Content
- Giardia in dogs
- Causes of Giardia in Dogs
- Giardia cycle
- Giardia in dogs - symptoms
- Canine Giardia Diagnosis
- Giardia in dogs - how to treat?
- Giardia treatment in dogs - albendazole
- Can Giardia in Dogs Kill?
Does your dog suffer from severe diarrhea? One of the possible differential diagnoses is Giardiasis.
This disease, caused by a parasite, makes the dog very uncomfortable with nausea and abdominal pain. Furthermore, this disease is a zoonosis, that is, it can be transmitted to humans. This parasite is very resistant and the treatment of this disease is not always easy.
Unfortunately, this disease is quite common in puppies and that's why the Animal Expert wrote this article about giardia in dogs - causes, symptoms and treatment.
Giardia in dogs
Giardia is a protozoan, the two most common species being the Giardia lamblia and the Giardia duodenalis. These microorganisms settle in the intestine of the dog or any other infected animal.
When in the intestine, this microorganism is in a mobile form, called a trophozoite or cyst-shaped (immobile). These second ones, the cysts, are the most worrisome, as in the external environment (in feces, for example) they are more resistant and can survive for weeks, hence the high potential for contagion.
Causes of Giardia in Dogs
Giardia can be in soil, water, food, or anything else that may have come into contact with contaminated feces. Your puppy can be infected through direct contact with something infected, and it can even be a human being transmitting it to you.
The main cause of infection, whether in a dog, cat, human, or any other animal, is the ingestion of contaminated water. Another possibility is through direct ingestion of feces. Whenever you pick up your dog's poop on the street, or change your cat's litter box, it is very important that you clean and disinfect your hands thoroughly.
Do not let your dog lick the feces of other dogs on the street, as the probability of contagion is very high.
Giardia cycle
Briefly, the dog ingests a giardia cyst, then this cyst turns into a trophozoite inside the dog's intestine. This form clings to the dog's intestinal walls to feed. If there are large numbers of these parasites feeding on the dog's intestinal walls, symptoms begin to appear. The trophozoites reproduce and some transform into cysts, which are expelled by feces and ingested by other animals, thus starting a new cycle.
Giardia in dogs - symptoms
There are many asymptomatic giardia infections, ie the puppy does not show any clinical signs. However, when the dog has many of these microorganisms lodged in the intestine, these are the most common symptoms of giardia:
- Diarrhea alternating with normal stools
- loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Possibility of vomiting (rare)
- Bloody and smelly stools
Canine Giardia Diagnosis
To perform a diagnosis, a stool analysis. A diagnosis based only on clinical signs is practically impossible, as there are dozens of diseases that cause diarrhea in dogs.
Since this parasite is not constantly expelled in the faeces, it is normal for your veterinarian to ask for several days of faeces samples to carry out various tests. Tests are usually held on three separate days.
Giardia in dogs - how to treat?
Treatment is based on antiparasitic drugs prescribed by the veterinarian. Some of the most used drugs for the treatment of giardia are Fenbendazol, Albendazol, Metronidazol, etc.
Giardia treatment in dogs - albendazole
As already mentioned, one of the most used antiparasitics to fight this disease is albendazole. This drug is not only used in dogs, but also in cats.
Since these parasites are highly resistant in the environment, cleanliness is one of the key points of treatment. If your dog defecates indoors or on a porch, you should collect the feces immediately and disinfect the area. You must remember that this disease is a zoonosis and your dog can transmit it to all members of the family, so you can't be too careful. Let the disinfectant work for at least 20 minutes before washing it, so you increase the chances of killing the parasites.
Can Giardia in Dogs Kill?
In general, when diagnosed early enough, the prognosis for giardiasis is good. However, in cases of immunocompromised animals and elderly animals is quite dangerous, as it can kill.g
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.