With my (now) 5 month old GSD I'm getting the crash course on parasites...
So much of what I have learned either contradicts other info on Giardia, or just plain makes no sense.
We started with Coccidia ($60 fecal test), treated with Panazuril ($60) waited several weeks then re-test fecal ($60). Coccidia is clear but now have giardia, treat with Panacur ($60). Re-test after 5 weeks ($60) giardia is clear but several non-dog specific parasites are present (common to goats and sheep, ruminants) no treatment required (yea!, $0) but retest after 6 weeks. 6 weeks later, retest ($60) and giardia is back. Vet recommended Metro but I'm going to try Kochi Free first ($25) and plan another re-test in 6 weeks.
We live in a rural area. Wild rabbits, coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions etc, domestic farm animals (chickens, ducks, goats, horses) surround us and we live on a lake. Parasites are EVERYWHERE!!!
I have heard that older dogs build up an immunity to giardia, true? What age?
I have heard that some dogs are giardia carriers but show no effects, true? Is this the same as the above immunity?
If my dog (puppy) has no symptoms (good stools and appetite) but tests positive for giardia, is the giardia damaging my puppy? Can my puppy be a giardia carrier and everything is A OK?
Sterilizing my property in not realistic, nor is keeping a 5 month old GSD puppy inside all the time. As long as she is eating, pooping, growing and acting great should I not worry about it so much?
I feel your pain. My current GSD grew up in rural Minnesota on a lake. We dealt with a lot of parasites and I remember her having a few rounds of them. She did eventually grow out of it (built up an immunity) but pups will always be susceptible. That was 9 years ago so I don't quite remember what I did to treat all of it, I just remember it being a pain.
We had a bout with coccidia with our GSD pup a few weeks ago. He was symptom free for a couple weeks before he all of a sudden went into a fast downward spiral. Now understand that he had other parasites that needed to be dealt with as well, so he was getting overwhelmed.
My concern would be that just because you don't see symptoms now, doesn't mean you won't see them onset suddenly if the giardia goes untreated. Hope that makes sense.
And best of luck raising your puppy. We are in a very similar situation, although only one round of coccidia (but it did require hospitalization).
Was the downward spiral just diarrhea, or were there other symptoms that led to the hospitalization? Definitely do not want to let the problem get out of control for her...
It comes from a water source so if you can keep water she drinks from clear, you might avoid it. Giardia dies when it dries out completely. Yes, they seem to build immunity. I gave probiotics and better food and it went away on its own, after the vet saw the meds weren't working.
We had a particularly wet winter, perfect for the parasites :frown2:
Instead of powdered probiotics, we are mixing in green tripe with her food. I have been told that the green tripe helps with the gut flora, which I assume helps the pup fight off parasites on her own. This is part of the reason I want to avoid Metro (antibiotic) which I think kills off the gut flora.
The Kochi Free arrived Saturday afternoon. Gave her the first dose (four per day) Sunday morning and by Sunday afternoon her stools changed from solid logs to pure liquid.:frown2: I've got her back on chicken and rice. Was up all night last night with her hourly diarrhea, hope this straightens out soon...
Well, her last diarrhea was Monday @9am. No poop at all for 24 hrs now (at least I got a full nights sleep:wink2. She's drinking, peeing and eating like normal. Wonder what's next?
31 hours later, nice solid poop. Than another at 4am, 7am, and 9am. All solid logs. Not sure of the cause/effect but the results are looking good so far. Hopefully we can keep this going for a month and get an "all clear" fecal test:grin2:
Funny side effect of all this. She has really perfected her single "WOOF" to wake me up for potty break!
The Kochi Free (1 Ounce) lasted 14 days, good solid stools since the first day. One week after completing the 14 days of Kochi Free I dropped off a stool sample and got the call today that she is parasite free!!
Glad I followed the recommendations to try it before a course of Metro.
That sounds odd that the Kochi Free worked. I have a 4 month old German Shepherd that received his rabies shot yesterday and got a call from vet that stool sample showed traces of Giardia. Two weeks prior , stool sample showed traces , but waived off medicines and I will always try natural first.
Lots of dogs can appear unimpacted by Giardia. The big problem is that can impact humans, so be super careful washing your hands frequently when feeding. I'm not sure if you can post links here, if thats possible I have a good site and info on Giardia.
I've been using Kochi Free + Paxxin. The Kochi free is really simply to support normal bowl movements. The Paxxin is for digestive and immune support. The breeder rec'd. Was surprised you went through the Kochi so fast. I do 3ml from syringe 3 times a day on each. 10 days on and 10 days off on both. I also sprinkle 2 teaspoons of food grade diatomaceous earth on food every morning. Pup has never tested positive for worms on two vet visits and I've had him for a month.
I hate all the shots and medicine, but parasites can be a big problem and more so for younger dogs. I just got back from the vet and they gave me Panacur and then the metro powder. My dogs stools have been rock solid and he has never had diarrhea. Diarrhea is usually the tell tale sign of something wrong. I balked first time , but have to trust my vet when she pushed hard to knock Giardia out and like I said, be very careful with hygiene when handling dog unless sure it's gone. Good luck
It looks like you can post links here, so I will go ahead. Take a look at this for all you want to know about Giardia. The website doesn't look that impressive at first, but the search function is very effective if you want to research a topic or medicine. My Vet actually told me about the site. You can find more related articles on Giardia using the search function. GL
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
German Shepherds Forum
2.6M posts
121.9K members
Since 2002
A forum community dedicated to all German Shepherd owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bloodlines, training, breeding, service dogs, and more!