Puppy test positive for giardia - Ask A Pet Pro

What should I do if my puppy tests positive for giardia?

Thank you,
Tiffany

Tags: canine giardia, treatment for dog with giardia

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SNAP Giardia Test

Here’s how a comprehensive fecal-testing protocol can help your practice

• Reliable and cost-effective, the SNAP®Giardia Test dramatically improves fecal examination accuracy by including a fecal float and a 90% sensitive Giardia-only test.


• Catch missed Giardia-positive animals up to three times as often as traditional methods¹â€”increasing your fecal exam yield and client satisfaction


• Send more patients home with a definitive diagnosis and targeted treatment plan


• Improve your fecal exam revenues

“We use the SNAP Giardia Test as part of our baseline fecal screen for all young animals and all clinical GI workups because we have found Giardia to be prevalent, and it helps us provide the best care for our patients. Additionally, it’s very easy to use, convenient for our clients and hospital, and is a good profit source with very high perceived value to our clients as we find, treat and clear more positives. As I tell my colleagues, ‘mandate and uphold the best protocol.’ This isn’t just good business, it’s good medicine.”

Joseph R. Sprott, DVM • Newnan Animal Hospital • Newnan, Georgia

Use the SNAP Giardia Test as an adjunct to fecal float parasitic diagnosis—if you’re looking for intestinal parasites, don’t miss a Giardia infection.

The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) “recommends testing symptomatic (intermittently or consistently diarrheic) dogs and cats with a combination of direct smear, fecal flotation with centrifugation, and a sensitive, specific fecal ELISA optimized for use in companion animals.”²

Misdiagnosis results from intermittent shedding and difficulty identifying cysts and trophozoites. At present, the SNAP Giardia Test is the only commercially available Giardia ELISA assay optimized for use in canine and feline samples.

The IDEXX Test Promise —If an IDEXX test does not perform as promised, simply call us and we will credit your IDEXX Points account with 100% of the test’s value in points. If you have questions about the IDEXX Test Promise, please call us at 1–800–248–2483.

References

1.

Groat R. Survey of clinic practices and testing for diagnosis of Giardia infections in dogs and cats. Presented at: 2003 ACVIM Forum; June 4–8; Charlotte, NC.

2.

CAPC. CAPC Recommendations: Intestinal Parasites: Protozoa: Giardiasis. Available at: www.capcvet.org/recommendations/giardia.html. Accessed May 27, 2009.

Sensitivity and specificity of the SNAP® Giardia Test

CL = confidence limit

Compare Giardia testing methods to see the difference.

CONCLUSION: SNAP®Giardia—the ease of fecal floats/smears with the accuracy of a reference laboratory.

Detecting Giardia Infection: A Comparison of In-House Methods vs. Reference Laboratory Methods

SNAP®Giardia Test and in-clinic microscopy test results are shown as percentages of samples that were identified as Giardia-positive by laboratory ELISA and DIFM methods.

In a recent study, 617 fecal samples were tested for Giardia in the normal course of clinical practice.¹ Results from fecal floatation or fecal smears were recorded, and the samples were then forwarded for further reference testing. The results indicated poor performance of current in-house microscopy testing compared to ELISA and DIFM reference methods.

SNAP®Giardia Test and in-clinic microscopy test results are shown as percentages of samples that were identified as Giardia-positive by laboratory ELISA and DIFM methods.

Reference

1.

Groat R. Survey of clinic practices and testing for diagnosis of Giardia infections in dogs and cats. Presented at: 2003 ACVIM Forum; June 4–8; Charlotte, NC.

Identifies soluble Ag	Â	Â	•	•
Time to result	~20 mins	24–48 hours	24–48 hours	8 minutes
Inexpensive	•	Â	Â	•
In-house	•	Â	Â	•
Samples required	3	1	1	1
High accuracy	Â	•	•	•

Sick Puppies Test Positive for Giardia

Meet two darling dachshund puppies, Pinball and Rambo, owned by Susan and Daniel Donaldson.  These brother and sister puppies were purchased from a breeder and checked out well at their first exam.  Within days, Rambo became very lethargic and had diarrhea, and Pinball got significant diarrhea but wasn’t as depressed.  They came in to Care Animal Hospital and were seen by Dr. Tracie Grubb.  She did two different tests on the feces and the samples tested positive for giardia. 

So – what exactly is Giardia?     Giardia is sometimes confused with “worms” because they invade the gastrointestinal tract and can cause diarrhea.  Giardia is a one-celled parasitic species classified as a protozoa.

How do dogs get Giardia?     A dog becomes infected with Giardia when it swallows the cyst stage of the parasite.  Once inside the dog’s intestine, the cyst goes through several stages of maturation.  Eventually, the dog passes infective cysts in the stool.  These cysts lie in the environment and can infect other dogs.  Giardia may also be transmitted through drinking infected water.  Most streams and lakes in Colorado are infected with Giardia. 

How did we diagnose Giardia in these puppies?     At Care Animal Hospital we perform two different tests on fresh stool to try and identify giardial cysts.  One is called a fecal centrifugation test, where the feces are spun in a specially designed centrifuge machine using a specific kind of liquid to help separate the cysts.  The coverslip sitting on the centrifuge tube is placed on a slide and the sample scanned under the microscope looking for cysts.

Recently we obtained another type of test known as an ELISA test – which looks for some of the markers on the outside of the giardial cysts and reacts with a color change.

Both tests miss about 15% of the positive dogs, but they miss a different 15% so using both tests together helps us to be over 90% sure that the dog is infected if we get a positive ELISA test or we identify the cysts under the microscope

How is giardiasis treated?     The typical drug used to kill Giardia is metronidazole (flagyl), an antibiotic that is either a tablet or we can create a liquid for smaller animals.  It is normally given for 8 days (two times a day) to treat giardiasis.  Other drugs are also used if diarrhea and dehydration occur.  If Metronidazole is not effective, other medications may be recommended. 

Can humans become infected with Giardia?     Giardia can cause diarrhea in humans.  If your dog is diagnosed with giardiasis, environmental disinfection is important.  We recommend thoroughly cleaning the pet’s living and sleeping areas and then allowing the areas to dry out for several days before reintroducing pets.  One cup of bleach in 1 gallon of water is effective in killing the cysts. 

Are dogs with giardial cysts always sick?     Most dogs that are infected with Giardia do not have diarrhea or any other signs of illness.  When the dysts are found in the stool of a dog without diarrhea, many times we consider them transient and sometimes do not treat these dogs.  However, as Rambo and Pinball taught us, in puppies and debilitated adult dogs, Giardia may cause severe, watery diarrhea that may be fatal. 

We are happy to report that Rambo and Pinball are currently doing very well.