# We stumped the vet with our chronic giardia. Any Advise?



## Mwguy101 (Feb 21, 2011)

Alright, my one year old male gsd has had chronic giardia since we got him at 9 weeks old. We got one clearance test when we were going to Banfield around 5 months with a snap test. I am not sure how accurate that test was and I was not real confident with Banfield. The vet I am going to now uses a lab to do a full fecal test and we keep coming back positive. 

My poor guy has been has been sick with one thing or another his whole life. We are finally getting him to the point were he is more or less healthy. We just can not shake this chronic giardia. He has been on at least 3-4 different medications. But none can knock this out of him. 
We have cleaned, change poop spots, bathed him, etc. But it keeps coming back. I put him on Blue Buffalo Wilderness to help with his chronic dry skin. He is also getting fish oil pill, vitamin C, probiotics, and echinacea. I just started bathing him with Selsin Blue for the dry skin. 

I am at a lost here. We can not shake the giardia and now the dry skin is becoming an issue. The worst part is the vet is stumped. Any suggestions??


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## Loneforce (Feb 12, 2012)

I would get a second opinion,mabey try onother vet. Not saying your vet is bad, but sometimes a second opinion helps


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## Jo_in_TX (Feb 14, 2012)

Have you tried food grade diatomaceous earth?

Science Inventory | Record Report | US EPA


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Did the vet take a stool sample right out of the dog? Mine had giardia too when he was little and now the vet only takes a fresh sample right out of the oven so to speak, for a more accurate test. Is it possible that your dog is drinking from the same water source and gets reinfected that way? Giardia is in water that has been contaminated by other animal's poop. I agree with the others and would get a second opinion. It can be a nasty bug to clear up


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Yes, even just a romp in infested waters can cause it.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

To be chronic with Giardia....I would believe that he is reinfecting himself somehow.....
Water, earth, grass, animal feces, various surfaces...etc....all can harbor the parasite.
Once he "sheds" the parasite...he can easily re-infest himself simply by stepping in his own feces.
With the weather the way it has been all over.....it is a melting pot of parasites out there.


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## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

I agree with the reinfecting but also wonder what the treatment plan was? One of mine pups a couple years ago had several bouts of it before finally beating it.

We ended up doing 3 rounds of treatment...each round was 3 weeks on metro and the last round I added 5 days of Albon in addition. I sprayed the yard with bleach and water (google for mixture so as not to kill the grass). I picked up immediately after she pooped and sprayed the area with bleach/water. 

It's a pesky parasite and due dilegence is needed for a heavy infestation. It's worth the extra effort to finally get rid of it. I would also sanitize any water bowls/buckets as it comes from contaminated water.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

You need to be careful that you don't pick it up as well- wash your hands after petting, cleaning up the yard, etc. Since you're in FL and parasites grow year 'round I would follow GSDAlphaMom's suggestion and treat the yard, everything your dog eats and drinks out of, maybe have the carpets steam cleaned. I didn't bring my dog to class until he was clear because it can be transmitted through dog's poop so if you're going to an area where lots of dogs go you might keep getting it there. Don't go back to areas with standing water.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

This stuff works for chronic giardia: Coccidia & Giardia Natural Effective Treatment & Prevention

I have used it to treat coccidia and I know several people who have used it when they couldn't get rid of giardia (in their dog). 

I would suspect he has a depressed immune system and that it the reason he continues to have problems.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

I second the stuff from wolf creek ranch. They have some amazing natural remedies that work great. I would also give Colloidal Silver. It kills off viruses bacteria and protozoa's which giardia is also boosts the immune system which your guy seems to be having an issue with. 

What vitamin C are you using and how much are you giving? You are giving oil so you need to give vitamin E 400 IU every 2-3 days is fine. What are you using for fish oil and how much are you giving? I would also add coconut oil. Make sure it is the organic virgin coconut oil. We have always had pretty good skin and coat with salmon oil but I just started adding coconut oil about a tablespoon a day and after a week the changes have been dramatic to say the least. It will help get rid of the dry skin and also gets rid of fungus infections and some other stuff just a great thing to have any dog on.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Be careful with colloidal silver. It can be toxic and I don't think it's been well studied in animals. I did give it to my kitten, Varda, for a bacterial infection but I kept it at the lowest dose for one week only. It's powerful stuff!


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## Mwguy101 (Feb 21, 2011)

thanks guys for you help. 




Jo_in_TX said:


> Have you tried food grade diatomaceous earth?
> 
> Science Inventory | Record Report | US EPA


This stuff looks good. But where do you get it?





BowWowMeow said:


> This stuff works for chronic giardia: Coccidia & Giardia Natural Effective Treatment & Prevention
> 
> I have used it to treat coccidia and I know several people who have used it when they couldn't get rid of giardia (in their dog).
> 
> I would suspect he has a depressed immune system and that it the reason he continues to have problems.


 
Thanks for the link, its worth a try. 





Stosh said:


> Did the vet take a stool sample right out of the dog? Mine had giardia too when he was little and now the vet only takes a fresh sample right out of the oven so to speak, for a more accurate test. Is it possible that your dog is drinking from the same water source and gets reinfected that way? Giardia is in water that has been contaminated by other animal's poop. I agree with the others and would get a second opinion. It can be a nasty bug to clear up



I doubt is because our dog drinks filtered water out of the tap. I wash is food and water bowl daily. I have taken the vet fresh stool samples and my poor dog has been subject to numerous samples taken out of his rear. He now fears the vet because of this. 



Holmeshx2 said:


> I second the stuff from wolf creek ranch. They have some amazing natural remedies that work great. I would also give Colloidal Silver. It kills off viruses bacteria and protozoa's which giardia is also boosts the immune system which your guy seems to be having an issue with.
> 
> 
> What vitamin C are you using and how much are you giving? You are giving oil so you need to give vitamin E 400 IU every 2-3 days is fine. What are you using for fish oil and how much are you giving? I would also add coconut oil. Make sure it is the organic virgin coconut oil. We have always had pretty good skin and coat with salmon oil but I just started adding coconut oil about a tablespoon a day and after a week the changes have been dramatic to say the least. It will help get rid of the dry skin and also gets rid of fungus infections and some other stuff just a great thing to have any dog on.


I am using Natural Brand Vitaman C (500 mg tables) and Natures Measure brand fish oil 1000mg. He gets both pills twice a day.


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## billsharp (May 3, 2011)

Just "spitballin'" here:

There is a good antibiotic called Rifaxamin, for human consumption, that is notable because it is not absorbed into the bloodstream from the intestine, as most abx are, but instead it stays in the intestine, maintaining a high concentration there, and effectively fighting intestinal bacteria and I believe also parasites. I don't know if it is used in dogs, but you should ask your vet. 

Be sure and wash your hands scrupulously! I got Giardia once from our previous dog and it is no fun for humans, either!


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I was thinking that he might be drinking out of a puddle or stream or running around in some standing water- but obviously you're on top of all that.


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

I don't know if this will help any but something I just remembered~

I had a plant that I had just bought, sitting in a bucket. It was some kind of hedge. It sat in a bucket of water for a couple of weeks as the roots grew out so I could plant it. 

Meanwhile I was playing frisbee with my dog, and when I wasn't looking, she was slurping water from that bucket. She started to act odd, was very itchy, drank lots of water, ate less than normal, ended up with all kinds of problems. Turns out she was getting sick from that water and that particular hedge was poisonous to pets. Needless to say, the plant was thrown out.


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## Cebennae (Jul 22, 2010)

If I may, it sounds like your dog might have some deeper issues than just chronic giardia. I think looking for another vet is a good idea, second opinions never hurt.
I think I would be wondering not just where he keeps getting the Giardia, but why he keeps getting it as well. 

I went down this road with my own GSD. Chronic skin and GI issues from the time he was a pup. Instead of Giardia, it was clostridium. The problems followed him when I moved, and none of the other dogs or cats were ever sick, so it wasn't entirely environmental. 

Some ideas;
-Probiotics are not all the same, you didn't mention what brand you used, but I've had really good luck with Proviable, the paste and the pills. The paste for short term, the pills for long term. 

-I don't know which drugs you were on, but if the inappropriate dose was prescribed, then it's possible the entire infection is not truly getting knocked out.

-Consider asking about the following tests, A fecal culture and to test for B12/cobalamin levels (it's a blood test). A fecal culture will hopefully tell if you are truly dealing with just giardia and not something else. A deficiency in B12 or cobalamin can lead to small bowel disease, and a lack of normal gut flora that would allow a chronic overgrowth of Giardia, and the problems you are having. I'd also be thinking the GI problem and the skin problems are tied together... fix the GI issues and you may well fix the other... 
But I'd caution against just supplementing B12/cobalamin without finding out if there is a deficiency first.

-I would not rule out food allergies.

-Also; I tried fish oil for my dog as well, and strangely it only made everything worse. I have had good luck with Flax Seed oil or Rice Bran oil. Maybe not as good in the omegas as Fish oil, but better tolerated, and both give a really soft shiny coat. 


It took a long time and a great deal of persistence to sort my boy out, and I did end up at a holistic DVM. 
Anyway, just a few thoughts to consider..


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## Fiddler (Feb 9, 2011)

Gracie had a severe case of Giardia until she was a little over a year old. 
She was treated so many times with medications but nothing helped. 
I started giving her Fortiflora at my vet's suggestion to deal with the diaherria and after about three weeks she has been getting non positive results ever since. 
I gave her the Fortiflora once a day for a week then about every thrid day for a week. She still gets it about once a week now. She LOVES it. 

Might be a coincidence but worth a try.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

We had the same issue. Taking one antibiotic just did not work. What worked best was Flagyl and another antibiotic (I forget the name). The vets should give you a probiotic to take while on the antibiotics. Vitamins and herbal products will not get rid of giardia. Also ask your vet about taking supplemental vitamin C. I've read it may be harmful, dogs produce their own Vit C.

As for the dry skin, the Earthbath brand has some gentle shampoos. You probably do not want to over bath your dog and strip the natural oils. Try grooming him more often.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

Fiddler said:


> Gracie had a severe case of Giardia until she was a little over a year old.
> She was treated so many times with medications but nothing helped.
> I started giving her Fortiflora at my vet's suggestion to deal with the diaherria and after about three weeks she has been getting non positive results ever since.
> I gave her the *Fortiflora* once a day for a week then about every thrid day for a week. She still gets it about once a week now. She LOVES it.
> ...


Our Vet just recommended Fortiflora to me, since our dog has bouts of colitis now. She said we could order it through places like Amazon.com. We are waiting for delivery - and after reading your post, I have high hopes for it.


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