Giardia in Dogs

Do you know that: When you go for a walk, your dog drinks water from a puddle. And after the walk, your dog will lick its paws.

Either way, dogs can become infected with Giardia. The danger from these pathogens is so omnipresent. Giardia are microscopic protozoa. The parasites settle in the small intestine of their host and can cause severe diarrhea.

Scientists assume that 10 Giardia are enough for an infection. Therefore, about every tenth dog is infected with it. In puppies and animal shelters, the degree of infection is probably over 70%.

And every year an estimated 200 million people suffer from a Giardia infection.

If your dog is fully grown and healthy, you will often not even notice a Giardia infestation. It usually looks different with sick dogs, as well as with young dogs and puppies. In these animals, the annoying intestinal parasites can become a serious health problem.

Symptoms: How do I know if my dog has Giardia?

Typical symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting indicate an infection with Giardia in dogs:

• diarrhea
• vomit
• loss of appetite
• weight loss
• light fever

Diarrhea is very typical. This usually occurs in an extreme form in your animal. In this case, the disease is called giardiasis. In addition,  diarrhea may be mixed with mucus and blood. The excrements are often very foul-smelling.

Giardiasis is often accompanied by loss of appetite and weight loss. Your dog may also vomit. Or he has a slight fever.

A weakened immune system usually leads to long-lasting diarrhea. And stomach ache. In addition, there is flatulence, vomiting, and, in extreme cases, even edema. This means water retention in the tissue.

If your dog is infected without any symptoms, this is initially good for your dog’s well-being. Nevertheless, it is a carrier and spreader of intestinal parasites.

What is Giardia anyway?

Giardia is a unicellular parasite found in the dog’s intestines. They are transmitted through excreted dog feces. Other animals can become infected through feces.

For example, by having conspecifics touch or even eat the remains of an infected dog. This route of transmission is called fecal-oral.

Giardia can remain contagious for up to 3 months under ideal conditions. So the dog poo is long gone, but the protozoa survive in the damp earth below. That’s for a reason.

Outside of their host animals, Giardia protects themselves with a protective covering called cysts. A cyst consists of two protozoa.

There are two stages of Giardia:

• Trophozoites
  Trophozoites are the giardia that establishes themselves as protozoa in the small intestine.

• Cysts
  Cysts are formed by two trophozoites that protect themselves against environmental influences with a shell.

Giardia feed on the intestinal mucosa. And from the remains of your four-legged friend’s food. The parasites feel right at home in the intestinal flora. And they reproduce very quickly through cell division.

What to do if you suspect giardiasis?

If your dog suffers from diarrhea for several days, you should visit your veterinarian to have the causes clarified.

If you suspect your dog has been infected with Giardia, only a test will tell you for sure. A giardia infection must be diagnosed using several fecal samples because the result of one fecal sample is not accurate enough.

Treatment: How is Giardia treated?

Depending on the diagnosis made by your veterinarian, you can start therapy with your dog. In the event of an infestation with Giardia, the veterinarian will treat your four-legged friend with a parasite-killing drug. Only two preparations are approved and require a prescription for this purpose :

• Panacur contains the active ingredient fenbendazole
• Metrobactin tablets contain the active ingredient metronidazole

Your vet will prescribe the appropriate medication for your dog. If there are several animals in the household, you must also treat all animals. This extended treatment is sometimes controversial if other pets are not showing symptoms.

If your dogs live in packs, they are particularly at risk. Not only the therapy of the disease is often lengthy. New infections are also more common.

How long is a dog contagious with Giardia?

Apart from administering medication, you have to follow very strict hygiene rules. Giardia consists of only one tiny cell. Nevertheless, the little things are almost indestructible. Sagrotan is ineffective. And Giardia survives UV radiation just like a sewage treatment plant. There are only a few disinfectants that help.

The most important tips are:

• Collect feces and dispose of with household waste
• Wash hands after touching your dog or objects
• Throw away any items that cannot be cleaned but may be contaminated
• Clean all surfaces contaminated with feces
• Disinfect all objects and surfaces your dog has touched
• Clean the feeding and drinking bowls daily with boiling water, then dry them thoroughly
• If necessary, clean the dog toilet daily with boiling water and then dry it thoroughly
• Remove droppings from fur, bathe with special shampoo

Follow this advice scrupulously. You should clean all your dog’s lying areas regularly and thoroughly with hot water. Above all, you have to clean the bowls of your four-legged friend thoroughly.

Make sure that cleaned surfaces never remain damp. Every drop of water helps the giardia cysts survive.

Dogs are only no longer contagious when no more Giardia can be detected in the feces in a final test.

Avoid Giardia with strict hygiene

You should be very careful when collecting your four-legged friend’s droppings. Be careful not to touch your dog’s droppings.

Wash your hands well after picking them up. And dispose of the poop bag with household waste. In this way, you can avoid further infections.

Small children should not come into contact with your dog’s bottom. On the one hand from hygienic aspects. On the other hand, stubborn Giardia can be transmitted to your child.

There is also a tip circulating to have objects cleaned in the dishwasher. I don’t think so. What if a part doesn’t heat up above 60°C and a few giardia survive? Great, then I distribute them over all the dishes during the next wash cycles.

How dangerous is Giardia for humans?

It’s true, people can get Giardia too. However, the risk of infection in pets such as dogs and cats has not yet been clear

Physicians now know that not all giardia are the same. Because Giardia in dogs is genetically different from Giardia, which is dangerous for humans. Molecular biologists distinguish dog-specific genotypes C and D from genotype A, which is dangerous for humans.

Nevertheless, the World Health Organization (WHO) counts Giardia as one of the so-called zoonoses. These are diseases that can spread from animals to humans and vice versa. Theoretically, you can contract Giardia from dogs because up to 7% of infected dogs that test positive shed Giardia genotype A.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a dog with giardia behave?

Typical Giardia symptoms are flatulence and diarrhea. The consistency of the diarrhea is then slimy, greasy, and also mushy to watery. Its color is often yellow to yellow-green. Affected dogs suffer from regularly recurring diarrhea, which is sometimes severe and sometimes watery.

How long does it usually take for giardia to go away?

Drug treatment usually lasts three to five days. As a rule, your dog should have overcome the Giardia after three to four weeks. Unfortunately, the protozoa sometimes show resistance to the active ingredients in the drugs.

Can my dog die from Giardia?

Young animals, sick and old animals as well as stressed animals from abroad are particularly affected. If these animals are not treated early, Giardia can lead to dehydration and, in the worst case, to death, especially in young and weak animals.

What does dog poop with giardia look like?

The typical symptoms of Giardia infestation, especially in puppies and dogs with a weak immune system, are severe diarrhea. yellowish-green, extremely foul-smelling feces. Emaciation despite food intake.

Can a dog live with Giardia?

Most dogs that contract Giardia do not develop it. A healthy organism can handle a certain amount of the protozoa and eliminates them themselves. But when Giardia strikes dogs that are already weak, the disease can be more severe.

When is Giardia no longer contagious?

After infection and colonization of the intestine, contagious Giardia cysts are excreted in large numbers in the animal’s feces and can continue to cause infection in the environment for a long time (in water and a moist environment, the cysts can remain contagious for three months, in the feces for about a week).

How do I recognize Giardia in humans?

Giardiasis is an infection of the small intestine caused by the protozoan parasite Giardia. The main symptoms are abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Sufferers may have abdominal cramps, bloating, belching, diarrhea, nausea, and feel tired.