Hi,
My dog, Barney started having very loose stools practically every day. I heard that there is a parasite called Giardia that stays in the intestine that the vet generally cannot pick up. Has anyone heard of this? I found a website that says it can be treated with a wormer called Panacur If anyone has any experience with this I would appreciate some help. I cannot afford to spend the kind of money that vets want.

help!!

Originally Posted by diane444

Hi,
My dog, Barney started having very loose stools practically every day. I heard that there is a parasite called Giardia that stays in the intestine that the vet generally cannot pick up. Has anyone heard of this? I found a website that says it can be treated with a wormer called Panacur If anyone has any experience with this I would appreciate some help. I cannot afford to spend the kind of money that vets want.

help!!

Giardia is usually picked up when a dog drinks standing water, has your dog been to a dog park or other place where he could have drank some standing water? I would not be quick to assume it is giardia. Giving the dog Panacur will not hurt him, but why treat with a wormer unless you have a positive diagnosis. I would probably start with giving Flagyl (Metronidazole) and adding some pure pumpkin to the diet. To get a true diagnosis of Giardia, you will need to take in multiple fecal samples (over a 2-3 week) period due to the shedding cycle of the organism.

[Yogi]

I have dealt with this in both my cats and dogs. Panacur and Albon are both suggested standard treatments. Take a stool sample to your vet. It may take a couple tries but they will find it if there. Pumpkin does not cure parasites. So long as the parasite is in the dog the worse the dog can become.

I know that vets can sometimes be expensive, but when you have a dog that dog is a family member. You would not deny a child health care, right? There has to be a way to cut back on expenses so that you can pay for a vet. Maybe buy cheaper food for a few weeks, not drive so much to save on gas, lower the heat, etc. Your dog may have loose stools because of too much wet dog food and not enough dry...or it could be a serious medical issue. I urge you to seek the help of a vet. You can read about common dog problems and how to proceed here.