[leashedForLife]

i was asked by a puppy-owner (novice) if their 10-WO pup could be whining again,
due to her just-begun treatment for newly-diagnosed Giardia -
the answer is yes! :---(
Giardia can cause gut-cramping, pain, gassy-gurgles, intestinal spasms, extreme tiredness, nausea, etc...
to say nothing of any side-FX from the meds themselves.

she can be feeling really, really punk + sick, as well as her gut being inflamed.

check out CHRONIC Giardia - or google Giardiasis

Giardia can be covert, very difficult to Dx + very hard to eradicate.
affected dogs should stool onto a sheet of paper; discard it immediately.
this prevents live-spores from contaminating the soil - they can live for years.

this is a summary from 4 sources -
the cysts are hardy; they can live outside the body, in soil, warm or cold water.
BOILING for a minimum of 10-mins at a rolling boil will kill the cysts.
Infection occurs when cysts are ingested; via polluted water, food, or by fecal-oral exposure. once in the stomach, digestive acid pops the cyst; each releases 2 trophozoites. they live in the bowel, attaching to the mucosa by a sucking disk .

Giardiasis impacts the body's ability to absorb fats, so the feces contain unabsorbed fats; the diarrhea floats, is shiny in appearance (greasy), and smells very bad. people can have chronic diarrhea, for weeks, months, or years, with continual weight-fluctuations; wt-loss, small gains, and more loss.

Treatment -
Giardiasis is generally treated with Flagyl and antibiotics, usually 3 times a day for 5 to 10 days. Side-effects may include nausea. NEvER combine alcohol with Flagyl; also, Flagyl is not prescribed in early pregnancy, it can be dangerous to the fetus.

Albenzazole, metronidazole or furizolidone are generally used to treat giardiasis.
prevention should be taken NOT to expose or contaminate surfaces; wash hands very-thoroughly after toilet visits, including Under the Nails; dispose of sewage wastes so they don't contaminate surface water, soil, or groundwater;
Do Not Drink untreated water from springs, streams or lakes;
Do NOT Wash Hands with untreated water from these sources,
NOR brush teeth without boiling, or filtering AND chemical treatments -
filtering is not sufficient alone.
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digestive enzymes can help absorb nutrients from a damaged gut;
ReNew LIFE Digest-More ULTRA is an excellent name-brand product, i have used it; my elderly mother found it to be very helpful.
i have recommended it to my clients, and given it to my pets, too.
digestive-enzymes cannot be STORED in the body; they are used with each meal.

Udo's Choice Super 8 High Potency Blend -
Udos Choice has several high-potency probiotics capsules - this is only ONE.
this has 8 kinds of critters - the more species, the more resilience.
once well-established, the critters are self-propagating, barring starvation or death by antibiotics.

i also suggest Live Culture organic yogurt -
particularly as a medium to get the probiotics into the dog.
1 to 2 Tbsp of yogurt, slip the capsule open (into 2 halves) and mix the powder into the yogurt.
then blop it on her meals - AM + PM both, for 3 days; then AM with the probiotics, daily.

Ask the VET to be sure that this is OK -
they should be able to say Yes or No over the phone.
yogurt, probiotics + dig-enzymes are all GRAS - generally regarded as safe.
the only NO might be the dairy-product - some antibiotics do not get along with dairy.

full disclosure - i get Nothing from either company,
nor from any distributor, seller, or any affiliate;
i use em, i like em, i recommend em.

cheers,
--- terry