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Does your dog suffer from recurring stomach and bowel issues? The cause could be Giardia, single-celled parasites which inhabit your four-legged friend's small intestine. Read on to learn how to recognize the main symptoms of Giardia in dogs as well as understand the causes, effective treatments and important prevention tips.
While adult dogs usually show no symptoms, young dogs or immune-compromised pets can suffer severely from giardiasis. If treated early and with appropriate hygiene measures, you’ll usually be able to manage these troublesome parasites.
Zoonosis: Can Giardia Be Transmitted from Dogs to Humans?
Giardia have zoonotic potential. This means that you, your children, or family members with weakened immune systems can also contract these single-celled parasites. Thus, it’s crucial to follow hygiene rules and regularly have your dog’s faeces checked for worm infestations.
Symptoms: What are the Clinical Signs of Giardia in Dog?
Puppies and young dogs can develop severe symptoms:
foul-smelling and mucous diarrhoea (due to detached intestinal mucosa)
vomiting
flatulence
weight loss
weakness and fatigue
loss of appetite
However, some dogs may have a symptom-free infection. These dogs, known as carriers, still excrete the parasites in their faeces.
Giardia are a tricky contagion as they don’t always show clinical signs.
Diagnosis: How Can Giardia be Detected in Dogs?
If your puppy has severe diarrhoea, visiting your vet is always wise. Puppies have a smaller fluid reservoir and can dehydrate quickly.
If your canine friend’s circulation is already weak, a vet might stabilise it using an infusion (fluid administration via injection).
The vet will also inquire about symptoms and examine your dog. With symptoms like vomiting or diarrhoea, a parasitic infection might come to mind among other diseases. A stool sample can be parasitologically examined to rule out parasites.
For this, ideally collect your dog’s faeces over three days. Your dog doesn’t excrete Giardia with every stool.
If your dog is infected with Giardia, different tests can detect them:
quick tests to identify specific coproantigens
flotation method to detect cysts
Stool samples should ideally be collected over three days since Giardia are not excreted with every bowel movement. If infected, Giardia can be detected using an ELISA test either directly at the practice or in a lab.
Infected dogs can pass Giardia to other dogs through their faeces.
Treatment: How to Treat Giardia in Dogs?
Giardia treatment involves two main steps: administering medication and maintaining hygiene measures.
1. Deworming
Upon detecting Giardia, your vet can prescribe various medications for treatment. They will decide which active substance (e.g., fenbendazole or metronidazole) is suitable for deworming.
How Long Does It Take to Get Rid of Giardia?
A Giardia infection usually lasts three to four weeks, with medications given for about five days. After the medication course, another stool test is recommended to ensure Giardia are fully eradicated.
2. Hygiene
Until your canine friend tests negative for Giardia, it’s crucial to prevent re-infection by following these hygiene measures:
disinfect sleeping areas and food and water bowls daily using hot water over 65°C
promptly remove dog faeces to prevent re-infection
if you have multiple dogs, treat all for Giardia, even if symptom-free
trim hair around the anal area if your dog has long fur
wash all dog beds, blankets, and cushions your dog has touched at min. 65°C
Prognosis: Can Giardia be Cured in Dogs?
In most cases, the prognosis for Giardia in dogs is good. Severe cases generally occur only in untreated puppies and young dogs.
Infected dogs can pass Giardia to other dogs through their faeces.
The Issue with Recurrences
Unfortunately, recurrences can complicate the fight against parasites. This means Giardia doesn’t disappear despite all efforts.
In such cases, further treatment cycles are necessary to combat all stages of Giardia progressively.
Causes: How Do Dogs Get Infected with Giardia?
The globally prevalent parasite Giardia intestinalis (also known as G. duodenalis or G. lamblia) belongs to intestinal parasites. Giardia are single-celled organisms that reproduce by binary fission, colonising the small intestines of many vertebrates, including dogs, cats, and humans.
Giardia are commonly found in animal shelters, kennels, and breeding facilities – essentially everywhere with many dogs.
The Development Cycle of Giardia
Parasitologists differentiate two stages of Giardia: trophozoites and cysts. Transmission occurs from host to host when the mouth ingests infectious cysts from the environment, often through eating faeces from other animals.
Trophozoites are Giardia that attach to the intestinal mucosa. The hardy cysts are newly formed Giardia from binary fission, which the infected dog excretes in its faeces.
Giardia cysts can survive up to three months in moist environments or water, so contamination through surfaces or food is also possible.
To protect your dog from Giardia, incorporate recommended hygiene practices in your everyday routine:
Regularly clean dog toys and food and water bowls with boiling water.
Pick up faeces during walks and dispose of them properly to prevent infecting other dogs.
For added assurance, you can have your dog’s faeces checked parasitologically from time to time to ensure it’s parasite-free.
Important Note: The content provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional veterinary advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any questions or concerns about your pet's health, please always consult a licensed veterinarian.
Franziska G., Veterinarian
At the Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen I was extensively trained as a veterinarian and was able to gain experience in various fields such as small animal, large animal and exotic animal medicine as well as pharmacology, pathology and food hygiene.
Since then, I have been working not only as a veterinary author, but also on my scientifically driven dissertation. My goal is to better protect animals from pathogenic bacterial organisms in the future.
Besides my veterinary knowledge, I also share my own experiences as a happy dog owner and can thus understand and enlighten fears and problems as well as other important questions about animal health.
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