Our vet said he has them after we have already treated him with the powdered medicine she gave us.....How do they get these? I m a little grossed out................
2007-01-24 11:31:54 · 4 answers · asked by TK 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Infection from giardia can occur from consuming contaminated food or water; this includes clean-looking mountain streams. It can also be transferred from animal or human feces. Not every person displays symptoms of infection, but they can still serve as a carrier of the disease. Giardia infection is a concern for people camping in the wilderness or swimming in contaminated streams or lakes, especially the artificial lakes formed by beaver dams (hence the popular name for giardiasis, "Beaver Fever").
Giardia may be ingested at camping areas, day care centers, waterborne outbreaks, and is also highly infectious to other family members once one individual is infected. Other causes can be uncooked food, contaminated wells and failed municipal water systems.
The life cycle begins with a noninfected cyst being excreted out through feces of an infected individual. Once out in the environment, the cyst becomes infected. A distinguishing characteristic of the cyst is 4 nuclei and a retracted cytoplasm. Once ingested by a host, the trophozoite emerges to an active state of feeding and motility. It feeds on mucous inside the digestive tract and causes the host to have epigastric pain, excessive gas, and diarrhea with fat and mucous but no blood. This can last from 2 - 4 weeks but for a lactose intolerant individual, it can last up to six months.
After the feeding stage, the trophozoite undergoes asexual replication through longitudinal binary fission. The resulting trophoziotes and cysts then pass through the digestive system in the feces.
2007-01-24 11:41:21 · answer #1 · answered by dolfingrrl928 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
We had 2 puppies that had it a few years ago. These were nursing pups, inside the house. They drank the same water we drank. We have spring water piped into our house. The giardia had to come from the spring. We do not drink the spring water any more and neither do our dogs. We lost one pup and almost lost the other one, and I took them to the vet right after the diarrhea started. I hope your pup will be okay. Oh and there were four pups in the litter. 2 got sick and 2 didn't. Of course we treated the others too just in case.
2007-01-24 12:10:26 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
The previous writer, "Dolfingrr," had the explanation dead-on. Keep in mind too that giardia is zoonotic, meaning that it is transferable to humans as well! Make very sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling your puppy, or you and your family may soon be suffering from diarrhea/vomiting!
2007-01-24 11:53:30 · answer #3 · answered by stuball 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I'm not sure HOW they get it. I do know it's very common in shelter dogs. If your dog came from a breeder... I'd be concerned as to the quality of the breeder. It can also be deadly if not treated, so I'd be continuing treatments with the vet until it's gone. It can take several rounds to clear up though. You can probably find all sorts of info on how they get it by doing a browser search.
2007-01-24 11:42:55 · answer #4 · answered by kittikatti69 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋