become completely asymptomatic, but the tests were still mildly positive, so we continued treatment until we had a clean test. 

It sounds like you have a breeder. They may be willing to help pay for treatment. I got my girl from a pound and they paid for the treatment, as it was a pre-existing condition. 


It can infect humans (although it's not totally clear that the same strain of Giardia infects dogs and humans). Just the same, to keep from picking it up from your pup, be clean: particularly where fecal matter is concerned. Wash your hands often and well, pick up and dispose of feces carefully.


----------



## jcw1503 (Nov 17, 2008)

It is contagious to humans but humans sometimes/most times do not need treatment the body gets rid of it....its is a infection in the smaal intestines caused by a parasite and most of the time is causes diahira (not sure on spelling)...however, in dogs it takes medication most of the time....sometimes one treatment and other times multiple treatments!!!


----------



## thatkidhugo (Nov 29, 2008)

The only symptoms that he has are extremely smelly poops and just like you said, nasty and greasy looking. He still eats well and has a bit of a belly. Was your pups treatment in liquid form?


----------



## Bearjing (Oct 24, 2008)

Mine was actually a little packet of powder. She was young at the time, so the vet said "mix it into milk". We did that, and she loved the milk treat. Generally cow milk isn't the best for pups though, so we didn't continue giving milk except as a mix for the powder.

I may be remembering wrong, but I think she got three packets (doses) a day. I'm sure it depends on size of pup and all though.


----------



## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Giardia in puppies is usually because the pup has been kept in unsanitary conditions and/or infected standing water (often from bird feces). I would contact the breeder you got him from, hopefully they will take responsibility and at least reimburse you for your vet bills. If not, check into the Puppy Lemon laws in your state, you may be able to recover the bills using them as leverage. 

In the mean time, be sure you wash your hands often and all surfaces the pup makes contact with on a regular basis. Keep children away from the pup until he's cleared of the illness and use a good overall infection protocol in the house.


----------



## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

And if anyone in the household develops diarrhea (in humans it generally produces "explosive diarrhea", you will know if it happens, I've had it twice from contaminated well water) get to a dr ASAP. It is a nasty little parasite and humans are usually symtomatic. It is easily treated with meds, I think I took the pills for 7 days.


----------



## LuvmyRotti (Oct 26, 2007)

Our 2 had Giardia and our vet said because the poop is well, like soft icecream and can be messy (especially since our dogs have longer hair) it's important to keep their bums clean too. Stinky and gross, but you don't want the dog to reinfect itself or you. Also, when they did their business outside, we would clean it up as best we (hubby ) could - you don't want them stepping in it either. Wash, wash, wash your hands alot.


----------



## wabanafcr (Jun 28, 2007)

cshellenberger said:


> Giardia in puppies is usually because the pup has been kept in unsanitary conditions and/or infected standing water (often from bird feces).


Giardia is everywhere. Every litter we have ever had has gotten it because of where we live (we own acreage, two ponds, and there is loads of wildlife through our property every day). Our pups are NOT kept in unsanitary conditions by any means, but the minute they go outside into our yard, they are exposed to it. I know of a couple of other good breeders in our area that have the same problem. It is simply a fact of living where I do.

Our puppy buyers are always informed. Our pups are treated before they leave us, but giardia can be difficult to eradicate and the stress of a new home and new routine can trigger a problem. Yes, it is messy and inconvenient, but it is not automatically the sign of a bad breeder or unsanitary conditions...


----------



## Mason (Sep 17, 2008)

My pup had it, combined with coccidia. I took him to my grandmother's house, and he immediatly found and ate a large pile of deer poop. His stool was mushy and bright yellow, and had an awful stench. After one round of Panacur, the giardia was gone. The coccidia was the hard thing to get rid of. It took three two-week rounds of Albon to finally get rid of it.

I wouldn't worry about people catching it. As long as you clean up after him, and make sure everyone washes their hands after any physical contact with him, you should all be fine.


----------



## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

wabanafcr said:


> Giardia is everywhere. Every litter we have ever had has gotten it because of where we live (we own acreage, two ponds, and there is loads of wildlife through our property every day). Our pups are NOT kept in unsanitary conditions by any means, but the minute they go outside into our yard, they are exposed to it. I know of a couple of other good breeders in our area that have the same problem. It is simply a fact of living where I do.
> 
> Our puppy buyers are always informed. Our pups are treated before they leave us, but giardia can be difficult to eradicate and the stress of a new home and new routine can trigger a problem. Yes, it is messy and inconvenient, but it is not automatically the sign of a bad breeder or unsanitary conditions...


 
That's why I posted the "Contaminated water" part. I know dogs here that have gotten it from drinking out of the bird bath and out of standing water in the yards or at dog parks. 

However many pups from puppy mills get infected due to the unsanitary conditions and/or stagnate water they are forced to drink. That's why so many pups bought at pet stores have the infection. It's somethng that puppy 'buyers' should be aware of.


----------

