GIARDIA

GIARDIA & COCCIDIA
Both Giardia and Coccidia are common protozoan infestations which I call invaders. Both have the same clinical symptoms, which is why I recommend that you treat both one after the other. I feel Coccidia should be treated for 14-21 days with Sulfadimethoxine (Albon) and Giardia should be treated for 5 days with Fenbendazole (Safeguard). If your first choice of treatment works then great you have solved the issue, if not proceed with the treatment plan, but please always consult with your veterinarian and/or an educated breeder/owner before medicating your dog.

WHAT IS GIARDIA AND WHO DO I ASK?

An invasion (infection) of microscopic parasitic protozoan (single celled organisms) that cling to the surface of the intestine, and/or floats around free in the mucous lining the intestine of dogs, humans, and other animals. A dog can be diagnosed with Giardia by either clinical or fecal evaluation by a veterinarian or an educated breeder.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AS WELL AS WHAT HARM/RISK ARE ASSOCIATED WITH AN INFECTION?

From a totally fine healthy normally acting dog, to a fatigued loss of appetite mild recurring diarrhea consisting of soft light-colored stool with mucus, to the severe case of weight loss listlessness the straining acute explosive diarrhea with small amounts of blood; Giardia simply was made to multiply in large numbers and interfere with nutrient absorption (Malabsorption).

HOW CAN AN INFECTION BE TREATED FOR LESS?

Good thing effective treatments are available without having a prescription:

 1. Metronidazole (Flagyl) is often the first choice for many which is only 50%-70% effective in most cases. A product called Fish-Zole 250 milligram 60 count bottle for $41.99 or Fish Zole Forte 500 milligram 60 count bottle for $59.99 which is non-prescription Metronidazole bottled and labeled for fish tank use.(current price as of 05/26/2016). These tablets are the exact same size, color, and even have the same markings as the tablets that you would get from your veterinarian.

 2. Safeguard (Fenbendazole) is my first choice for going at Giardia its inexpensive, very safe, and is 96% effective. Most people use the Goat form of Safe-guard, but I tend to stick with the Equine or Cattle form of it. The Goat form is 125 milliliters for about $20.00 will treat 125 pounds of dog, and the Equines 25 gram paste for about $10.00 will treat 110 pounds of dog.

WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDED DOSAGE?

1. Metronidazole for adult dogs 250 milligrams per 25 pounds twice daily, for puppies 125 milligrams (1/2 tablet) per 8 to 12 pounds twice daily for a total of 10 days.
2. Fenbendazole for adults and puppies is 1 cc per 5 pounds of weight for 5 days. Then retreated in 2 weeks (treat week, off week, treat week) to ensure that the problem is taken care of.

BUT I HAVE MULTIPLE DOGS OR A KENNELS, WHAT THEN AND HOW DO I ELIMINATE IT?

If the invaders are present in a single dog but you have multiple dogs or a kennel don't worry, it can be approached in two ways, one is isolation and treatment of infected dog and the other mass treatment of all dogs. Either way you will need to treat for 5 days followed up in 2 weeks with another 5 days of treatment. The way I go about it is, if one of my dogs become invaded I treat all of them to be safe.
Next,the kennel area and yard must be cleaned with disinfectant throughly, this is essential so that you are able to prevent the spread of these invaders. You will need to use bleach at 1:10 water ratio, or quaternary ammonium disinfectants. Let it set for 30 minutes for hard surfaces (not dirt or grass)and then rinse thoroughly if you don't use an dial sprayer. After that all you need to do is let it completely dry before letting the dogs back into the yard or kennels. The disinfection of grass and dirt is almost impossible, such area should are regarded as contaminated for at least a month after the invaded dog has been in that area. This is one of the main reasons I spray down my grass and dirt at least twice a week with bleach and quaternary ammonium, but not on the same days.

HOW CAN AN INVASION BE PREVENTED?

I'm just going to keep 100 with you, its very difficult to prevent an invasion because it is known that Giardia can be carried by seemingly healthy dogs into a new home or kennel setting. What I do is when bringing a new dog into the home or kennel, is treat the dog immediately for 5 days. You also should try your best to prevent your dogs from drinking foul water that may contain large numbers of cysts; places like a rivers, puddles, ponds, and so on although this cannot be prevented 100% of the time. If you are using non-chlorinated water from places like a well, lake, or stream, I recommend that you boil all of your dog's drinking water unless you have another form of purification that you use. And finally, moist and cool conditions favor the survival of the invader; so, by keeping everything clean, disinfected, and dry you should be getting the upper hand toward preventing a major invasion.

This is not all of the information about Giardia but its a quick run down summed up and simplified for the youngest mind.