Giardia Cysts in our puppy

[Vanessa]

Hello all,
Chance went in this past weekend for his 2nd set of puppy shots and I decided to bring in a stool sample to have some tests run. I just wanted to make sure our little guy got a clean bill of health. To our surprise the vet called me this afternoon telling me that our 11 week old puppy has Giardia Cysts in his intestine. :eek:
There weren’t any real physical signs that he was ill (yet). This parasite is caused from when another dog eats an infected dog’s stool. This parasite can also be given to humans. Lucky for us we caught it and are taking care of it. Chance was put on Metronidazole for 5 days and then another stool sample. It is quite common for dogs under the age of 1 to get this, especially if they are with multiple dogs.
The little guy really isn't feeling well today :(
Things to look out for...Light colored stool, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. The vet also told me to keep our little guy away from children, other dogs and handle his stool with caution.

[Quercus]

Aw....yeah, Giardia is not uncommon dogs can get it from drinking standing water too...and the momma dog can pass it to her babies. Let your breeder know, so that she can tell the other puppy people, and check the momma.

[Vanessa]

The vet told me that it can be hard to ditect and that you need a few samples.

[Mantis]

diahrea is a common sign.

My guys both received oral dewormer meds as a standard Banfield Vet procedure for their wellness plan.

This is not uncommon.

Caesar was always leash walked as a puppy and he still got it. Dont let your basenji eat grass or drink water off out of anything but your water bowl.

I have found that the vaccines for Giardia have never worked for either of my basenjis. It is typical for my guys. I didnt catch it at first because I thought Caesar's diahrea was from the training treats.

You are a great basenji mommy for bringing yours in for testing!