Giardiasis is sometimes known by the term “beaver fever.†It doesn’t mean a rise in body temperature when an individual encounters large aquatic rodents. It can impact the health of man and pets.
Giardiasis occurs when an animal ingests the giardia protozoa. The giardia protozoa exists in soil and water that has been contaminated by animal feces. This can put pets, usually dogs, at risk.
While most people don’t drop down and lap water from a country stream, a dog on a walk with its owner in the country or park thinks nothing of drinking from this type of water source. This can lead to a giardia infection in the dog.
Giardia in dogs
This can lead to a whole host of rather unpleasant symptoms. These commonly include violent diarrhea, gas, cramps and nausea starting about two days after the dog comes in contact with the contaminated water. About five days after exposure the dog can become constipated with a bad case of gas which the owner is likely to consider a blessing compared to earlier problems.
Minor cases will clear on their own usually about four weeks after exposure. In some cases, the symptoms fade while the dog remains infected. In these cases, the feces of the animal can spread the giardia to other dogs, cats and potentially humans.
More severe cases commonly require some sort of veterinarian care. The most common treatments involve anti-worm medications that will also treat any other parasites infesting the dog. Routine worming can help prevent giardia infections.
Prevention is always preferable to treatment after an infection. Prevent the dog from drinking from streams, if possible, and keep areas where the animal poops as clean as possible. Keeping pet feces away from children is also critical to preventing the spread of the disease from animals to humans.
After all, no one wants a case of beaver fever.
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