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.

Worms-N-Dogs

I have listed a short description of the most common worms found in dogs, how these worms infect your dog, and to finalize this article I will tell you what we use here at NoVACAIN Kennels to prevent and treat these parasites that can cause a range of health problems in your dogs.

VACCINATION SCHEDULE 

Roundworms

Typically spread in and through feces or during pregnancy or nursing, the roundworm causes a serious infection in dogs and puppies. Roundworms eat the food of its host and may cause diarrhea and other symptoms and with puppies, roundworms can be fatal. Prescription and over-the-counter deworming products for dogs are very effective. If people contract roundworms, their symptoms can be even more serious than those in dogs making roundworms zoonosis which means “able to be transmitted to humans from animals”.

Hookworms

These blood sucking worms mainly live in the small intestine of dogs, literally sucking and living off of the blood of your dog. With puppies they become infected from their mothers, while adult dogs often become infected through their skin while cleaning themselves. This parasite causes weakness and malnutrition and can quickly lead to death in puppies. Normally two (2) rounds of deworming medication are very effective in eliminating the internal parasite, although some puppies may need other treatment, as well to rid these blood suckers.  Humans can also become infected with hookworms from unwashed vegetables or by walking barefoot on sand and soil.

Heartworms

The all nasty and annoying MOSQUITO are the culprits that spread heartworms to dogs through their bites. This parasite affects how the heart functions and also how the blood clots by living in the heart and arteries that carries blood from the heart to the lungs, likely to causing death if untreated. Monthly heartworm preventives are effective and expensive so here at NoVACAIN Kennels we use 1% Ivermectin monthly (for more information look up ivermectin in the search). If infected, your dog may cough, have trouble breathing, and experience other symptoms. Treatment may involve two or three injections of arsenic-based drugs, followed by at least a month of rest so it is very important to have your dog or puppy on a monthly heartworm preventative asap.

Whipworms

Living where the small and large intestines meet, the whipworm is another blood sucking parasite, that literally lives off of the blood of your dog often being picked up and infected from contaminated soil or by grooming. Most often the whipworm doesn’t cause serious blood loss or other serious symptoms unless the dog or puppy is infested by large numbers of them that are embedded in the intestine. Some heartworm preventives are also effective against whipworms, and the oral de-wormer we use here at NoVACAIN Kennels is effective at eliminating whipworms.

Tapeworms

Carried by the annoying flea dogs often get tapeworms from licking themselves and swallowing fleas. Attached to the intestine this parasite sucks up nutrients from the dog or puppies body. Made up of small segments about the size of a grain of rice; that are passed in feces, and can sometimes been seen around the dog’s butt. An injection or tablet or the wormer we use here at NoVACAIN Kennels can kill the tapeworm. People also can get infected by tapeworms, but this is not a zoonosis parasite.

The Wormer We Use At NoVACAIN Kennels

Safe-Guard (Fenbendazole) is given for 3 consecutive days in a row and is very effective in the treatment of:
Tapeworms (Taenia pisiformis)
Roundworms (Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina)
Hookworms (Ancylostoma caninum, Uncinaria stenocephala)
Whipworms (Trichuris vulpis)
Safe-Guard is given to your dog orally or by mixing the daily dose with a small amount of food. It is important to make sure your dog eats all of the food that has been medicated with Safe-Guard. If you feed a dry kibble you may need to moisten the dry dog food with a little warm water to help the mixing process. If worms are present or this is a newly acquired dog or puppy it is recommended to re-treat the dog or puppy in 2 weeks following the original treatment date.