Giardia
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Contacting other departments will delay you getting answers and delay your animal getting care.
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What is Giardia?
Giardia are a single-celled parasite that attach themselves to a host animal's intestines. The presence of giardia can cause diarrhea in the host.
Giardia have two forms: the trophozite and the cyst. The trophozite is the form that lives in the host, swimming around and and attaching to the host's intestines. As the trophozite passes through the colon in the host's feces, it can turn into a cyst. The cysts form a hard shell to endure the environment outside the body, and are the contagious stage that will infect a new host. When the cysts are ingested, the hard shell is broken down and new trophozites are released.
Symptoms
Diarrhea
Weight Loss
Decreased Appetite
Dehydration
Gas
Vomiting
Transmission
Giardia is passed in fresh feces. The cysts can survive in water and soil for potentially months. A host animal will accidentally swallow a cyst when drinking from a puddle or toilet, or from licking contaminated fur.
Though rare, it is possible for giardia to be spread between different species. This means that you should take extra precautions when handling an animal with giardia. This can be remedied by cleaning the environment thoroughly and washing your hands after handling an animal with giardia.
After infection, it takes 5 to 12 days in dogs and 5 to 16 days in cats for giardia to be found in the host's stool. Infection is more common in kennel situations where animals are housed in groups.
Diagnosis and Treatment
A stool sample will be needed to diagnose your foster. Vet services will schedule a time for you to bring it to the shelter to test. Giardia is tested using an ELISA test kit.
If your foster is Giardia+, vet services will prescribe you a dewormer or antibiotic to get rid of the parasite. Cysts can live on the fur of the infected animal and be a source for reinfection, so a bath is recommended at the end of treatment for puppies who are more likely to track it in their fur.
Protecting You and Your Pets
Keep your foster separated from your resident animals for 7-10 days after bringing them home. Signs of illness may remain dormant for a few days before showing symptoms. You foster will be contagious during this time, so keeping them separated is the best preventative for your pet.
Wash your hands thoroughly and change your clothes after interacting with an infected animal.
Leave your foster separated for a few more days after the treatment is complete. This will allow time for any residual symptoms to resolve.
If you are fostering puppies with giardia, do not allow puppies in the yard, as the parasite can survive in the soil for extended periods of time.
Environmental Disinfection
Wash all soft materials such as blankets and plush toys through a soap/bleach cycle and dried on a hot setting. It is best to discard anything heavily soiled.
Metal/ceramic bowls and hard toys should be washed thoroughly with a detergent. Disinfect the items after washing by soaking the cleaned items in a properly diluted disinfectant for 10 minutes. Allow the items to dry. After disinfecting, thoroughly rinse the items with water and allow them to dry again.
Throw away any plastic bowls and toys that have any signs of wear, scratches, or teeth marks, which create porous areas that viruses and parasites can survive in.
Clean any visual messes from carpets and hardwood floors.
Use a carpet cleaner with disinfectants for any carpeted areas and furniture. Make sure you read the carpet cleaner instructions and spot-test for possible discoloration. These surfaces will need to remain saturated for 10 minutes. After disinfecting, allow the areas to dry thoroughly.
For hardwood surfaces, use a properly diluted disinfectant in a mop bucket, making sure to cover any corners or hard to reach places your foster may have gotten to.