Giardia infection in puppy?

Question

I bought my puppy (about 2 months old, weighs 8 lbs) home on the 26th and took her to the vet the following day with a fecal sample.
The tested showed up that she has Giardia.
Tonight she vommitted some of her meal, but her fecal seems to be fine. The vet put her on a 3 day medication of metronidazole (sp?). It doesn't seem to be effective. I'm worried that it is fatal or extremely severe and my parents would want to give it back to the pet store. The medication is quite expensive too ...

Q:
What would be an effective treatment for giardia?
Is is fatal/severe?
How long does giardia usually last?

Regarding to the price of the medication, it costed me about 62$. I live in Ontario, the vet clinic was the markham hertiage one ...

Should I request for a longer treatment? There never seemed to be signs of symptoms in her. Except for tonight's vommitting but that's a side effect of the drug ...
I have to bring a fecal sample to the doctors 10 days after treatment

Answer 1

That's a high price for the medicine. Wow.
IT is the preferred treatment for giardia. And vomiting is common with the drug. It will hopefully be effective. Dogs can still test positive even after treatment. But treatment will cause the symptoms to subside, and with treatment the dog will not die.

Almost a fourth of the human population of the world tests positive for guiardia. It is very common. Even with treatment, some dogs continue to test positive. The best you can do is treat to stop the symptoms as often as necessary. Usually a round of meds will kill it off. Many times it takes two rounds. And sometimes dogs still test positive.

Answer 2

Giardia Medication Dogs

Answer 3

Metronidazole (metro) is an effective treatment for giardia, but you dog needs to be on it for 10 days, not 3. You need to talk to your vet about extending the meds. Metro should NOT be very expensive, no more than $30 for 10 days. Depending on what store you got your puppy from you should have a warranty on your puppy, there is usually a 14-21 day viral warranty on the pup so as long as you go to the vet they specify it should be covered, read the warranty. Take this how you want.... the vet the store uses & recommends is used to seeing these types of things in puppies, more so than a normal vet so they will know better what type of meds to give/ how long they have to be on it for. Giardia is very RARELY fatal, you pretty much have to ignore your pup for weeks for it to be fatal. If meds are given consistanly for 10 days giardia should not last long than that. Good Luck!

Answer 4

Just communicate concerns (like the vomiting) and don't stop the medication unless your Vet wants to switch to something else. This is easily treated if you are consistent in following the directions of your Vet. Three days meds seems like an unusually short course of treatment.
I have three dogs, all rescues (2 pound pups and one throw away) and one of the pound pups (3 mos old when I got her) had giardia, an upper respiratory infection and a bladder infection. She recovered nicely from all that in about a month and by carefully following Vet's instructions. Since she was sick when I got her, the Vet for the shelter treated her at their cost (meds and Vet appts.) That's a good shelter!
She's a happy healthy dog today, nearly five yrs old.
Your dog should be fine if you are following thru with Vet care. The pet shop should not have sold a sick pup to you. Since other pups they sell can be infected, talk to the pet shop and tell them what your pup had. They may reimburse you for part of the cost of treatment. Either that, or you could demand to get a refund and return the pup, but I would imagine you are attached to your pup by now.
I'd report the shop to Animal Control anyway, because they shouldn't sell pups that haven't been checked by a Vet and determined to be healthy and disease free.

Answer 5

Giardia (sp?) is a bacterial parasite that gets into intestines and causes havoc. It is not usually fatal when symptoms are treated. Sounds like your vet is doing what is right, tho I would call in the morning and report the vomiting. it may be she needs a millder diet right now instead of "the usual."

Meantime, give your dog smaller meals. Half of what you usually give her. Make sure she has fresh water always available.

The meds the doc gave should work, they just take a littel time.

ETS: Giardia is contagious, and humans can get it. Be sure you wash your hands thoroughly after cleaning up after her or even picking up her finished food bowl.

Answer 6

Pet store dogs are more often sick than not when you get them. Giardia CAN be fatal if untreated, and it can be very difficult to get rid of in some cases. If it were me, I would return the dog to the store, and find a healthy puppy that didn't come from a puppy mill.

Answer 7

Well there's your first problem right there: It's a Puppy Mill puppy.

Big red flag.

Giardia can be treated, and is spreadable to other dogs, and humans.

Only your Vet can give you the answers to your questions.

Answer 8

Panacur is used for numerous of the intestinal parasites, and is in many circumstances nicely-tolerated and relatively powerful. Metronidazole (Flagyl) is likewise primary. 10mL will no longer be that lots liquid, yet you will maximum probably might desire to get it down her throat in smaller increments (2-3 mL is in many circumstances least puzzling). purely open her mouth, stick the syringe in and squirt! be certain you get all of it the way interior the back, in any different case she would be in a position to dribble some out. supply her a cope with and many compliment afterwards so she buddies taking her drugs with getting rewarded.

Answer 9

Now, these questions can be asked to your vet. She/he should be open for questions, and if they're so opposed to questions being asked that you have to ask Yahoo! Answers, you need another vet.

Answer 10

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