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Pets 101: Dogs and Giardia
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Dog owners are aware of the basic pests that can plague their pets, but may not know about a pesky parasite called Giardia. Giardia is more common than one might think and affects a large number of dogs. Many dogs are carriers, but exhibit no symptoms.
So what is Giardia? It's a protozoan parasite that resides in the intestines of dogs. During an outbreak (or flare) the giardia quickly multiplies and attaches to the walls of the intestines, causing distress to the affected dog. Symptoms during a flare include diarrhea (sometimes explosive or watery and in extreme cases, bloody), abdominal distress and lethargy.
Where is Giardia found? Surface waters such as creeks, ponds, or standing water can be contaminated by Giardia cysts. Because the cysts have a hard outer coating, they can exist for long periods of time and cause problems to the animals that come in contact with them. Dogs often ingest these cysts after walking through water and later, licking their paws.
Who is affected by Giardia? Any dog can be affected by Giardia, but those dogs whose immune system is somehow compromised, will show the symptoms most readily. Stress (moving, illness, rehoming, etc) can spur an outbreak of Giardia. Giardia often affects dogs in a shared kennel situation or dogs who have recently been adopted or rehomed.
Diagnosing Giardia is tricky and oftentimes, a diagnosis is based on a discussion of the symptoms, rather than on a fecal sample. Fecal samples can show passed cysts, but they are not always present. Therefore, a clean fecal sample doesn't always rule out Giardia.
If Giardia is believed to be present, a veterinarian will typically prescribe Flagyl (metronidazole) for 5-7 days. The medication is highly effective in killing the protozoa, stimulating the immune response and bringing the overall number of protozoa down to a level that the dog's own immune system can handle.
So, how do you go about preventing future outbreaks? First and foremost, eliminate all standing water and disinfect areas known to be contaminated. If there is a kennel run, a bleach/water solution should be applied. Clean up dog feces immediately (please see Tidbit for the day for an additional idea) and the dog should be kept as clean as possible. If there are feces (from diarrhea) on the dog, put on gloves and thoroughly wash the tail, legs and entire back end of the dog so that cysts are no reingested during grooming. Giardia is difficult to remove from affected areas and yards affected by the parasite should be considered as contaminated for at least a month.
A final note about getting ahead of Giardia; keep your dog healthy. A healthy immune system will usually keep the symptoms of Giardia at bay. So, keep your dogs clean, provide fresh water, a clean environment, nutritious diet and supplements as needed.
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