Giardia Parasites by Andrea

Parasite, Giardiasis Infection

Fifteen thousand and twenty-three gastric biopsies from 11085 patients at a hospital in Northeastern Italy were taken between January of 1986 and December

Giardia in Cats

6 Aug 2003 A good site for information on this: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/giardiasis/factsht_giardia.htm In multiple cat households the

Giardia in Dogs and Cats

15 Sep 2009 Adapted with permission from: Giardia Murray J. Kennedy, In this case, the dogs most likely acquired the parasites from the small stream

Giardiasis Facts

The Giardia parasite is found in every region of the United States and throughout the world. Giardiasis occurs often in mountainous areas where water

PARASITES IN DOGS AND PUPPIES

Dogs can be afflicted by many kinds of worms and worm-like parasites . In this section, we detail the many common kinds.

Coccidia

Not really a worm but a one-celled microscopic organism, this parasite is not especially common in dogs, but it can strike young puppies, particularly when they’re living in crowded conditions with lax sanitation. The disease is picked up through contaminated water, food, or surroundings. Coccidia produce eggs in the dog’s intestinal tract, which are then passed into the environment in the stool. Coccidia can lie dormant, causing no symptoms, but they can be activated by some sort of stress. Once they swing into action, these little protozoans start doing their dirty work, causing diarrhea , weakness, lack of appetite, anemia , and dehydration . Your vet will probably treat Coccidia with sulfa drugs and antibiotics . Good hygiene is the key to containing and preventing Coccidia. Pick up the stool immediately, making sure there’s no opportunity for food or water to be contaminated by it. If your dog is diagnosed with Coccidia, a thorough cleaning of her living area, using strong (but canine-safe) disinfectants or boiling water, is needed.

Giardia

This is another protozoal parasite – and it can affect dogs and people. Giardia is often waterborne, entering the water supply through contamination by wild animals, dogs, and people. Signs of Giardia infection are diarrhea, which may appear bloody or slimy, and sometimes a mild stomach upset. Your vet will treat Giardia with antiprotozoal drugs. Protect your dog from Giardia by not letting your dog drink from streams, rivers, or lakes, no matter how clean they may look.

Heartworm

Once restricted to the more hot and humid area s of the United States, and of most concern for dogs who spent a lot of time in the woods, heartworm is now prevalent in every part of the country.

The life cycle of the heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, begins with the bite of a mosquito carrying heartworm larvae. The larvae enter the skin, going through several stages of development and eventually riding through the dog’s bloodstream to the right side of the heart. Here they stay and become mature worms. If not detected, the population of adult worms can grow, creating a mass that blocks blood flow, decreases the heart’s efficiency, and eventually causes the right side of the heart to fail.

When the adult worms breed, they produce microfilaria. These are offspring that enter the circulating blood and are small enough to be sucked up by a mosquito that bites the infected dog. Within 10 to 48 days, the microfilaria develop into infectious larvae. The next time the mosquito bites a dog, these heartworm larvae are passed along and the cycle begins all over again.

Dogs infested with heartworms may go for years without showing signs. When the heartworms eventually start to cause a dog trouble, an early sign may be a deep, soft cough that gets worse with exertion. As the cycle progresses, the dog becomes lethargic, loses weight, and sometimes coughs up blood. In the later stages of heartworm disease, the dog has trouble breathing, her chest bulges, and she develops congestive heart failure . Without treatment, she’ll die.

Fortunately, a routine blood test can detect heartworm even before any signs appear. And heartworm can be easily prevented. Every dog should be tested for heartworm (your veterinarian can tell you when and how often). Most dogs will test negative, but your vet may still recommend a heartworm preventative. Diethylcarbamazine (DEC, which is sold under brand names such as Filaribits) kills the infectious larvae. It must be given daily during mosquito season to make sure no larvae survive to mature into adult worms.

If a dog is diagnosed with heartworm, treatment depends on how far along things are. If there’s heart failure or liver or kidney damage, those problems must be attended to first. The treatment for a full-blown case of heartworms is very stressful, and the dog must be in the best possible condition in order to survive it. Follow-up care is crucial, too. About six weeks after initial treatment, the recovering dog gets another drug to kill any microfilaria produced by the adult worms. A blood sample is checked to make sure all the microfilaria are gone. If it comes up positive, additional treatments are given until the dog is completely free of worms and microfilaria.

Hookworms

Hookworms are most often found in warm, humid areas of the country but can show up anywhere. These worms, the most common of which is known as Ancylostoma caninum, usually affect puppies, although adult dogs can have them, too. They’re usually passed in the mother’s milk or even through the skin and take up residence in the pup’s small intestine. Once in the dog’s belly, they hook onto the intestinal wall, sucking in tissue and blood. This causes one of the classic signs of hookworm infestation: dark, tarry, or bloody stool. In serious cases of hookworm disease, dogs suffer severe anemia.

Like most other intestinal worms, hookworms are diagnosed by examining a stool sample under a microscope. If hookworm eggs are found, your vet will probably prescribe medication to kill the adult worms. In areas of the country where hookworm is extremely common, a healthy dog with a mild case may not be treated, since she’ll probably be reinfected quickly anyway. The best prevention for hookworm is being diligent in picking up after your dog. The longer an infected dog’s stool sits, the more likely it is that any hookworm eggs will hatch out into larvae and find their way under your dog’s skin.

Roundworms

Roundworms (Toxocara canis) are common in dogs, especially young puppies. Roundworm eggs are found in the soil, where they can survive for years. The life cycle of the roundworm seems unnecessarily difficult. The dog swallows the eggs from nosing around on the ground or picking something up in her mouth. The eggs hatch into larvae, ride through the bloodstream to the lungs and from there up the windpipe, where they’re swallowed again, return to the intestine, and become mature adult worms. Roundworm larvae can also be passed from mother to puppies through the placenta (the pups are actually born with roundworms) or through the mother’s milk.

Adult dogs can carry roundworms without much in the way of symptoms. But puppies with a load of them may vomit , have diarrhea, and lose weight. They have a noticeable pot belly (more than the usual “puppy tummy”), their coats are dull, and they don’t thrive like other pups. Occasionally, a dog may pass some of the worms in her stool. These worms look like strands of wriggling white spaghetti.

Responsible breeders and shelters check their dogs and puppies for roundworms and other parasites, and give them the regimen of medication to knock out the uninvited guests. Puppies should have had a fecal exam and worming before they’re old enough to be adopted, although follow-up doses of the medication may be needed. As with other types of worms, good sanitation is the key to prevention.

Tapeworms

Fleas are the most common carriers of tapeworm, although they can also be transmitted in small rodents or raw meat. So be careful in handling raw meat, and never feed your dog raw or undercooked meat or animal parts. If your dog has been treated for fleas , there’s a good chance she’s got tapeworms, too. The head — or scolex — of the tapeworm (the most common one in dogs is called Dipylidium caninum) hooks onto the intestine and begins producing a series of flat egg-filled segments resulting in a single worm with a length that can vary from a few inches to several feet. The most common way of diagnosing tapeworm is finding these segments — which look like grains of rice — in the dog’s stool or clinging to the fur around the dog’s anus.

Since the eggs are shed in the segments, a fecal exam can easily miss a tapeworm infestation. It’s up to you to keep a close eye out for the segments themselves and for other possible signs, such as digestive trouble (usually seen in younger dogs with large infestations) and scooting. This type of behavior is defined by the dog dragging her rear end along the ground. Scooting can be a response to irritation from tapeworms, but it can also be a sign of an impacted anal gland — something your vet or groomer can remedy easily. Once tapeworm has been detected (or suspected), treatment is simple and effective. Prevention includes flea control and not feeding the dog raw or undercooked meat and animal products.

Whipworms

Skinny little things with a bulge at one end, whipworms (Trichuris vulpes) are so named because their shape suggests a tiny whip. Dogs pick up whipworm eggs from the environment. The eggs hatch in a pooch’s intestinal tract, where the worms latch onto the wall of the large intestine and start producing eggs all over again. Like other kinds of worms, whipworms are usually only noticeable in young or debilitated dogs. A heavy infestation may cause diarrhea, anemia, or weight loss.

Once again, treatment is a simple medication, usually repeated at least one more time to catch any recently hatched worms before they reinfect the dog. Since the eggs are shed in the infected dog’s stool, prevention is a matter of common sense and common courtesy: Keep your dog away from the stools of other dogs, and pick up after your dog promptly. Regular fecal exams — twice a year is best — will catch a case of worms before it gets out of control.

Pet Health Tip #23- Intestinal Parasites

There are several intestinal worms that infest dogs.  The most common intestinal worms are: Roundworms, Hookworms, Whipworms, and Tapeworms.  However, the one that is most commonly SEEN by the owner is the Tapeworm.  It looks like a small grain of rice.  The dog is not actually passing the whole worm.  It is actually passing an immature worm that breaks off the mature worm.  The mature tapeworm can be several inches long and is flat.  Occasionally, if the worm burden is high enough, the owner may also see Roundworms.  These are long spaghetti shaped worms.  Most of the time the dog is only passing the worm eggs which are microscopic.

Symptoms of intestinal parasite infestation include: weight loss (or failure to gain weight) and loose stools.  Occasionally in small puppies, you will also see vomiting.  Hookworms can also cause bloody stools.

Another common intestinal parasite is Giardia.  This is not a worm, but is a protozoa organism.  Dogs with Giardia infections usually have very loose stools to runny diarrhea.

Puppies will often times have multiple infestations.  It is common for them to have Roundworms, Hookworms, Whipworms, and Giardia all at the same time.  This is why it is very important to deworm puppies.  Typically, your veterinarian will deworm your puppy at the same time that it receives its vaccinations.

Roundworms, Hookworms, Whipworms, and Giardia are all transmitted fecal-orally through the ingestion of the eggs.  The infested dog will pass the eggs in their stool and then the next dog usually picks the eggs up on their feet.  Then, when they groom themselves, then ingest the eggs.  The eggs then mature into adult worms.

Tapeworms are transmitted by the flea.  Dogs typically get tapeworms from the biting at the fleas that are biting them.  They then accidentally ingest the flea and the immature stages of the tapeworm are released and mature into tapeworms.  Cats often become infested with tapeworms by eating a rodent (rat/mouse) that has fleas.

Most Heartworm medications also contain medication that will kill Roundworms and Hookworms.  So, you are giving them a monthly heartworm and intestinal worm treatment with each monthly dose.

Tapeworms are not killed by most Heartworm medications.  Also, most over-the-counter medications DO NOT kill Tapeworms.  It is important if you see evidence of your pet passing Tapeworms to make sure you are using a dewormer that kills them.

Coccidia and Giardia – The “Non-Worm” Parasites | Frontier Veterinary Hospital

by Dr. Yung

If they aren’t worms, what are Coccidia and Giardia?

Giardia and Coccidia are intestinal parasites.  However, unlike what we commonly consider a “worm” – like roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms – giardia and coccidia organisms are small, microscopic organisms that do not develop into visible worms.

Giardia organisms are protozoan parasites that, when mature, have two little tails, called ‘flagellas’, that are the mode of movement.  These more mature trophozoites harbor in the intestines and cause gastrointestinal (GI) illness.  There are many species of giardia, and some are species-specific, meaning they will only cause illness in that particular species, but many can cross species lines to cause illness in say, both a dog and a human.

Coccidia organisms are single-celled parasites that infect and reproduce inside intestinal cells.  As these organisms reproduce, they kill the intestinal cells as they divide.  Like giardia, there are several types of coccidia, and for dogs and cats a subset called isospora is the infective species.

What are the symptoms?

Both giardia and coccidia cause varying degrees of diarrhea.  Giardia diarrhea can run (pun intended) from mild soft stools to voluminous mucousy stool.  Giardia can also cause nausea and minor vomiting in some dogs.

Coccidia can vary from being somewhat asymptomatic in a mature animal (with a mature immune system), to severe and profuse watery diarrhea with or without blood in puppies and kittens.

How does a pet get these parasites?

Like most other intestinal parasites, the primary route of infection is through a fecal-oral contamination.  Giardia cysts, which are the “eggs” of the parasite, are shed from the fecal material of an infected animal and contaminate the environment.  Giardia cysts can survive for a significant period of time in a cool and wet environment (love that rainy Oregon weather!), so contaminated water and water sources are the most common sources of infection.

Coccidia/isospora oocytes are also shed from the stool of an infected pet.  These oocytes mature in the environment and are ingested when a pet licks or grooms infected dirt off their fur.

Who gets these parasites?

Giardia affects pets of all ages.  Dogs are very commonly affected in our area, cats are less so (they likely have a better immunity to giardia).  In theory, an animal’s immune system will develop a degree of immunity after infection with giardia.  However, we still see recurring giardia infections, likely due to:

1. The immunity is not complete and/or
2. There are several species of giardia, each of which requites it own type of immunity.

Coccidia can cause significant illness in puppies and kittens.  The diarrhea can be so severe that the small puppy or kitten can quickly become dehydrated.  In a mature animal with no signs of GI illness, who does not have contact with a young puppy or kitten that could become infected, a positive coccidia/isospora fecal exam may be incidental, and may not require treatment.

How do I know if my pet has giardia or coccidia, and how do you treat it?

A fecal exam is performed to look for the giardia cysts or the coddician oocysts.  In the past, diagnosis of giardia was difficult because the cycsts can be sporadically shed, so if you tested an infected pet at a time when cysts were not being shed the pet would test negative despite being infected.  Recently, our detection of giardia has been greatly enhanced by the availability of an ELISA test, which tests the fecal sample immunologically for giardia proteins, instead of looking for the actual cysts.

Giardia is often treated with a round of fenbendazole dewormer, and sometimes with the anti-bacterial metronidazole in severe cases.  Because the giardia cysts shed in hundreds, it is often helpful to bathe the pet once or twice during the treatment time, particularly around the tail feathers, to prevent re-infection.

Coccidia is treated with coccidiostats.  These medications halt the reproductive cycle of the coccidia organisms and allow the animal’s own immunity to finish combating the parasite.  We typically prescribe a sulfa-type antibiotic for coccidian/isosporan infections in puppies and kittens.

Rarely does giardia itself cause diarrhea or GI signs so severe that it requires more treatment.  Coccidia, however, can cause severe dehydration in puppies and kittens due to the tremendous water loss and sloughing of intestinal cells.  These pets may require hospitalization for fluid therapy.

We recheck a fecal sample about a week or two after the last dewormer dose to confirm resolution of the infection.

What’s the prognosis?

Generally excellent, especially if caught early, before more severe illness occurs.

frontieradmin | Pet Health Blog, Uncategorized

Intestinal Parasites Seen in Animals - Common Types

If you have an animal, chances are good you have had a run in with intestinal parasites. Most pet owners have had to deal with the common parasites, like roundworms and hookworms, when monitoring their pet’s health, but there are other lesser known parasites which pet owners should know about.

While whipworms are frequent in the southern United States, they are less common, even rare, throughout the country. This parasite causes the most deaths among adult animals that veterinarians see. Whipworms are spread by contact with fecal matter and can live dormant for over five years. This parasite fastens to the intestinal lining and sucks blood, effectively draining the life out of your pet’s health. Most animals will have uncontainable diarrhea and are very anemic. If the infection is not controlled, lasting scarring can occur in the intestinal lining causing permanent diarrhea. Whipworms are a canine only disease.

Tapeworms are also familiar for animals too and are one of the most annoying parasites in pet health care to date. This parasite can cause vomiting and diarrhea but is not terminal for animals. Many people have had contact with this parasite. It looks like pieces of rice around dog’s and cat’s rectums. Tapeworms are spread by infected fleas and rodents to our pets. Tapeworms need two hosts to stay alive. The egg packets are what causes the chief infestation in fleas and rodents. Using flea products that kill or repel fleas from our pets effortlessly controls tapeworms.

Coccidia is a parasite that can be difficult to correctly diagnose in pet health. This parasitic disease tends to only involve young animals and can be hard to find even on a microscopic level. It can be incorrectly diagnosised as parvo because it can also cause vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Animals bought from a pet store or from breeders with lots of litters tend to have the highest incidences of coccidia.

Giardia is a parasite that is found in inactive water. It affects both cats and dogs and even can also affect humans, affecting both pet health and their owners. Giardia causes watery diarrhea in pets and in humans. If you have heard the adage, don’t drink the water, it is this parasite which has garnered this honor.

These parasites are very different in size and shape and cause different problems, but there are a few things you can do to keep your pet’s health parasite free. Parasites such as roundworms, hookworms and whipworms are easily controlled by oral medications. Probably the best long-term option for these parasites is heartworm preventatives because they are wormed monthly. Parasites tend to be in high concentrations in areas where animals are kept in large numbers and close quarters. Fenced-in pets and animals on chains should have their feces removed daily to keep the parasite levels low. And finally, keeping your animal clean and out of dirty environments can decrease the risk for both coccidia and giardia. Most veterinarians recommend yearly fecals, and after that test is complete your veterinarian can recommend any number of preventatives.

Share the love - parasites in pets and humans

We’ve had a spate of giardia recently – well, not us exactly. There have been a number or dogs that are coming in to board that, at my insistence, have gotten fecal tests done and found giardia present. From an article on the Texas A & M website September 10, 2010 on pet diseases that make humans sick: (http://tinyurl.com/2d2s8av): 

“Giardiasis is a less publicized disease, but it is important to note because 20,000 cases were reported last year alone. People can contract this disease by drinking water from infected rivers where animals have defecated, especially dogs with diarrhea. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, gas or bloating, headache, loss of appetite, fever, nausea, swollen abdomen, and vomiting. Sometimes medicine is used to cure the disease, but giardiasis usually goes away on its own.”

This last part is especially important if you have small children:

“Giardiasis has been a real problem in day care centers… One child will contract the disease and they will easily spread it to the other children”

I bring this up for a couple of reasons. First and formost clients MUST bring fecal samples to the vet regularly – every six months is our requirement. Something like giardia could spread like wildfire in here. But my second thought is that I don’t want to get it. I had it in the Peace Corps and although I admired my svelte new figure after a week of having everything I eat run through me, I don’t like the idea of being invaded by a parasite. For those of you with small children or immune deficiencies, the danger of a more severe reaction is real.

It’s important to note that some dogs and some people do not show signs of illness, ergo the every-six-months fecal exam requirement.

So if you are planning on boarding your dog any time soon, or if you know you are behind on the required fecal exam, please don’t put off taking a bag of fresh poop to the vet. It’s gross but the alternative is nastier.

Happy Healthy Pooch

September 21, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Tags: dog illness, fecal exam, giardia, human illness, rockin roxys . Author: Tricia Thomas

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WORMS AND INTERNAL PARASITES OF DOGS AND CATS

Dogs and cats are susceptible to parasites. You can prevent and treat parasites very easily.

TYPES OF TEST

FECAL STOOL EXAM is used to diagnose the presence of intestinal parasites. A fresh stool sample from pups or kittens should be tested by your veterinarian when they are 6-8 weeks of age. Adult pets should have their stool tested every six months or at least yearly.
When you adopt a new dog or puppy, it is recommended to get a fecal test after about 10 days of the dog being home. Even if the dog or puppy had a fecal exam completed once brought into the rescue, the stress of going into a new home can weaken the immune system and resting parasites can surface. The average incubation period for parasites is 10 days.

HEARTWORM EXAM is used to search your pet’s blood for evidence of heartworm infection. Puppies should be tested at six months of age. Adults should be tested annually in the spring. If you are bringing a dog in from a shelter ask if a heartworm test was done. If not, get a heartworm test immediately.

TYPES OF INTERNAL PARASITES
ROUNDWORMS of ascarids are intestinal parasites found in both dogs and cats. But the common ascarid of cats does not infect dogs and vice versa. Roundworm infection can be fatal in young puppies and kittens. These large worms fill the small intestine and interfere with the absorption of nutrients. Signs of roundworm infection in dogs include a pot belly, diarrhea, dull scruffy coat and weakness

WHIPWORMS are bloodsucking parasites that live in the large intestine. They cause inflammation, bloody stool and diarrhea. Your pet will experience abdominal pain, general malaise and a decreased appetite.

HOOKWORMS are bloodsucking parasites found in both dogs and cats. But the common hookworm of dogs does not infect cats and vice versa. Hookworm infection can cause severe, even fatal blood-loss especially in pups.

TAPEWORMS are common intestinal parasites of dogs and cats. Fleas, rabbits, mice, rats and other animals carry and intermediate stage in the life cycle of tapeworms. Dogs and cats become infected with tapeworms by eating these carriers. The most common tapeworm of dogs and cats is carried by fleas. If your pet is exposed to fleas, watch for tapeworm segments passing with your pet’s stool.

COCCIDIA are intestinal parasites of dogs and cats which can cause diarrhea and weight loss. Coccidiosis usually affects young dogs and cats, especially those from places where large numbers of animals are kept together, such as kennels, catteries, pet stores and puppy mills.

GIARDIA is a single-celled parasite that lives in your dog’s intestine. It infects older dogs but more frequently infects puppies. Dogs become infected when they swallow Giardia that may be present in water or other substances that have been soiled with feces. Giardia infection, usually results in diarrhea. Having giardiasis a long time can cause weight loss; generally poor condition; and even death, when the disease is serious.

HEARTWORMS are most common in dogs, but cats have been known to be infected. They are parasites that spend their adult life in the heart and large blood vessels. They are transmitted by mosquitoes. Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease in dogs. Much of the damage occurs before there are any outward signs. Therefore, prevention is the key in protecting your dog.

When your dog is diagnosed with an intestinal parasite, make sure you clean your hard of any fecal matter immediately after elimination to prevent reinfecting your dog or puppy. If your dog or puppy has accidents in the house, use bleach when possible to kill any remaining parasite.

Always consult your veterinarian with questions or concerns.