# Giardia



## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

Ellie was spayed earlier this week and the vet called to say they'd never done a stool sample check - did I want them to? I said yes because I felt she'd never really gotten a full checkup from the Vet connected to the pet shop.

The test came back positive for giardia and I was given 6 days of antibiotics and told to bring in a stool sample in two weeks.

I live in NYC and the vet said it is "going around". Where does it go around and how can I stop her from getting infected again and again? I was told not to bring her to dog runs or playgroups - but she needs friends and she needs activity - this doesn't sound like a great solution.

I was also told not to let her kiss me anywhere around my lips as it could be transferable. Is this true? If so, it's a little late because she wakes me up every morning this way.

And....I know NYC prices are very high, but the cost of the lab test is $120. Is this within the high end range for large expensive cities?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Louise


----------



## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

A poop sample analysis in Toronto at my vet was like $40-$50... so yeah, NYC is $$$$.. 

Ryan


----------



## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Giardia is VERY contagious, be careful! I had a friend who had it and her whole family ended up with it, took forever to get rid of because for a while they didn't know what they had and her children were small at the time. They got it from their neighbor's puppies.


----------



## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

What does "being careful" mean? In other words, what precautions should I take beyond the one recommended by the vet of not having her kiss on the mouth? I assume I should be very careful with her poop. 

Are there other things?

After 6 days of antibiotics, is she still so contagious?

Thanks.

Louise


----------



## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Head over to Google and read up on how it is contracted & spread. I'd look for you, but I'm in the car on the way to a show (no, I'm not driving).

We tend to avoid any public grassy areas in the spring because it thrives in those conditions over here. Do you have any indoor socialization opportunties?


----------



## sweetlotus (Nov 26, 2008)

I'm in NY and it was $88 for me for the giardia test. And I thought that was expensive!


----------



## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

It cost me $78.00 to have it done here.


----------



## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

The antibiotics are only for 6 days. Then I have to bring another stool sample in two weeks

The upsetting thing is that I was given the impression that the outdoor park dog playgrounds in the city are "wonderful" places of contamination. The only other option is paying to bring her to indoor play groups - in NYC it's usually around $25 plus cabfare or $40 if they pick her up and bring her back home.

I don't have to make any decision for a couple of weeks. Is it often the case that giardia will become very common in a given area and then subside in a month or two?

Louise


----------



## sweetlotus (Nov 26, 2008)

Louise, I posted about a havanese meetup this past Saturday in NYC. It was $10 per dog at the Animal Haven Animal Shelter. Also, I go to a free puppy playgroup in BK at Eva's Playpups on Saturdays as well. Let me know if you're interested, I can get you the information. You can also sign up on www.meetup.com and there's listings of all different types of meetups/playgroups that are cheaper and may be closer to you.


----------



## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

Ugh Giardia...as a person who had it, I can tell you it isn't fun. And it took a long time to get rid of it.

I think that drinking from water fountains that other dogs drink from can be a big cause...and honestly, it is an intestinal parasite, so anywhere water is that a dog might lick...could be a problem.

These are pesky little buggers...and they multiply rapidly. Lucky your vet did the test and found out what it was right away as it can lead to dehydration and all sorts of problems. In my case, they did many tests that were awful...and some reason didn't test for giardia till later. Could have saved me a week at the hospital when we were on vacation in Hawaii.

Ah...bless your puppy. It could have been really awful if you didn't find out.


----------



## arlene (Jul 28, 2007)

Years ago I also had a dog test positive for Giardia . . . my vet told me about a conference she attended in Calif - the speaker told a story of an actor from Everybody Loves Raymond (can't remember his name) who sold his house and moved because his dogs kept getting reinfected. I went into a minor panic wondering how I was going to explain to my husband that we had to sell the house.

Bottom line is that I had three dogs at the time and I treated all of them . . . It took several rounds of antibiotics and I washed / disinfected everything that I could on a daily basis for the entire time they were on the antibiotics. It was a real pain in the butt but at least I didn't have to sell my house.

Arlene


----------



## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

louise said:


> The upsetting thing is that I was given the impression that the outdoor park dog playgrounds in the city are "wonderful" places of contamination.
> 
> Is it often the case that giardia will become very common in a given area and then subside in a month or two?


If you look up the Giardia parasite online you'll see a lot of information about how tough this little pest is. It can thrive for months outdoors, especially in damp conditions. When a yard is tainted, it can be very difficult and seem nearly impossible to get rid of the Giardia. Once a drinking supply is contaminated, any mammals that drink from it can pick up the parasite too. As already mentioned, licking a surface that has the parasite is a sure way to be infected.

So, the worst part about the public areas is that if there is one infected animal that spreads it around that space, all the other dogs have a chance of picking it up and continuing to reinfect the place. Symptoms don't usually show up for a week or two, so it can be spread to multiple areas in that time as well.


----------



## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

It sounds like any park area in a large city - I am near a very large park, would inevitably be infected. And, again in a large city, any dog runs would have the same problem.

My drinking water is filtered so she almost never gets regular water.

Even if one uses indoor playgroups, the dogs there have been playing in the very same parks noted above.

It sounds like there is no solution other than to have her tested regularly and assume a fair number of those tests will come back positive.

Are there any natural remedies that help get rid of parasites so one doesn't have to keep giving the dog antibiotics?

And also, since she's getting antibiotics, should she get a probiotic? Which one?

Thanks again.

Louise


----------



## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

Thanks for the information. Long Island is pretty far away for me as I am on the upper west side of Manhattan. 

But I did sign up at meetup.com and hope to find some groups that way.

Louise


----------

