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Concerned about Koda

2K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  Jessie's Mom 
#1 ·
Koda is a 14 week old standard poodle.
He was diagnosed with Giardia last Sunday.
I've only had him for 8 days.
When I first got him his stool was very soft (I think due to the Giardia)
I fed him boiled chicken and rice to help firm up his poop and to ease his tummy.
He is finished with his med.(He was put on Metronidazole and Panacur)

I also started him on a RAW meat diet, he seams to be doing great with it.
He has been eating Raw for 6 days.

His stool were solid 2 days after starting him on his med. but for the past two days he has had running poop again.

Koda doesn't seam to be acting like an energetic puppy ( being my first poodle I'm not sure if this is normal or not ) His stool is very runny and he just seems to not want to play alot.

Thanks
Koda & Mamma :)
 
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#6 ·
I would call the Vet too, maybe another round of meds. Also be sure in the beginning phase of raw to have plenty of bone if you give too much boneless they can get the runs. A couple of mine had a hic-cup or two of runs and the raw forum I use recommended light on the meat until the stools stay hard for about 10 days.

I am sure between meds and switching foods that can really take a toll.
 
#7 ·
Have you talked to his breeder, or who you got him from? Sounds like there should be some accountability required here. Also, if I was the breeder, I'd want to know so I could treat and clean the other dogs in the home.

Giardia is a horrible thing to try to get rid of, because if there's any smidgen of giardia-laden feces in the yard and he gets it on his feet and licks it...he's reinfected. That doesn't count the bedding, the carpet, furniture, etc. Most cleaners won't kill it either. Look it up online. Bleach and borax (or something like that) work.

The parasite goes through cycles, so dogs won't always show symptoms even though they're infected, so it seems that they get better, and then a week later, they're showing symptoms again, then they get better, then worse, over and over. The meds don't affect the giardia in the cyst form. It's recommended that they take the panacur, and then take another low dose round to catch the emerging cysts that weren't affected by the first round.

I've read that MSM and digestive enzymes really help to build an environment in the gut that giardia doesn't like. Probiotics are helpful too. That and a ton of bleach, gloves, and wiping the dog's rear really well when they come in, as well as picking up all poop as soon as they go.

The worst part is that it's transmitted to humans too. Yick.

We've never had it, but earlier this year, Liberty had a bout of diarrhea and the vet said it resembled giardia, so sent it for testing. I was sick at the same time, so I was pretty much freaking out...did tons of research, bought cleaning supplies, bum wipes to catch her as she came indoors, clorox wipes, etc. Then the next day I found out the stool sample test came back clean and she didn't have it. Thank heavens.

Here are some of the sites I saved at the time.
Giardia Problems in Dogs - Diarrhea, Loose Stool & Weight Loss| GREATDANELADY.COM
Natural Treatment For Giardia

Good luck. Give little Koda a squeeze from me. He probably feels pretty crummy.
 
#8 ·
he is soooo cute. makes me want a puppy again!! anyway...i say another stool sample is in order. it's true giardia is a tough parasite. when i first got her, jessie was 10 weeks old with a bloody diarrhea. she tested negative a couple of times for giardia but the vet treated her anyway - 3 rounds, actually (same meds you used) - and finally all was well. don't give up - he will be ok. just make sure he is drinking and not dehydrating. my vet suggested i add children's pedalyte (unflavored) to her water which i did do until the diarrhea was under control.
 
#9 ·
I strongly think its not truly giardia. All dogs have bacteria in the lining of their intestines and STRESS causes them to multiply and shed out as
mucous-y runny diarreah. Since your dogs was only with you 8 days, it took THAT LONG for the bacteria to overun the natural healthy flora in the intestines. The medicine should stop it. If I were in your shoes, I would immediately STOP feeding. You are feeding the problem at this point. Water, broth, and I know it seems harsh, but no food for about 24 hours. Once the lining has had enough pure medicine (without the interference of trying to digest solid food) it will return to its normal state. Only when you are off the meds, should you introduce a little pre-biotics AND pro-biotics. The "pre" works along side the "pro" biotics.

This is one reason why puppy mill and pet shop dogs seem so sick when they go to their first home. They have been passed around and the stress can reek havok especially in toy breeds. If the puppies are missing their litter mates, changing their routines, being scolded for pooping etc, this can cause that bacteria to run rampant.

I learned a really hard lesson with a boarding dog I had. She was a picky eater, hated everyone except her parents and was generally a little pain in the butt. But she liked coming to my for grooming so her mother asked if I would keep her for 2 weeks in July for their annual vacation. All seemed just fine till about day 8 of 14. She started with loose BM's which by the 3rd day were showing bloody mucous. I took her at 11:00 pm to the emergency vet. I thought she might die by morning. They did every test and had to IV fluid her. She stayed overnight. Anyway, long story short....it was nothing but stress. She was not used to being away, even though I didn't cage her, I fed her normal food like at home, but it was "different" than her normal routine and they said this whole thing about the bacteria and stress. There was also a huge article in the Whole Dog Journal about that topic. So once you get over this hump, everything should be fine.
 
#10 ·
what partial2poodles says makes absolute sense to me. jessie came to me via 11 hours of tiny airline crate time. i was SO excited to get her, i took her out of the crate and there was this mopey, lethargic puppy. she threw up in my arms on the way home in the car and then had bloody diarrhea as soon as we got her in the house. i was always suspicious it was stress - now when i read this it makes sense to me. she still, to this day, almost 16 months old, has a delicate stomach.
 
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