Symptoms of Giardia in Dogs

Giardia symptoms in pets, especially dogs, means a diagnosis in feces or in the infected dogs. The disease needs repeated diagnosis so that everything is clear.

You must know that giardia is a one cell parasite, a protozoan. The giardia infects the small intestine of the animal. Some vesicles made in the polluted water or in some fecal matter get in the way of the dog and they infect him. Once in the body, the vesicles release some small creatures shaped like a pear. These creatures are called trophozoites.

These Trophozoites multiply, once inside the canine body. If the dog is healthy, these Trophoziotes, can even live for many years inside the lower digestive tracts.

Common Symptoms:

In many cases, after the infestation, the Giardia parasites remain inactive in the host body for many years. This happens if the dog is healthy. Once the dog’s immune system is a little weak, they manifest themselves. The activation period begins.

One of the most encountered symptoms is the diarrhea. This happens because the Giardia affects the lower intestine. Actually, diarrhea is very often bonded with vomiting. This is why sometimes Salmonella and Campylobacter are not taken into consideration for the diagnosis test of Giardiasis.

Even if this parasite is located in the small intestine, the large intestine’s mucus shows signs of disorder too. There are some clear factors of infection like a big number of white cells or anemia in the blood test. These are quite clear signs of infestation.

In the later stage, the Giardiasis can make the dog produce some gray and fatty feces. Also, the disease obstructs the normal food assimilation. Even if you will notice that the dog has an appetite and he eats all his food, he still may lose some of his weight. Weight reduction is another very common symptom.

Observing the number of cysts in every stool for six months is another way to see if the dog is infected or not by the Giardia parasite. But this is expensive.

Most of the times, Giardisis is an undetectable disease, frequently encountered in the canine community. The disease is hard to track down because it varies a lot depending on the region and the hygienic conditions there. Many of the symptoms can go a long time without being detected.

Giardiasis can easily spread through infection and the pet owners must have a strict hygiene and wash their hands regularly. If you have some cubs, you must keep them away from dogs with diarrhea.

Treatment:

At the first symptoms, you should take the dog immediately to the vet. He will do the necessary blood and stool tests and he will recommend the proper treatment. Most of the times, medications like Metronidazole are prescribed.

Canine Giardia
Canine Giardia articles