# Miley has Giardia



## MayBTheresHope (Feb 25, 2013)

I'm not surprised since she hasn't had a hard poo since we got her 5 weeks ago. At her appt to get her last set of vaccines on Saturday, I took in a stool sample which the vet sent off for testing. 

He sent her home with a couple of cans of ID, which she will stay on until after her treatment with Flagyl is finished and her poos are normal. I will pick up the Flagyl after work today. Sigh...so my questions.

1. DH mowed the lawn yesterday and now all signs of poop have been obliviated. How in the world do you treat a lawn when you don't know where all of the poops went? We have never taken her out to potty in the front yard, so I guess for a while, I will do that and pick up the poops immediately. Do I need to treat the area after the poop? If so, with what?

2. We have cats that go out in the yard on nice days. Should we keep them inside until this subsides? If so, how long after the treatment should suffice?

3. What is the best way to treat hardwood, tile and carpet surfaces that have been contaminated?

4. Since I am not home to let her out during the day, what if she poops in her pen? I am hoping that once she starts treatment, she won't poop until I get home from work.

BTW, Miley weighed 4.7 lbs at 15 weeks. She has seasonal allergies, but otherwise seems in good health. She had a coughing issue that has subsided. After her shots, she was mopey and would squeal if I picked her up. It was heart breaking. However, this morning, she was back to her old self again. Love this dog. She is such a sweetheart!


----------



## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Hi- sorry about her diagnosis, although it is fairly common. My suggestion would be bleach, bleach, bleach!!! Even diluted bleach on the grass shouldnt hurt it. We had Guiardia go thru our house a couple years ago. I bleached everything, bedding, blankets, toys, floors, concrete outside and yes, even the grass with diluted bleach! 
Your baby girl is adorable!


----------



## gelbergirl (Jun 9, 2007)

Hope Miley feels better. Not sure of how to treat home and garden. Is there a product like a flea bomb one can use for the entire area> Or get in an exterminator to treat the garden are?

She is very sweet in her avatar pic.


----------



## Tuss (Apr 22, 2012)

Giardia is very common. I don't think you can treat the outdoors. For inside, any cleanser will do. Common soap and water will get rid of giardia. It is usually spread by contaminated water. just don't let the pup drink from puddles or eat poo. There is nothing else to do but regular hygiene stuff (wash hands well, bedding, etc.). Some vets dont' even treat giardia unless the diarrhea is bad since most puppies will have it in their poo. I treated my dog for it when she was about 6 months old when she got some nasty diarrhea. It settled down within a week of starting the flagyl and we've had no problems since (and my other dog never got sick).

good luck!


----------



## MayBTheresHope (Feb 25, 2013)

Ack! Looks like I have a lot of cleaning up to do. I wonder if there IS some sort of Giardia-type bomb for the yard. If not, I wonder how long it will take for my yard to be Giardia free. I would have to purchase A LOT of bleach. Our yard is huge and I have not been very limiting on where she does her business. 

On the bright side, Miley is definitely getting used to baths as many as I have had to give her over the past five weeks. Poor thing. Stupid parasites! 

Thanks for the Miley compliments. She is a cutey-pie. Her dark hair is really light underneath and so she is starting to look cream colored in most places as her hair grows out. I bet before it is over with, only her ears will be dark. Crazy, isn't it?


----------



## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

When Bama had it she was still mostly limited to one room of the house, so we just did our usual bleach wipes on the kitchen floor. We go thru a lot of them...when we moved last month I went over all the surfaces in the kitchen cabinets with them. 

I'm not sure about your yard....does giardia die on its own after a certain amount of tome? I'm pretty sure squirrels can carry it anyway, so that just avoiding poop in the yard and puddles is the best thing.


----------



## Miss Paige (Apr 4, 2008)

I bleached my yard when it went through my house a few years ago. I took bleach poured in on the poo spot after picking up the poo then turned a flower pot upside down to cover the area for 24 hrs. Did it help-who knows but I had a strange yard for a couple of weeks. Good luck.


----------



## MayBTheresHope (Feb 25, 2013)

Update: it turns out the vet put Miley on Panacur, not Flagyl. She has been on the ID food for almost a week now, but we are still getting the soft poops. Is this a side a
Effect of Panacur? Is it still Giardia? Does she just have food sensitivities (even on ID)? I am getting frustrated. Two days ago (while I was out of town , of course), DH came home from work to a gigantic mess in the bathroom that we keep her in. She had poop mashed everywhere (except on the puppy pad...lol). He even had to clean the walls. It was a big mess. Help!


----------



## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Is she getting any treats or chew bones or anything? The meds should have cleared up the soft poops in a few days......


----------



## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

Could it be that ID just produces soft poops in general because it is gentle on the tummy? 
Bama was put on AD (puppy & kitten critical care formula), but giardia wasn't her only problem. She wasn't eating or gaining weight. 

Whenever Miss Yorkie gets an upset tummy, she gets put on plain chicken and rice. I think my mom maybe gives her yogurt too, not sure. One thing that she can't tolerate for sure is turkey. Years ago the vet put her on Iams food, and it generally agrees with her tummy.


----------



## AmyL (Jul 1, 2012)

MayBTheresHope said:


> Update: it turns out the vet put Miley on Panacur, not Flagyl. She has been on the ID food for almost a week now, but we are still getting the soft poops. Is this a side a
> Effect of Panacur? Is it still Giardia? Does she just have food sensitivities (even on ID)? I am getting frustrated. Two days ago (while I was out of town , of course), DH came home from work to a gigantic mess in the bathroom that we keep her in. She had poop mashed everywhere (except on the puppy pad...lol). He even had to clean the walls. It was a big mess. Help!


Good she is on Panacur. The most recent tests show that Flagyl is only about 40% effective and Panacur is about 70%, but you must treat twice - take for 5 days, wait two weeks, then treat for 5 more days. I hope your vet intends to do this. Flagyl is an antibiotic which means it kills bacteria - giardia is a Protozoa, so antibiotics don't really help with Giardia. 
But, Flagyl is often given to treat diarrhea because in additional to being an antibiotic, it also help firm up stools. But it will not effectively treat Giardia. Your vet may want to add Flagyl to help with the soft poop. It can be taken at the same time as Panacur.
The only thing that will kill Giardia is bleach. It can be washed away, but it's almost impossible to wash enough to get rid of every microscopic Giardia. Lysol does not kill Giardia. Antiseptic wipes don't kill it either. I kept my dog in the kitchen on the vinyl floor which could be sprayed with a 10% bleach solution. Giardia can live on surfaces under dry conditions for several weeks, and for several months under damp conditions. 
You will be able to get rid of it, but it takes some work.....best of luck to you. Your pup is adorable


----------

