Giardia: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Giardia is one of the most common parasites in dogs. The four-legged friends can quickly become infected in many ways but rarely become seriously ill. Here you can find out everything about the causes, symptoms, treatment, and first aid tips for Giardia.

SOS: Giardia First Aid Tips

• Clean your home very thoroughly.
• Wash dog blankets and toys in hot water (at least 60°C) as well as sofas, beds, etc. used by the dog. If the covers cannot be washed, use a steam cleaner, e.g. B. also for your car.
• Clean the feeding bowls daily.
• Bathe your dog with dog shampoo to remove adherent Giardia from the coat – preferably daily and with special care in the anal area.
• The addition of pre-or probiotics supports the dog’s intestinal flora.
• Feed your dog with as few carbohydrates as possible and lots of raw fibre.
• Avoid high-traffic dog parks.
• Promptly remove dog feces from the yard, kennels, or wherever it occurs. Dispose of it in sealed plastic bags with household waste.
• Since flies transmit Giardia, food should not be left standing and water bowls must also be protected from flies.
• If there are litter boxes in your household, the litter must be changed daily and the litter box disinfected. Giardia can also be transmitted to cats.
• Young children should be protected from infested animals and discouraged from mouthing objects that are near the dog.
• Keep your dog away from children’s digs or sandboxes during infection.
• Visit the vet.

What is Giardia?

Giardia (Giardia duodenalis, also Giardia intestinalis, Giardia lamblia) are unicellular parasites that settle in the dog’s intestines and also multiply there. They are among the most common parasites worldwide and affect dogs as well as cats, rabbits, and chinchillas of all ages. The pathogens attach themselves to the intestinal wall of the small intestine and disrupt the animals’ regular digestive processes there. Like an actual disease, however, the parasites usually appear in puppies or young dogs under the age of one year or in animals with chronic previous illnesses.

Giardia infection in dogs is called giardiasis and can cause intestinal inflammation. Giardiasis is a so-called zoonosis, i.e. a disease that can theoretically be transmitted to humans.

Giardia: Causes – How Does the Disease Come About?

Animals infected with Giardia shed the cysts, the reproductive stage of the pathogen, in their feces, thereby spreading the cysts to their surroundings. The cysts survive for up to a week in feces, and even several weeks in soil or cold water. Other dogs then contract giardia through the infected feces while outdoors on walks or in confined spaces in kennels or animal shelters. However, the infection can also occur through colonized water, food, and direct contact with sick animals – e.g. B. when infected dogs are licked. The feces of young infected puppies are particularly contagious as they usually contain large amounts of cysts.

Giardia: Symptoms – How Does Giardia Make Itself Felt?

The following symptoms of Giardia often occur, especially in puppies and young animals:

• regularly recurring, sometimes severe, and sometimes watery diarrhea
• slimy, bloody feces (due to mucous membrane admixtures)
• intermittent phases with normal feces possible
• gas
• loss of appetite
• weight loss
• listlessness
• slight fever possible
• vomit
• stomach cramps

However, there are also dogs in which a Giardia infection is completely symptom-free. However, these dogs are carriers and excretors of the parasites and can infect other dogs and humans through their feces.

Giardia: Diagnosis – How Can Giardia Be Detected in Dogs?

If your dog has repeated diarrhea, it is always a good idea to have a stool sample examined by the vet. Ideally, you should collect your dog’s feces on three days for a thorough examination of the feces, as the giardia is not shed with every feces. If your dog is infected, giardiasis can be easily detected using a quick test. The detection takes place either directly at the veterinarian or in a laboratory. If there are several animals in a household, all animals should be tested for giardia – even if no symptoms of giardia have appeared.

Giardia: History – How Dangerous is Giardia in Dogs?

There are several Giardia species that are distributed worldwide and can also affect other animal species such as cats, guinea pigs, hedgehogs, rabbits, and also birds or reptiles. In dogs, the pathogen “Giardia intestinalis” occurs in most cases.

In the life cycle of Giardia, a distinction is made between two stages – trophozoites and cysts. The trophozoites are the active, fertile form of the pathogen that attach themselves to the dog’s intestinal wall and form new cysts. The cysts are then the permanent form of Giardia. They are surrounded by a protective covering and are excreted by the infected dog. The cysts are very resilient and very resistant to environmental influences. In a moist environment, they can survive up to three months outside the host and remain contagious in feces for a week. If the dog ingests these cysts again orally, they convert back into trophozoites in the intestine and the cycle begins again. Even a small amount of ingested cysts can be enough to trigger an infection and thus diarrhea. Since the cysts can also get stuck on the dog’s anus and fur, the dog can also become infected again and again. This often leads to regularly recurring diarrhea, flatulence, loss of appetite, weight loss, lethargy, vomiting, and a slight fever. However, Giardia infection can also be asymptomatic.

Giardia: Treatment – What Treatment Options are There for My Dog?

How can the vet help my dog?

Medication

In the case of an infection with Giardia, the dog is usually given the active ingredient fenbendazole, which is contained in the Panacur preparation, for example. The drug is given daily for three to five days, with a dosage of 50 milligrams of fenbendazole per kilogram of body weight per day. In addition, it is recommended to repeat the treatment with fenbendazole after about two to three weeks. Alternatively, giardiasis can also be treated with antibiotics such as metronidazole, fenbendazole, febantel, and albendazole, which are administered to the four-legged friend twice a day over a period of five days.

How can I help my dog ​​with Giardia?

In order to give your dog the best possible support in its recovery, you should observe special hygiene measures. Spraying down surfaces with a steam jet, washing blankets hot, cleaning bowls and toys daily with boiling water, and drying them well will help your four-legged friend to recover more quickly, as this will remove the cysts. Also, wash your dog’s coat with shampoo. With long-haired dogs, it can make sense to shave the hair in the anal area short. In addition, changing the feed to an easily digestible gastrointestinal diet and sufficient fluid and electrolyte intake can help normalize the gastrointestinal tract. Feed supplements such as elm bark have a supporting effect.

Important: Even after the symptoms have subsided, you should have the success of the therapy checked by a veterinarian by taking another stool sample because Giardia symptom-free dogs must continue to be treated.

Home remedies for giardia

• Herbal Buttermilk: Depending on the dog’s size, add a teaspoon or tablespoon to the food
• Propolis from the beekeeper: helps to strengthen the general immune system and helps the
• Dog with gastrointestinal problems
• Coconut Oil: Add half a teaspoon daily over food for small dogs, a full tablespoon for large dogs
• Feed some beef tripe or omasum
• Natural, probiotic sauerkraut
• Probiotic yogurt

Homeopathy for Giardia

Homeopathic remedies can help dogs with Giardia infection. Abronatum 2X or 3X and China 4X or 6X can be given to dogs with emaciation from giardia. Mercurius D6 or D10 can help with slimy and bloody feces.

Prevent Giardia

Giardia is so widespread in dogs that infection is almost impossible to prevent. You can support your dog with a balanced diet that promotes a healthy intestinal flora. In addition, a lot of exercise in the fresh air keeps him healthy and strengthens his immune system. In the case of giardiasis, he can cope better with the infestation. To protect other animals and reduce the overall spread of Giardia, always collect and dispose of your dog’s feces. Also, always make sure you have fresh drinking water – it’s best to change it every hour. Since Giardia dies off at 60 degrees, you should regularly and thoroughly clean your four-legged friend’s utensils. Surfaces that the dog regularly comes into contact with can be cleaned with a steam jet. In addition to intensive fur care with shampoo, washing the dog textiles at least 60 degrees is also recommended. Also avoid dirty puddles, bathing areas, or public drinking vessels, because this is where the parasites spread particularly easily.

FAQs about Giardia

How long does it take for giardia to go away in dogs?

As a rule, the infection with Giardia is over after three to four weeks. However, the success of the treatment must always be checked by a stool sample at the veterinarians.

How long is a dog contagious with Giardia?

In the event of an infection, contagious Giardia cysts are excreted in the animals’ feces and can lead to contamination in the environment over a long period of time. In water and a humid environment, the cysts can remain contagious for three months. They remain contagious in the feces for about a week.

How dangerous is Giardia for dogs?

Giardia is generally not dangerous for healthy, adult dogs. However, the parasites can become very unpleasant for weakened animals and puppies. If you suspect it, definitely go to the veterinarian.

Is Giardia contagious to humans?

Giardia in dogs is a so-called zoonotic pathogen that can also spread to humans and cause diarrheal diseases. In rare cases, the parasites can also be transmitted the other way around – from humans to animals.

What food for Giardia?

Avoid high-carbohydrate food and instead, feed your dog food that is as high in protein as possible. A bland diet is also recommended as the digestive system can be affected by diarrhea. You can give your dog e.g. B. give boiled rice with cottage cheese and boiled chicken. Divide the daily amount of food into several small portions so as not to put additional strain on the intestines.

All statements are without guarantee.