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Giardia / Coccidia
What you may not know about Giardia or Coccidia
I have written this because people often freak out when they find out that the pup or dog has Giardia or Coccidia. This is my take on it.
Please read what I am going to say as my to a degree iconoclastic explanation of reality of Giardia and Coccidia.
First let me say that I am dealing with this issue for decades not just in my kennel, but in all other major kennel I have been working in where some of them had hundreds and even well over thousand of dogs and pups. I have read different literature and talked to many veterinarians and thus I have pretty good grip on what is going on as far as Giardia and Coccidia goes. Here is what I know and what I believe. What ever I say here about Giardia is also truth about Coccidia.
Facts
I'll skip the biology which you can Google anywhere and will go to the point which interests the dog breeder.
Ft Dodge conducted study and found out that even in well kept kennels 100% of dogs may have Giardia. It is also fact that 40%- 50% of (all) puppies have Giardia. Also 10% of dogs even right after they are treated carry Giardia.
General statistics state that 10%-75% of all dogs ( this number combines indoor and outdoor dogs ) have giardia. The number varies widely because in different tests there is different representation of strictly indoors and outdoors dogs. Indoor dogs are easier to keep Giardia free.
The PR above is trying to scare people into buying their product-GiardiaVax thus the transmission of Giardia to humans and the symptoms of Giardia are described in the worse case scenario alternative. Never the less the fact based on this study and other studies here in USA and in Europe remains that dogs who are outside will come into contact with Giardia sooner or later. I would venture to say that all dogs living outside are carriers of Giardia at one time or another and most are carriers all the time. One thing which I have learned long time ago is not to drink water from streams, lakes, ponds, puddles, swimming pools,.........you got the picture because it is contaminated by giardia. But you can not stop the dogs to drink from these sources. All surface waters probably contain Giardia, and whether cysts are detected depends largely on the methods used to collect and analyze water samples.
On top of it all the birds's droppings and outdoor cat's stool contain giardia. Numerous species of Giardia have been found in a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes. Giardia has
also been detected in beaver, muskrats, wading birds, voles, mice, shrews, gerbils, rats, deer, coyote,....There are infinite amounts of sources of giardia which outdoor dogs encounters.
Even you,... when you take a dog outdoors it is only a matter of short time when the pup is going to be drinking from a puddle or stream or get into contact with droppings of animals and get Giardia. Thus if you treat the dog for Giardia then it will not take such a long time and you will have to do it again and again and again. That is unless you keep the dog inside 100% inside.
Stress.
Thus what I am saying is that just about 100% of outdoor dogs are carriers of Giardia ( and coccidia) at one time or another and some all the time, where there are no symptoms unless the dog is under strong stress.
It is unnatural for the pup to be transferred 10s to 1000s of miles from his home and lose all his environment in a matter of hours.
Pups get stressed easily by transport and change of environment and food and different water and by loosing his mama and his litter mates and his home. That diminishes pup's immune system and that then causes or may cause diarrhea in a pup regardless if he / she has giardia or not. Then this is also aggravated by the fact that the new owner with all his or hers good intentions tends to overfeed the pup and that alone may lead to diarrhea. The owner then goes to the vet ( subsequently exposing the not yet fully immunized dog to parvo and other contagious diseases in the 50 +/- miles area which is much more serious problem(!!!) ) for treatment of diarrhea. The vet then will put on serious face and sell you stool test(s) and meds. THAT IS their LIVELIHOOD. That is what they do. The fact remains that the original diarrhea may or may not have anything to do with the fact that the pup is giardia carrier and his diarrhea may be only a parallel but not necessarily related condition. Correlation is not necessarily the cause!
The truth also is that Giardia may flair because of the stress. The immune system of the dog does keep the condition in check and dog is symptomless unless the pup is exposed to stress. Keep in mind that the pup gets stressed easier the adult. The stress will suppress the immune system and diarrhea is a result. Let me also say that stress may cause Giardia and Coccidia to overwhelm the pup, where stress less pup has no symptoms.
Options
So here are the options. I can keep the dogs in sterile environment and turn them into giardia free social idiots or allow them to run free around the property and potentially and/or eventually get into contact with giardia and or coccidia. FYI I disinfect the kennels daily by at least 3 different disinfectant on rotation basis. I am using bleach, antibacterial soap, and industrial strength Lysol product. All visitors and (even I and Debbie when we come from outside) must disinfect their soles and hands. However pups run outside every day and play in puddles and dirt and eat what ever they find on outrprperty. The fecal matter is 30% of solid matter of the stool is microbes
Giardia and Coccidia may be just part of it. Natural dogs like wolf and coyote are carriers of these microbes. You can try to keep the outdoors dogs giardia and Coccidia free but then ask yourself since dogs and especially older dogs are symptomless, what is worse? Giardia and Coccidia or the chemicals which you are putting into the dog.
Disclaimer and Treatment.
The following text is not a veterinarian advice and I am not a veterinarian. Just well educated layman on this topic. This is what I do. You be an independent judge. Study this topic on Internet and then and only then decide. I can not tell you what you should do. You do what you think is right. Diarrhea may be a symptom of serious condition like Parvo and small pup may drop dead from shock of secondary infection of Parvo and other diseases rather quickly. Parvo can be confirmed by Elisa test at the vet clinic.
If a pup has diarrhea take a stool sample to the vet. Leave the not fully immunized pup at home! However if Parvo is a suspect then take the pup to the vet immediately. ( parvo symptoms: pup vomits, has at first tapioca colored stool or reddish brown stool in later stages and the stool has strong unusual but in future unforgettable "putrid" smell.
Back to Giardia and Coccidia.
I personally do not treat Giardia or Coccidia if there are no symptoms. If I do, then I use Panacur C ( Fenbendazole) which will also gently deworm your dog.
For more information and doses please read this:
If you have hard time to figure out doses contact your veterinarian. Or contact manufacturer: http://www.intervetusa.com/
800 992 8051
800 441 8272
Or you can get prescription on Flagyl (Metronidazole) and Triple Sulfa. Talk to veterinarian.
Giardia is persistent and several treatments about 2 weeks apart may be necessary. FOLLOW VETERINARIAN'S ADVICE.
Make sure that your dog is Giardia and Coccidia positive before you treat the dog. Take a stool sample to the vet for diagnosis.
If I see diarrhea I first put the dog on dry Eucanuba puppy chow for small dogs which has high protein amount. 31%-32% I mix into it table spoon per cup Libby's pumpkin puree and 1-2 tea spoons of Organic Greek yogurt. Also you may ad kaopectate into the water. Stool should firm up in 24 hrs.
Zoonotic transmission to humans.
The only precaution for transmission of these microbes ( Giardia and cCoccidia) from dog to a person is to keep the yard clean and to wash your hands immediately in antibacterial soup and / or 1 table spoon of bleach diluted in 32 oz of water after the contact with the dog's feces. If your dog poops in your yard then you may poor water with 1/2 cup of bleach per gallon onto the spot where the stool was located before you picked it up.
I hope that this helps.
Hans
