TEC Posted April 18, 2014 Report Share Posted April 18, 2014 ...So, I can't get him treated without knowing for sure what it is, and when I stalk him all day to get a fecal sample, he finally poops solid, normal poo. So, I decided not to test him or do anything else at the present. He is back to normal-maybe it was just a bug? Glad he is feeling better. Good vets do not necessarily ask for a fecal analysis before prescribing meds for Giardiasis. A VCA veterinary website advises that many cases are treated on a presumptive diagnosis based on medical history and clinical signs. Link to VCA website. VCA, in my experience as a dog owner, tends to provide extremely complete (IMO excessive) veterinary diagnosis and treatment. My vet, for routine fecal exams, asks for a sample collected from the ground within several hours of the stool, and it can be refrigerated for a while. I do not have to follow her around or drop everything to get to the vet with the sample. The above is FYI in the event his symptoms should re-appear. Of course, if your vet has specific guidance, his advice is primary. -- Very best wishes, TEC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alchemist Posted April 18, 2014 Report Share Posted April 18, 2014 Giardia can cause diarrhea that's intermittent. While you need a prescription for metronidazole (and your vet may or may not require a fecal sample before prescribing it), you don't need a prescription for Panacur, which can also be used to treat Giardia (among other things). See http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00425.htm for information on treating Giardia with Panacur. That being said - having just this week had Giardia in my household (one dog, with loose stools, who has already been treated for it once this year was positive for it again; another dog, with firm stools, was negative; the third dog, who wasn't as obliging in providing a stool sample, came down with fairly severe diarrhea the day after I dropped off the stool samples, so the vet suggested I treat all three dogs) - I'm ordering some Fish Zole (metronidazole packaged for fish) so that I have some on hand the next time diarrhea sets in and it's a day before I can get it from the vet's. We hike fairly frequently at a reservoir frequented by beaver, so Giardia is the most likely culprit when I see intermittent diarrhea. You can purchase Fish Zole without a prescription. I'd still rather get it from the vet, but it's nice to have on hand in case of emergency... Sorry folks. I don't get on the computer very often and can't post from my phone although I can read the posts. Thanks for all your replies. Gloria, the answers were exactly what I wanted-I asked "are there any" and the answer was "no." So, I can't get him treated without knowing for sure what it is, and when I stalk him all day to get a fecal sample, he finally poops solid, normal poo. So, I decided not to test him or do anything else at the present. He is back to normal-maybe it was just a bug? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloria Atwater Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 Sorry folks. I don't get on the computer very often and can't post from my phone although I can read the posts. Thanks for all your replies. Gloria, the answers were exactly what I wanted-I asked "are there any" and the answer was "no." So, I can't get him treated without knowing for sure what it is, and when I stalk him all day to get a fecal sample, he finally poops solid, normal poo. So, I decided not to test him or do anything else at the present. He is back to normal-maybe it was just a bug? Glad to hear he is doing better! But do keep an eye on him. Giardia is very apt to come and go, as are other GI bugs. My dog Nick had a similar bug a year ago - cryptosporidium and something else - and it visited him twice several weeks apart. The 1st time was just kind of yukky runny poops that went away. The 2nd time, his innards were in such an uproar that he just exploded in bloody poops and cramped up so bad he could barely walk! Scared the heck out of me, but medication sorted him out swiftly. So, watch for any recurrences and if so, get your little dude in to the vet ASAP. They can learn a lot just by examining him and I think they might even be able to do a swab, in the absence of poo. Nick had no poo to to sample, he was just running out liquid! I hope this was the end of it, but if it returns, don't delay at all. Giardia can linger and make a return. Good luck! ~ Gloria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted April 26, 2014 Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 This is a timely thread. DH came home to a trail of diarrhea from Cricket. Her favourite pastime on the farm is running/digging/and generally getting thoroughly muck filled from all the run-off creeks here. This is the first time she's had such a violent reaction so I'm not sure if it's giardia or not. But given the conditions, it likely is. I've placed a call to my vet to see about medications and whether he can prescribe something even if she no longer has the runs. Also, since the 4 dogs and the cat all use the same water bowls, etc....should I be treating all of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Meier Posted April 26, 2014 Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 going ahead and treating everyone to 5 days of Panacur/Safeguard isn't going to hurt anything. Last time I looked you could find the granules at Wal-Mart. Last week our entire kennel went through a 5 day treatment, pups were showing some sloppy poop so just treated the entire kennel, takes care of many other worms too. Since we have so many dogs we use the liquid and buy 1000ml bottles, I have a vet clinic that I order from that makes it up double strength and adds banana flavoring. You can us the smaller 125 ml bottles labeled for goats too. Pretty easy to google search around to find the dosage, very common dewormer to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted April 26, 2014 Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 I'm having a heck of a time getting Safe-guard in Ontario Canada...I finally found some on Amazon.ca....now I hope I can actually order it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riika Posted May 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2014 Thanks for all the good advice. TEC-My problem was, how do you collect diarrhea from the ground? When it first showed up, I opened his crate door in the morning, and the inside was covered in poop. It looked like a cow got in there and splattered everywhere. Somehow, he only had a little on his paw. So if it happens again can I just scrape some off the wall for a sample? My vet, for routine fecal exams, asks for a sample collected from the ground within several hours of the stool, and it can be refrigerated for a while. I do not have to follow her around or drop everything to get to the vet with the sample. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted May 2, 2014 Report Share Posted May 2, 2014 I like to keep popsicle sticks on hand for just this sort of thing. Scrape some up and wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate until you take it in. The fresher, the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riika Posted October 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 I know this is an old post but I wanted to get this out there for other people to take note. This was not giardia. It was a grain sensitivity. Shortly after these posts, I started him on grain free dog food and haven't had another problem. Well, except for when somebody fed him Sadie's grain containing dog food, as well as the couple of times they got into dead deer this year. So, when a dog is having these symptoms, (throwing up intermittently, terrible diarrhea, etc.) maybe think about the food factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 Very good point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 As well, giardia has a distinct odor, different and more foul than regular poop or diarrhea. Once you've smelled it, you know it for sure. Ruth and Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 I have used shredded coconut to good effect on random diarrhea from causes like too much bone marrow, etc. It works fine for that, and my dog likes it and will scarf up a handful, no problem. But for something like giardia, I'd want meds from a vet. It might even be a bad idea to give it to the dog with giardia - if the diarrhea disappeared it would be tempting to think that the coconut cured it. Which could be a big mistake with serious consequences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cass C Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 I had the same issues with Lyka's grain allergies and my vet was trying to tell me it was parvo or coxidia... it ended up being a pet store employee (who ended up being our first dog trainer) that suggested trying grain free food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riika Posted November 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 As well, giardia has a distinct odor, different and more foul than regular poop or diarrhea. Once you've smelled it, you know it for sure. Ruth and Gibbs Well, I've never smelled giardia, but if it's worse than the time they got into the deer, I'm going to need a hazmat suit to clean it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Well, I've never smelled giardia, but if it's worse than the time they got into the deer, I'm going to need a hazmat suit to clean it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 I don't know about rotting deer aftermath, but giardia smells different from every kind of nasty poop I've had to deal with. Can't believe I'm participating in a discussion on the finer points of abnormal poop smell. Ruth and Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crawford Dogs Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 I've read the entire thread and am still clueless as to why the general public is giving their dogs coconut oil. Seriously, who gives their dog coconut oil and why in such large quantities it causes pancreatitis? I'm going to wonder all night. . . Bethany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloria Atwater Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 I know this is an old post but I wanted to get this out there for other people to take note. This was not giardia. It was a grain sensitivity. Shortly after these posts, I started him on grain free dog food and haven't had another problem. Well, except for when somebody fed him Sadie's grain containing dog food, as well as the couple of times they got into dead deer this year. So, when a dog is having these symptoms, (throwing up intermittently, terrible diarrhea, etc.) maybe think about the food factor. Ahh, that makes wonderful sense! Food sensitivities can be nasty things. Thanks for coming back after all this time to follow up and I'm glad your boy is doing great. ~ Gloria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloria Atwater Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 I don't know about rotting deer aftermath, but giardia smells different from every kind of nasty poop I've had to deal with. Can't believe I'm participating in a discussion on the finer points of abnormal poop smell. Ruth and Gibbs We're dog people. It's what we do. ~ Gloria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickAndArtoo Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 I haven't read through the replies but hopefully someone has mentioned kocci free or vibactra parvaid combined!!! They work miracles on giardia and are herbal. We used the vibactra and parvaid combined and it was the only thing worked after trying panacur twice and metro (which is supposed to be VERY BAD) kocci free is what is generally recommended and they both come from the same company. Wick got it again later and we learned it up with grapefruit see extract but it took way longer to see results (the vibactra got me solid stools in 24 hours!!) when I used the grapefruit seed it took about 3 days to see some improvement... I mixed 10 drops into mashed banana (it's soothing for tummies) about 4-5 times a day for a 50 lb dog. Good luck!!! Someone else probably said it but pumpkin will help solidify in the mean time. Ps generally unless you live in California or somewhere else big with good natural dog supply stores you will need to order those online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttiffany20191 Posted November 28, 2015 Report Share Posted November 28, 2015 I haven't read through this whole thread but I've been through this and it is the worst. She'd go on metro get better for awhile and it would be back. Vet finally added in Panacur and Drontal and knock on wood that is what finally kicked it to the curb. It is not fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy Posted November 28, 2015 Report Share Posted November 28, 2015 First, Fergie got into goose poop down at the local pond when she was young. We fought recurring giardia until she died. Thank goodness Dixie has turned her nose up at goose poop. Now, squirrel, deer, or (best of all) cat.... Second, as to "I was surprised because I thought it was one of those 'everyone knows' things, like not eating unidentifiable mushrooms". A relative in Lithuania told me that all mushrooms are edible. Some only once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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