2013年9月28日星期六

December | 2012 | Ine*vet*able Fate


Yesterday, I took Tailor my cat to see Dr. Sergio at Royal Animal Hospital. A few days ago I noticed a blotch of blood on my floor and I found out it was from Tailor. I freaked out and booked an appointment as soon as I could. Luckily, it wasn’t what I feared, I was worried that he might have swallowed something and it hurt his intestine. Tailor has a habit of eating plastic doll dresses from the kids room and he might have sneaked into the kids’ room and ate some. But that wasn’t the case, thank God.
So after I explained to Dr. Sergio Tailor’s symptoms, he took a sample of fresh feces from Tailor’s anus (I know you’re all grossed out now) and he diluted it in a liquid then put a drop on a test bar (image below). The barely there, thin, red line means that he has a few Gastrointestinal Parasites. Tailor has Giardia.

Here’s what I found out about Feline Giardia:
1) Feline Giardia is a small parasite that lives in a cat’s small intestines.
2) It causes diarrhea and sometimes blood in the stool.
3) It is treatable and can be controlled.
4) A cat can get Giardia by eating food (mostly raw meat) that have Giardia cysts.
5) Feline Giardia can infect people and other cats through cysts that are passed out in the stool.


So now we’re taking precautions with cleaning the litter, cleaning Tailor himself, and his water and food bowls. With the medicine Dr. Sergio gave him, hopefully, he’ll recover in no time. Here’s how he looks after taking the medicine, he was furious! (The foaming and saliva is normal from the medicine, he wasn’t hurt.)










“Why are you doing this to me?”








“You’re so gonna pay for this!”








Trying to change the taste in his mouth!

Now, this made me think of explaining the common misunderstanding of a certain feline parasite’s effect on us humans. In Kuwait, it is thought that a woman who owns, takes care of, or lives with a cat can become infertile. In other words, if you come in contact with a cat daily, you can’t have children. That is a mistake most people here make that leads to families or ladies giving up their pet cats or being terrified of cats because they think cat hair causes infertility.
The truth is, there is a feline parasite that can harm the fetus, a baby, while it is still in its mother’s womb. The parasite is called Toxoplasma gondi. If the mother is infected before getting pregnant, she will become immune to it and so will the fetus during pregnancy. However, if the mother is infected during pregnancy, it can cause abortion or even brain damage to the fetus.
Toxoplasma gondi, just like Giardia, is passed out in the stool. Therefore, the precautions are the same:
1) Wear gloves and mouth masks while cleaning your cats’ litterbox.
2) Wash your hands thoroughly after handling the litterbox.
3) If you are pregnant and there is someone else who can clean the litterbox, let them do it.
4) Clean the litterbox more frequently.


Of course, taking your cat to the vet regularly for check-ups and as soon as you can if you suspect your cat is sick, as well as making sure that your cat always has fresh, clean food and water available will keep you and your cat safe from infections.








I will talk about something that is taken so lightly here in Kuwait. Actually, it is totally normal for people to do this, but it has a very negative impact on animals and on our society. I will talk about breeding. Whether it is a cat or a dog, breeding is breeding. It is a reason why we have so many animals running in the streets, the reason why the shelters are full, and the reason why animals are dying out there.As I explained in my “About “page, I will expose myself and I will talk about my personal experience. I will not act as a saint in this. I did breed, I bred once. My first Labrador Sugar, we took her to my dad’s friend who had a beautiful Siberian Husky mix and they mated. I took great care of her, fed her well, took her for Sonar scans and all. But I did one mistake that made me regret that I ever thought of breeding. When the pups were born, three beautiful females and a tiny male, I took care of them for four months, then it was time to find them homes. I had six dogs at that time, Achilles, Sugar and her four puppies. They were well taken care of but they had to go to new homes, I just couldn’t keep them all. As time went by, two of the puppies found homes. Two, unfortunately, weren’t that lucky. My family decided that we couldn’t keep them any longer and they had no place to go but the streets. I personally wouldn’t do it. I can never let go of any of my dogs even if it was to good homes. So my father took them and let them go in the desert somewhere he thought they’d be “safe”. I can never forgive myself for those two lives that I was the one who decided to have them, and then they had nowhere to go. It was like sending them to their death.
What I thought back then is that “it’s alright, they’ll find food and maybe someone will take care of them”. But it’s not always like that. Not a lot of people do what I do, go around picking up sick or lone puppies and taking care of them. They could get run over by a car (sometimes on purpose), they could starve or die of thirst, they could get shot or even poisoned. These thoughts haunt me every single day. I don’t know if these two beautiful pups are alive now, but I highly doubt it, and it is all because of me. I took her to breed with that male, I raised those pups without finding them homes earlier on, and I didn’t know what I got myself into until it was too late.







Sugar and her puppies.


Now, don’t get me wrong, certain people can and are totally allowed to breed. But these are Professional Breeders, not Unprofessional Breeders. (Learn about the difference here. Important link) It takes a lot to breed, raise and sell a puppy or cat, it’s not something anyone can do. And even if you don’t breed, do NOT buy from Unprofessional Breeders (Consider adopting). The puppies/kittens usually have inherited diseases, behavior problems, and are taken away from their mothers way too soon. If you do breed, I encourage you to stop and spay or neuter your pets. It is the best you can do for their health and to control our feral/strays population.



Which leads me to another topic, I will not talk much about it but I’ll try to say it in a nutshell. Spay and neuter people. It is good for your dog/cat’s health. It stops your beloved dog from running away to find a mate or your cat from crying 24/7. It controls the pet population and it certainly saves you the trouble of birth, nursing, and finding homes for the little ones. It saves money (of course). Finally, you don’t want to go through what I went through.



Lastly, K’s PATH is holding it’s first Feral Cat Spay and Neuter Clinic on December 22nd. Here’s the information they posted on their Facebook page just in case you have a friendly cat on the street that can be trapped and spayed/neutered.

 ”We are extremely happy to announce our first Feral Cat Spay and Neuter Clinic to be held on Saturday December 22nd. This is an opportunity for you to bring in the street cats you feed to be sterilized and vaccinated for 10KD per cat. All cats have to be dropped off between 8am and 9am and collected between 4pm and 5 pm. If you would like to schedule a cat or cats please e-mail info@kspath.org with the number of cats you would like to bring and their genders. Please let us know if you have any questions.”


 

I’ll leave you with the video that made me want to write this post.





 



How to Treat Dogs With Giardia

How to Treat Dogs With Giardia


Giardia is a parasite that contracted by drinking contaminated water or coming in contact with the feces of a contaminated dog. The giardia inhabits the small intestines where they reproduce and develop into a dormant cyst that can survive in the outside environment until it finds a new host. Many dogs with giardia have no symptoms, but some dogs have loose, gray stool and weight loss. Without treatment, giardia may remain in your dog’s system for months.


Instructions


Treating Giardia


    1

    Visit your veterinarian to obtain a dewormer, such as fenbendazole. This will usually come in a pill form and require two treatments several weeks apart. There is no pill specifically for giardia, but veterinarians report that dewormers are effective in removing parasites. If the first treatment doesn’t relieve symptoms, a different medication may be recommended.


    2


    Treat all dogs in the house if you have more than one dog. Giardia passes through the environment, such as infected feces, so other dogs may contract it.


    3


    Clean all feces immediately. Treat dog runs with quaternary ammonium compounds, as well as disinfectant, ammonia and bleach, and soak for 20 minutes before rinsing off. Keep dogs off contaminated grassy areas for at least one month. Steam clean carpets and thoroughly clean each area your dog has access to.


    4


    Change water regularly and don’t allow dogs to share water bowls until treatment is complete.


    5


    Wash all dogs thoroughly with warm, soapy water as cysts can cling to the dogs. Disinfect the cleaning area once completed.



Giardia and Companion Cats and Pet dogs

Giardia and Companion Cats and Dogs This short article is for companion pet proprietors. It provides facts about giardia infection in companion pets. Tempting Desk Scraps Your Pet Shouldn’t Eat Although you may well get pleasure from a white chocolate bar with macadamia nuts or a plate of chips and guacamole, sharing these treats with your furry or feathered buddies could do a lot more than just make them switch their noses up at their typical kibble. Human treats like avocados can make pets pretty ill, or even get rid of them. Fortunately, animal nourishment professionals have compiled a record of foods to prevent sharing with pets, in buy to assistance homeowners comprehend the threats they pose. Vet Fees: The Top rated five Secrets To Radically Reduce Them Veterinary Care is high-priced. I must know, for I am a Veterinarian who owned a Veterinary Medical center for practically 15 decades. Veterinary Medication has modified dramatically in the past 30 a long time gone are the days of James Herriot when Veterinarians handled each and every kind of animal, and frequently produced house phone calls. This post will give you an comprehending of why veterinary expenses have long gone up so significantly, and the leading 5 factors you can do to reduced your vet prices.


The Frustrations of Dealing with a Feather Picker

So, going away to school caused a lot more problems than I originally thought it would.  While I was away, my beautiful pearl cockatiel, Erin, decided to turn into a horrible feather picker.  And while up until this point I have dealt with a lot of problems in my birds, I had never dealt with picking.  And I can now say it is one of the most frustrating and heart killing conditions a bird owner will ever have to deal with.


I live down on campus during the school year because my course load is very heavy and my house is very distracting.  If I lived at home, I would want to work, which takes up a lot of time.  Then, I would also have four birds, a dog, a cat, a rat, a pig, a lizard, and some odd fish to distract me.  Plus, my father and mother, who when I attended CCAC did not seem to understand that I needed to study and would constantly interrupt me and try to get me to spend time with the family, my sister Leah and our friend who lives with us, Jamie, who share a room with me and would never allow me ample time to study, and my brother Lucas, who has friends over often, and who when he wants to go out, it is my job to taxi him around.  So, living at home would not help my education.  When I’m down at school, I have a lot of homework, so I don’t come home very often.  So, I rely heavily on my family to maintain my animals and give them the attention they need.


Well, they don’t do it like I do to say the least.


So I came home for spring break and on the car ride home my mother decides to tell me that Erin had started ripping her feathers out a while ago and hadn’t stopped.  Nice to tell me then.  At the time, Erin had only managed a patch the size of a dime on her left breast. 


I got online and looked up avian vets in the area and made an appointment to take Erin to see Dr. Dorn.


I have a huge gripe with so-called ‘avian’ vets in the area.  Most of them see dogs and cats and really do not work on birds, nor do they have any real experience working with birds.  Most of them, I know more than they do.  I took Taylor to Metvet once because he was puffed up at the bottom of his cage and not being himself, but I couldn’t pay the emergency fee to take him that day.  So I made an appointment for the next open appointment, two days later, put him in a hospital box on a heat mat and started him on marvel-aid, and when I took him to the vet, they charged me $ 70 and told me to keep doing what I was doing.


Well, my trip with Erin was roughly the same way.  I made an appointment and took her in.  I very firmly said I wanted tests run on her and I didn’t just want to have her looked at and told to keep doing what I was doing. I also mentioned at the desk that Erin was handicapped, but that wasn’t the reason she was at the vet, the feather picking was.  However, as soon as we got into the room, I was asked “Whats with her legs?  Has she been like this all her life?”  I tried hard not to roll my eyes and bit back answering that no, she was born normal and I twisted her legs like that so she’d look cool. 


So, they ran a gram stain on her.  I learned a little about gram stains in bio, but I didn’t know if it would test for giardia or not, which is what I really wanted her tested for, but I assumed a ‘avian vet’ would know to test a cockatiel who was picking her feathers out for giardia.  So, I trusted him and assumed she was tested and came back negative. He immediately wrote it off as behavioral, charged me $ 95, and gave me some anti anxiety drugs to give Erin.


I started Erin on the meds and almost immediately she lost her appetite and stopped eating.  Weighting only 76 grams, Erin is a small cockatiel and cannot afford to lose anymore weight.   I pulled her off the medicine and began treating her myself again.  I also got suspicious about a gram stain checking for giardia, because I know giardia is a protist while gram stains detect bacteria.  So, I asked Dr. Morrow, the vet at Duquesne who has become my unofficial advisor, and she confirmed that a gram stain will not check for giardia.  So, currently I am surfing the web looking for an avian testing lab that I can send samples to check for giardia.  In the mean time, Erin has oregano on every meal, which is supposed to be able to kill giardia naturally.


So, after my wasted $ 95 at the vet, I was back to figuring it out on my own.  I read every piece of literature I could on feather picking and ways to cure it.  I bought her a vest from the same site that sells my beloved bird diapers.  However, the vest only covers the front of her chest, so Erin just moved up to plucking under her wing.  I also can’t leave the vest on her all the time, for fear she will develop sores where the straps go, or it will rub her feathers off.  So, I take the vest off when I am home and downstairs to watch her, and spray her chest and under her wings with Cease, which works for a little while.  I invested $ 50 in new shelf perches and toys and re did her cage.  I gave her toys with coconut fibers to rip up instead of her feathers and paper shreddable toys to pull  apart.  I bought her a foraging toy and filled it with cut up pieces of millet spray and ripped up paper, hoping she will decide foraging is better than picking.  However, Erin refuses to use her new shelves and perches, and hasn’t touched a new toy once.  She gets daily showers with warm water or bird bath spray.  I moved her cage away from the other birds, thinking maybe she needed a new change of scenery or felt threatened being so close to Bella.  She also has spent an increased time out of her cage each day. Nothing was a solution.


My next step is to change Erin’s diet to a different formula of food for birds with allergies.  Although it’s a shot in the dark, as Erin has been eating the same pellets since I brought her home and she has never had a problem before, its worth at least trying.


I feel that Erin may have started her feather picking from an itch or stress, but now it has become such a habit that she just does it out of boredom.  Not only does she pull her feathers out, but she will also bite and irritate the pore where the follicle comes out, mostly because I’m guessing the feathers itch when they grow back in.  So she takes them out before they can even feather.  And although I am trying my best to have Erin out of the cage as much as possible, lets face it: I can’t always be there to entertain her.  Next year, I’m going to take Erin to school with me, and she will have the three other girls in my suite as well as me to spend as much time as we can with her.  But shhh!  Don’t tell Duquesne!


Out of all my birds, I would have thought Erin was the most secure, most well-adjusted, and least likely to pick her feathers out.  However, I was wrong.


Feather picking is exceptionally heart breaking to the owner because the owner is the only one at fault.  Other than medical reasons, such as bacterial infections or giardia, there is no cause for feather picking that is not human induced.  Your bird is too bored, or too stressed, or too unhappy.  And that’s really hard for me to try to deal with, because I have always tried to make my birds have the best life possible.  I know they don’t understand the whole ‘going away to school thing’ but honestly, what other choice do I have?


Dealing with Erin’s feather picking is a day by day battle.  We have good days and bad days, ups and downs.  Some days she’s very good and has a whole chest of pin feathers and I start to feel confident we’re going to beat it, and the next day she has pulled them all out.  Some days her chest looks great, and the next day it is red and irritated from her biting it.  It’s a hard battle.


I want to take Erin back to a vet and be tested again for anything else that can be causing it.  And I would like to take her to see an animal behaviorist who may be able to help me  figure out what is causing the picking.  But I’m wary of taking my birds to anyone anymore.  It seems like it’s always a waste of money.


I’m going to keep trying to combat Erin’s feather picking.  I can only hope I can cure it before she has destroyed the feather follicles and her feathers won’t grow back anymore.  Without her feathers, Erin looks like a sad, weak, plucked chicken, and it’s quite heart breaking.


If anyone has dealt with, cured, or has suggestions about feather picking, please contact me either by email or comment and let me know anything that might be helpful.  I just want my little girl to be happy again.

Dog Owner"s Guide: Giardia









Small organism can be big trouble





Fido has diarrhea, is listless, and has lost weight…


The symptoms are typical of several diseases, but if Fido has had contact with dirty (or potentially contaminated) water or with dogs showing similar signs, Giardiasis should at least be suspected.


Giardia are protozoans, tiny, one-celled parasitic life forms with the potential to cause serious illness. Some dogs are carriers who show no symptoms, but others get sick and need treatment.


Like many disease organisms, Giardia mature in stages. Unlike many others, no time elapses between infestation with the dormant phase and activation of the disease. The cysts (the inactive form) are found in contaminated water and feces. Once ingested by the dog, the cysts open and discharge the mobile form known as the trophozoite, a pear-shaped critter with whip-like flagella that propel it through the intestine. If the dog is healthy, the trophozoites may live in the lower digestive tract for years. If the dog has an immature or overburdened immune system, the trophozoites continue to multiply by dividing and can cause the debilitating disease.


The life cycle of Giardia is still somewhat of a mystery. Scientists do know that the trophozoites encyst at some point, and that the cysts are passed into the environment when the dog defecates, but the exact timing and mechanism are not yet known. It is also unclear whether the protozoans are a single species or several species, each with a specific host. Suffice to say, however, that Giardia is an equal opportunity disease that infects several species of animals, including humans. Thus the presence of cysts in the environment can trigger an outbreak in people as well as pets. Cysts can remain viable for several weeks or months in cold, wet environments, so areas littered with feces should be avoided and piles should be removed from backyards.


In the mid 1990s, a guide dog school in England was hit by a severe outbreak of diarrhea. Dr. Maggie Fisher, a veterinarian with an interest in parasitology, helped devise a treatment and disinfection strategy to prevent recurrence. Fisher described the diagnosis and treatment of the disease as follows.


Symptoms: Large populations of Giardia can interfere with the absorption of food and produce feces that are soft, light-colored, and greasy. Mucus from the large intestine may also indicate that the large intestine is irritated even though the colony of active protozoa remains in the small intestine. Blood tests appear normal with the possible exception of an increase in a type of white blood cells and mild anemia.


Diagnosis: Since diarrhea is a common symptom of intestinal infection, causes such as Salmonella and Campylobacter are generally ruled out before testing for Giardia is done. Direct microscopic inspection of feces is necessary to determine the presence of the protozoan. Examination of soft feces may reveal the active trophozoites, and cysts may be found in firm excrement. The number of cysts can vary from day to day, so best chances of detecting this form of Giardia lies in collecting samples over three days for a fecal flotation test or conducting individual tests every two or three days until at least three tests have been done. A quicker test does exist, but it is more expensive and requires an experienced technician to run.


Treatment:There are several options of treatment , some with two- or three-day protocols and others needing seven-to-10 days to complete the job. Flagyl (Metronidazole) is an old stand-by treatment for bacterial infestations that cause diarrhea and is about 60-70 percent effective in curing giardiasis. However, Flagyl has potentially serious side-effects in some animals, including vomiting, anorexia, liver toxicity, and some neurological signs, and it cannot be used in pregnant dogs. In a recent study, Panacur (Fenbendazole), which is approved for use in treating dogs with roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm, has been shown to be effective in treating canine giardiasis. Panacur is safe to use in puppies at least six weeks of age.


In large kennels, mass treatment of all dogs is preferable, and the kennel and exercise areas should be thoroughly disinfected. Kennel runs should be steam-cleaned and left to dry for several days before dogs are reintroduced. Lysol, ammonia, and bleach are effective decontamination agents.


Because Giardia crosses species and can infect people, sanitation is important when caring for dogs. Kennel workers and pet owners alike should be sure to wash hands after cleaning dog runs or removing feces from yards, and babies and toddlers should be kept away from dogs that have diarrhea. When traveling with Fido, owners should prevent him from drinking potentially infected water in streams, ponds, or swamps and, if possible, avoid public areas polluted with feces.


References


1. Giardia in Dogs by Maggie Fisher, BVetMed, MRCVS; at Vet On-Line, (http://www.priory.com/vet.htm) a service of Priory Lodge Education Limited.


2. Treatment information is a blend of information from Dr. Fisher and from “Giardia,” an article by Dr. Holly Frisby, Drs. Foster and Smith Veterinary Services Department,(http://www.drsfostersmith.com).





Norma Bennett Woolf







This page is a part of the Dog Owner’s Guide internet website and is copyright 2012 by Canis Major Publications. You may print or download this material for non-commercial personal or school educational use. All other rights reserved. If you, your organization or business would like to reprint our articles in a newsletter or distribute them free of charge as an educational handout please see our reprint policy.














Dog Owner’s Guide Related Articles


This is article 72 of 74 in the Health and veterinary information topic.
    Next Article: Genetic testing for breeding dogs? : Should dogs be genetically tested before having puppies?
    Previous Article: Form and function: what’s it all about?: The hip bone’s connected to the thigh bone…


Related articles:
     Table of contents for “Health and veterinary information” only: This topic’s table of contents




Site Topic and article lists:
     Site topic list: Quick list of topics
     Site table of contents: All Dog Owner’s Guide articles, listed by topic








Books of Interest



Dog Owner’s Guide, in association with AMAZON.COM, recommends these books for more information on . . .



Tiny Giardia can make Fido mighty sick


Although we don’t have any books specifically about this article perhaps the following books will be of interest.




Health and veterinary information





Browse our list of recommended books arranged by topic
Search for any book, video or CD at Amazon.com







Contact us




Giardia-Giardia canis



Mud puddles can be a source of all sorts of parasites! http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?articleid=739


GIARDIA (Giardia canis)


Holly Nash, DVM, MS
Veterinary Services Department, Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc.


Giardia are protozoa (one-celled organisms) that live in the small intestine of dogs and cats. Giardia are found throughout the United States and in many other parts of the world. Infection with Giardia is called ‘giardiasis.’


There are many things we do not know about this parasite. Experts do not agree on how many species of Giardia there are and which ones affect which animals. Veterinarians do not even agree on how common Giardia infections are and when they should be treated. Generally, it is believed that infection with Giardia is common but disease is rare. There is much about the life cycle we do not know either.


How do Giardia reproduce and how are they transmitted?


A dog becomes infected by eating the cyst form of the parasite. In the small intestine, the cyst opens and releases an active form called a trophozoite. These have flagella, hair-like structures that whip back and forth allowing them to move around. They attach to the intestinal wall and reproduce by dividing in two. After an unknown number of divisions, at some stage, in an unknown location, this form develops a wall around itself (encysts) and is passed in the feces. The Giardia in the feces can contaminate the environment and water and infect other animals and people.


What are the signs of a Giardia infection?


Most infections with Giardia are asymptomatic. In the rare cases in which disease occurs, younger animals are usually affected, and the usual sign is diarrhea. The diarrhea may be acute, intermittent, or chronic. Usually the infected animals will not lose their appetite, but they may lose weight. The feces are often abnormal, being pale, having a bad odor, and appearing greasy. In the intestine, Giardia prevents proper absorption of nutrients, damages the delicate intestinal lining, and interferes with digestion.


Can Giardia of dogs infect people?


This is another unknown. There are many species of Giardia, and experts do not know if these species infect only specific hosts. Sources of some human infections have possibly been linked to beavers, other wild animals, and domestic animals. Until we know otherwise, it would be wise to consider infected animals capable of transmitting Giardia to humans.


You may have heard about Giardia outbreaks occurring in humans due to drinking contaminated water. Contamination of urban water supplies with Giardia is usually attributed to (human) sewage effluents. In rural settings, beavers most often get the blame for contaminating lakes and streams. Giardia outbreaks have also occurred in day care centers fueled by the less than optimal hygienic practices of children.


How do we diagnose giardiasis?


Giardiasis is very difficult to diagnose because the protozoa are so small and are not passed with every stool. Tests on serial stool samples (one stool sample every day for three days) are often required to find the organism. Special diagnostic procedures, beyond a routine fecal examination, are necessary to identify Giardia. The procedures we use to identify roundworms and hookworms kill the active form of Giardia and concentrate the cyst form.


To see the active form, a small amount of stool may be mixed with water on a microscope slide and examined under high magnification. Because these forms have flagella, you can see them move around on the slide. The active forms are more commonly found in loose stools. If you ever have the opportunity to see the active form of Giardia under the microscope, take it! It is an interesting-looking creature. It is pear-shaped and its anatomy makes it look like a cartoon face, with eyes (which often look crossed), nose, and mouth. Once you see it, you will not forget it.


Cysts are more commonly found in firm stools. Special solutions are used to separate the cysts from the rest of the stool. The portion of the solution that would contain the cysts is then examined microscopically.


In spring, 2004, a diagnostic test using ELISA technology became available. This test uses a very small fecal sample, and can be performed in 8 minutes in a veterinarian’s office. It is much more accurate than a fecal examination.


We have done the tests, now what?


Now we come to how to interpret the test results. It can be a dilemma for your veterinarian. What you see (or do not see) is not always a correct indication of what you have. A negative test may mean the animal is not infected. However, few, if any, laboratory tests are 100% accurate. Negative test results can also occur in some infected animals. If a negative test occurs, your veterinarian will often suggest repeating the test.


What about a positive test? That should not be hard to interpret, right? Wrong. Giardia can be found in many dogs with and without diarrhea. If we find Giardia, is it the cause of the diarrhea or is it just coincidence we found it? The animal could actually have diarrhea caused by a bacterial infection, and we just happened to find the Giardia. Test results always need to be interpreted in light of the signs, symptoms, and medical history.


If we find Giardia, how do we treat it?


Here we go again; treatment is controversial too. There is a question about when to treat. If Giardia is found in a dog without symptoms should we treat the animal? Since we should not know if G. canis can infect man, we often err on the side of caution and treat an asymptomatic infected animal to prevent possible transmission to people.


If we highly suspect infection with Giardia, but can not find the organism, should we treat anyway? This is often done. Because it is often difficult to detect Giardia in the feces of dogs with diarrhea, if there are no other obvious causes of diarrhea (e.g.; the dog did not get into the garbage several nights ago) we often treat the animal for giardiasis.


There are several treatments for giardiasis, although some of them have not been FDA-approved for that use in dogs. Fenbendazole is an antiparasitic drug that kills some intestinal worms and can help control giardia. It may be used alone or with metronidazole. Metronidazole can kill some types of bacteria that could cause diarrhea. So if the diarrhea was caused by bacteria, and not Giardia, the bacteria can be killed and the symptoms eliminated. Unfortunately, metronidazole has some drawbacks. It has been found to be only 60-70% effective in eliminating Giardia from infected dogs, and probably is not 100% effective in cats, either. It can be toxic to the liver in some animals. It is suspected of being a teratogen (an agent that causes physical defects in the developing embryo), so it should not be used in pregnant animals. Finally, it has a very bitter taste and many animals resent taking it – especially cats.


Quinacrine hydrochloride has been used in the past, but is not very effective and can cause side effects such as lethargy, vomiting, anorexia, and fever.


But now we come to yet another unknown. It is possible these treatments only remove the cysts from the feces but do not kill all the Giardia in the intestine. This means even though the fecal exams after treatment may be negative, the organism is still present in the intestine. This is especially true of the older treatments. So treated animals could still be a source of infection for others.


How can I prevent my pet from becoming infected with Giardia?


The cysts can live several weeks to months outside the host in wet, cold environments. So lawns, parks, kennels, and other areas that may be contaminated with animal feces can be a source of infection for your pet. You should keep your pet away from areas contaminated by the feces of other animals. This is not always easy.


As with other parasites of the digestive system, prevention of the spread of Giardia centers on testing and treating infected animals and using sanitary measures to reduce or kill the organisms in the environment. Solutions of Lysol, bleach, and quaternary ammonium compounds are effective against Giardia.


How do I control Giardia in my kennel?


Infection with Giardia can be a big problem in kennels, and a multi-faceted approach is needed.


Treat Animals: Treat all nonpregnant animals with fenbendazole for 5 days. On the last day of treatment, move them to a holding facility while a clean area is established. When the animals are moved back to the clean area, treat them once again with a 5-day course of fenbendazole or albendazole.


Decontaminate the Environment: Establish a clean area. If possible, this can be the whole facility. Otherwise, create a few clean runs or cages, separate from the others. Remove all fecal material from the areas since the organic matter in feces can greatly decrease the effectiveness of many disinfectants. Steam clean the area. Quaternary ammonium disinfectants used according to manufacturer’s directions or a 1:5 or 1:10 solution of bleach can usually kill the cysts within one minute. Allow the area to dry for several days before reintroducing the animals. NOTE: Use extreme caution when using quaternary ammonium compounds and bleach solutions. Use proper ventilation, gloves, protective clothing and follow your veterinarian’s recommendations.


Clean the Animals: Cysts can remain stuck to the haircoats of infected animals. So during treatment and before moving the treated animals to the clean area, they should be regularly shampooed and rinsed well. Especially concentrate on the perianal area.


Prevent Reintroduction of Giardia: Giardia can be brought into the kennel either by introducing an infected animal or on your shoes or boots. Any new animal should be quarantined from the rest of the animals and be treated and cleaned as described above. You should either use disposable shoe covers or clean shoes/boots and use a footbath containing quaternary ammonium compounds to prevent people from reintroducing Giardia.


Remember, Giardia of dogs may infect people, so good, personal hygiene should be used by adults when cleaning kennels or picking up the yard, and by children who may play with pets or in potentially contaminated areas.


References and Further Reading


Barr, SC; Bowman, DD. Giardiasis in dogs and cats. Compendium on Continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian. 1994;16(5):603-614.


Barr, SC; Bowman, DD; Frongillo, MF; Joseph, SL. Efficacy of a drug combination of praziquantel, pyrantel pamoate, and febental against giardiasis in dogs. American Journal of Veterinary Research. 1998;59(1):1134-1136.


Georgi, JR; Georgi, ME. Canine Clinical Parasitology. Lea & Febiger. Philadelphia, PA; 1992;59-61.


Griffiths, HJ. A Handbook of Veterinary Parasitology. University of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis, MN; 1978;21-22.


Hendrix, CM. Diagnostic Veterinary Parasitology. Mosby, Inc. St. Louis, MO; 1998;19-20.


Meyer, EK. Adverse events associated with albendazole and other products used for treatment of giardiasis in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 1998;213(1):44-46.


Sherding, RG; Johnson, SE. Diseases of the intestine. In Birchard, SJ; Sherding, RG (eds.) Saunders Manual of Small Animal Practice. W.B. Saunders Co. Philadelphia, PA; 1994;699-700.


Sousby, EJL. Helminths, arthropods and protozoa of domesticated animals. Lea & Febiger. Philadelphia, PA; 1982;577-580.


Zajac, AM; LaBranche, TP; Donoghue, AR; Chu, Teng-Chiao. Efficacy of fenbendazole in the treatment of experimental Giardia infection in dogs. American Journal of Veterinary Research. 1998;59(1):61-63.

A Common Reason For Travel Clinic Visits: Beaver Fever or Giardia Infection



May 15, 2011



A Common Reason For Travel Clinic Visits: Beaver Fever or Giardia Infection


Filed under: MEDICINE — angekk @ 6:37 am


Remaining healthy on long journeys can be very difficult. Hidden in lush foliage there are viruses borne by insect, and emerging from a hotel’s faucet is bacteria that can lay you up for weeks. One of most common illnesses that traveler’s come down with while on vacation is called giardia. To help you once infected by this debilitating sickness-or to help you remain illness free while overseas-contact a travel clinic.
What is Giardia & How is it Spread?
Giardia is a microscopic parasite that is common in both animals (including cats and dogs) and humans. Giardia causes giardiasis, which is sometimes referred to as Beaver Fever. It is a diarrheal disease and is common overseas and in the United States.
Once the parasite is ingested it lives in the intestines and is passed to the next person (or animal) through feces. When outside the body the disease can last for months, making it difficult to eradicate. It is easily passed on from one host to another.
By visiting a travel clinic you can learn all the ways in which giardia is spread. These include:
• Ingesting under cooked food that contains the organism
• Touching things like bathroom door handles
• A visit to a farm or anywhere animals reside
• Swallowing drinking water or using ice cubes made from infected water
• Swallowing miniscule amounts of infected lake water or pool water.
• Social contact with someone who is infected
• Traveling to countries where giardia is common. These countries/geographical areas include Mexico, Central America, South America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere on the globe including all of Europe and North America. It would seem the spindly hand of giardia infection creeps across the entire world.
Symptoms typically begin one to three weeks after infection occurs and can last for longer than six weeks. Receiving treatment from a certified travel clinic can shorten this cycle. It is time to visit a travel clinic if you begin suffering from any of the following symptoms:
• Diarrhea
• Stomach and/or abdominal cramps
• Nausea
• Dehydration
• Excessive gas
• Greasy-type stool that tends to float
A stool sample is typically collected for analysis. There are several very effective prescription drugs that can be used for giardia treatment. The fact is that tons of people who travel acquire this parasite. Diarrhea is awful when it lasts a day or two-six weeks or more is downright torturous.
If preparing a journey overseas, it is highly recommended that you visit a travel clinic. Depending on where you are traveling to vaccinations may be required for entry. This is certainly true of the yellow fever vaccination. Many countries will only grant entry with a certificate proving a recent yellow fever inoculation.
For those residing in the New York City area requiring a travel clinic, there is a certified facility located just two blocks from Grand Central Station. Simply log on to NYC travel clinic or call             1-212-696-5900      . Whether preparing for a trip or in need of a prescription for a post-trip poop party-you will certainly find the help you need at Travel vaccinations NYC.





No comments yet.


RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI