recurrent giardia in a puppy

RE: recurrent giardia in a puppy

Dagmar Steele — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 11:16:18 GMT

I use Panacur at 50mg/kg for ten days in a row. So far this has worked on every patient I have treated, the only thing to watch out for is reinfection. Hence I insist on testing a sample taken from 3 different stools 3-5 days after medication. If this is negative - and so far it always has been - and then some time later positive again, this says reinfection. So then check all other animals, family and make sure the dog doesn't drink from ponds and puddles. Hygiene, hygiene, hygiene. Metronidazole is not very palatable and I had one patient nearly die from a high dose (prescribed elsewhere), so I don't use this for Giardia.

RE: recurrent giardia in a puppy

Bob Russell — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 11:02:18 GMT

Three days just does not appear to do the job! Seven days is licenced for specific infections but one of the referral centres recommends 21 days for lungworm.

Hunch/experience/balance between different regimens! Not found much in the way of good papers on giardia but we get a lot of positives and now test all poorly responsive or recurrent diarrhoea cases for the parasite. We have found the Virbac Speed test good (samples rechecked at TDDS). We did have problems with the Henry Schein test kits.

I was told that static water was high risk especially bird baths. No idea where that came from!

I have never used the high dose metronidazole but standard doses have been disappointing.

RE: recurrent giardia in a puppy

HannahGillian — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 16:14:49 GMT

Thanks, I had a feeling metronidazole wasn't very effective. With the treating monthly with panacur is that a week course that you are doing? And this a recommendation from a paper or just a hunch to try to get any secondary reinfection on the rebound?

The puppy is kept indoors, no raw meat diet and have discussed hygiene with them, they are all well so feel unlikely it's cycling between the family and pet, they have no other dogs so not reinfecting there either. She is small for her age, but suspect just due to recurrent d+

RE: recurrent giardia in a puppy

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 11:00:42 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]He indicated very much higher dose rates of metronidazole are required for giardia.[/quote]When I had a bout of it several years ago there were 2 choices: standard dose for a week or megadose for 3 days. The latter involved taking a single daily dose of 12 x 400mg tablets. To say this was a challenge swallowing them all in one go is an under-statement. However, as we know, metronidazole and alcohol don't go well together and I was going on a skiing holiday before the standard course would have finished. So not wishing to run the risk of an inopportune call of nature while off-piste, nor to miss out on the apres-ski opportunities, I chose the challenge. I was better within 48 hrs. Can't remember any neurological side-effects, although if I did it was just likely the apres-ski refreshment!!

However as alluded to in a previous post, it did take a long time for my gut function to return to normal and endoscopy has shown that the giardia has stunted my villi.

RE: recurrent giardia in a puppy

Bob Russell — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 09:36:53 GMT

Had a chat with a very well known specialist yesterday about a mutual case which has giardia as an additional problem. He indicated very much higher dose rates of metronidazole are required for giardia. High enough to have potential neurological side-effects.

This may be why I have had little success with it, dose not high enough!

RE: recurrent giardia in a puppy

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 09:14:25 GMT

[quote user="Emily Rainbow"]Re-infection from other sub clinical carriers in the family?[/quote]Plus unhygienic conditions.

RE: recurrent giardia in a puppy

Emily Rainbow — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 13:39:23 GMT

Re-infection from other sub clinical carriers in the family?

RE: recurrent giardia in a puppy

Bob Russell — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 12:13:21 GMT

It can take quite a time for the inflammation created by giardia to settle even after treatment. I repeat fenbendazole for seven days, once a month until we have at least one negative and the clinical signs have resolved. Stated dose of three days fenbendazole is not enough in my opinion.

I don't retest for 6 weeks as I am looking to see if the infection has cleared. Even then quite a lot test +ve.

I have not used metronidazole for ages. Didn't find it that effective.

Is this reinfection? Daft raw meat diet? Contaminated water bowl?

I see shed loads of positive cases and they all settle in the end, perhaps because of treatment, perhaps in spite of treatment!