Giardia is a tiny parasite found in the intestines of dogs, cats, and humans.
It can cause severe gastrointestinal disease and can be passed between animals and humans. Giardia (also known as canine giardiasis) poses a greater risk if you, your child, or your pet are immunocompromised, so it’s vital to ensure no one in your household comes across it.
This article will explain the following:
- How your dog gets Giardia.
- How to spot it.
- What are the symptoms?
- Where to get treatment.
Where Giardia is concerned, forewarned is forearmed.
How does my dog become infected with Giardia, and how does it spread?
Giardia has a protective shell called a cyst, which allows it to survive outside the body; it must be ingested by your dog, cat, or you and yours to lose this outer shell and infect you.
Giardia in dogs can spread through poo, sniffing another dog’s bottom (the most common greeting), contaminated water, food, soil, and contaminated animals, or visiting places, the park, dog day-care or dog groomers when other infected dogs are present.
Can humans get Giardia?
Humans can also contract Giardia from each other, infected dogs, and cats, so always wash your hands and keep the house clean, especially around babies and children and in the areas where your dog lives — including toys, food and water bowls.
Keep children off the dog’s toys in the garden and vice versa. Always wash your hands after gardening.
Immunocompromised people and pets
As with any other illness or disease, anyone, including pets, who are immunocompromised is particularly susceptible to Giardia.
What are the symptoms of Giardia in dogs?
The symptoms of Giardia include:
- Watery diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Excessive wind
- Loss of appetite
- Lack of energy
- Frequent pooing
It's worth mentioning that all of us, including dogs, can have Giardia in our intestines without showing any symptoms (asymptomatic), making it even more important to keep everything clean, especially handwashing.
How is Giardia diagnosed in dogs? **
There are a couple of ways to diagnose Giardia in dogs:
The at-home kit looks the same as a Covid test, except you use a tiny sample of poo. No need to put any stick where the sun doesn’t shine; use what your dog presents you with! We strongly recommend keeping one safe in a drawer for a quick diagnosis. If your dog tests positive for Giardia, you’ll want to get them treated quickly.
All Giardia tests, including ours, have an expiry date of two years.
Another option is a worm count test at a lab that tests for Giardia under the microscope.
For belts and braces, we recommend doing both a home test and a follow-up with a worm count kit.
**You can use both tests for cats, too.
What should I do if my dog tests positive for Giardia?
If your dog has Giardia, get them to your vet for treatment as soon as possible. It's also crucial to tell them about your other pets because they may need treatment.
Additionally, they may be dehydrated due to diarrhoea, watery stools, and vomiting, so fluids and electrolytes may be necessary, especially for young puppies and kittens who can become ill and dehydrate quickly due to their small size.
Management of Giardia in dogs
Giardia is highly contagious and can survive in the environment for months. Having had Giardia in the past does not mean you or your dog are immune, and reinfection is possible.
- To give everyone as much chance as possible to avoid reinfection:
- Pick up your dog's poo immediately.
- Clean the area after you’ve picked it up.
- Thoroughly clean all areas your dog, cat, baby, or child can access.
Steam cleaning works well, as does a diluted bleach solution.*
*Don’t use steam and bleach together. You don’t want to inhale it.
Retest, retest, retest.
It's crucial to retest for Giardia, especially if you or someone close to you is immunocompromised or if you have a baby or toddler who frequently plays or sits on the floor and might pick up and eat anything dropped on it, including toys! In these cases, multiple retests are a good idea.
What extra measures should I take?
- Keep a Giardia rapid test kit at home to test your dog for Giardia if you suspect it.
- Regularly test for worms as routine worm counts test for Giardia.
- Always clean up after your dog.
Empty and clean your cat's litter box regularly.
Keep your dog, other pets, and babies or children away from litter boxes and areas where your dog frequently poos.
Wash your hands thoroughly (preferably wear rubber gloves) when cleaning places your dog or cat has been in contact with.
Buy a Giardia test
Buy and All-in-One Worm Count, Lungworm Test and Giardia at home test
Buy a Worm Count test
1 comment
Brilliant advice
I keep one in my dogs medicine draw in stand by.
Just used it prior to holiday to double check worm status
Thank you