GiardiaWho is This Little Weird Looking Protozoa ?What is Giardia in Dogs ? Well, they are parasitic protozoans. That's right, they are a waterborne protozoa, not a worm. Cryptosporidium is another waterborne parasite that is common, but rarely tested for. Protozoa...what is that, you might ask? Protozoa are (single celled organisms), in this case parasites, that are commonly found in the intestines of many animals, including dogs. They are flagellates, meaning that they have those hair-like tendrils hanging down, that act as legs to help them move. These microscopic parasites clings to the surface of the intestine, or they can also float free in the mucous lining of the intestine. These parasites cause extreme digestive upset that can result in severe nutrient loss. Hear this loud and clear... Giardia tests rarely find this parasite. It is very difficult to detect in stool samples.
Humans can be infected by Giardia too. Animals seem to be more resistant to this parasite than humans. If a dog does not have a strong immune system, it will be unable to resist the infection. The severity of the infection depends on the overall health of the dog. In North America, infection in dogs is reported to be about 8%. The rate of infection in puppies is much higher at about 36% to 50%. Dogs in shelters and kennels are very much at risk... up to 100%. This parasite has two stages of development. 1 - a feeding stage that lives and moves in the intestines. 2 - a cyst stage that leaves the body with the feces. Your dog becomes infected by ingesting (eating) the cysts. Once your dog has ingested the cysts, they travel through the digestive system and break open in the intestines. There they feed and multiply. Those little things that appear to be ' eyes ' are actually nuclei. The Giardia protozoa multiplies by dividing in two, thus the two nuclei. Brilliant eh ?! How Did My Dog Get These Intestinal Parasites? - from eating something contaminated with the cysts. Is your dog a Garbage Hound suffering from Garbagitis? - from drinking standing contaminated water from lakes, streams, ponds, puddles, bird-baths, ditches...who knows where? You know how dogs are! If you have a well...get it tested. Giardia Symptoms - recurring diarrhea, mild to severe - explosive diarrhea - soft, light colored, greasy looking stools - gassy - weight loss - loss of appetite - eating, but still losing weight. - dehydration - listlessness and fatigue - mucus in the stool - nausea and vomiting - excessive grass eating. Some experts see this as a symptom because eating grass will make a dog purge, either by vomiting or by prompting stool elimination. I'm not sure, maybe! Seems reasonable. - stool eating ( copraphagia ) in an attempt to gain nutrients and bacteria. Again, some experts point to this as a symptom. The jury is still out on this opinion, as far as I'm concerned. Diagnosis Take your dog to the vet. Stage 1 or 2 must be found in the feces. Three stool samples should be taken over a period of ten days to two weeks. The reason for this, is that the cysts are passed periodically, not with every bowel movement. Just because you receive a negative result, does not rule out that your dog may have this parasitic infection. Trust me, I know about this. My dog Jack, whom you have met on other pages, actually had Giardia for a number of years, if you can believe that! He would show symptoms off and on over this time, and we were never able to pinpoint the problem. He couldn't gain weight, he would have runny, loose, smelly, mucousy, uncontrollable bowel movements with occasional vomiting. This went on for years. You can imagine how much I worried about him...but no results were found. Giardia Treatment The most commonly used drug is Metronidazole ( Flagyl ) which is an anti protozoal. This drug can be used alone or in combination with another similar drug called Fenbendazole. Neither of these drugs is 100% effective, and has the potential to cause liver damage. There are other drugs, such as Panacur that are used for this problem, but none are very effective and some do have dangerous and unpleasant side effects. By the way, if you are going to use these drugs on your dog, at the very least, support the presence of beneficial bacteria in the gut with a powerful probiotic such as Probiotic 11 from Nature's Sunshine. See below. No...yoghurt WILL NOT do the job ! Natural Solutions Since conventional medications have so many potential side-effects, and are not really that effective, I think that a better solution is to look at natural remedies. Here is what I used for Jack. He is infection free. Even now I give him this program about once a year, just to make sure, because I know that Giardia can reappear. 1 - Liquid Silver Shield - a powerful natural anti-pathogen. 2 - Probiotic 11 - eleven different strains of beneficial bacteria to repopulate the gut and make his immune system strong. My dogs get this once or twice a week all the time. 3 - High Potency Garlic - to repel other parasites as well, such as fleas and ticks. I give this from April to November in food. 4 - Artemesia Combination - Anti-parasitic, parasiticide- used to aid in the expulsion of worms and parasites. It can be used for amoebic infestations, candida, ringworm and tapeworm. If your dog will is very sick and will not take capsules in the food you can use Black Walnut Extract instead... three drops per 25 lbs of body weight. 5 - Essential Liquid Minerals - trace mineral to replace nutrient loss due to diarrhea and loose stools. Since Giardia can cause severe intestinal inflammation, I like Whole Leaf Aloe Vera to soothe the entire digestive tract. If your dog is so sick that he will not eat, and has diarrhea if he even looks at food...you can put all of these liquids together and syringe them down the dogs' throat. A syringe can be gotten at any pharmacy. Sometimes this is necessary. I would be happy to coach you through this process if you are experiencing these symptoms with your dog. You can contact me here.
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I would be a rich woman if I had a dollar for every person who has contacted me to say that their dog has recurring diarrhea. Next to skin problems, diarrhea in dogs is the most common complaint.
