My dog has Giardia. Why is his diarrhea not going away with meds?

Giardia can be a little challenging to resolve, but I'm not sure why it would take months. It is possible for dogs to reinfect themselves, so that may be your veterinarian's concern if Kipper had a severe infection. Flagyl (which you spelled correctly) does not always work, so sometimes we combine it with Fenbendazole for better results. I am attaching a link to a handout below with more information about Giardia. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2386 I sympathize with Kipper not being able to go to daycare. My youngest dog lives to go to daycare with his friends. I would ask your veterinarian why they think this will take months to resolve with the new medication and what testing you should be doing to make sure the infection is improving and that there isn't another problem going on. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hi from Bangladesh! Don't worry, it may take a few more days to see improvement. You may also try a bland diet of boiled chicken, rice, and plain canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) to help firm up the stool. Using a probiotic for cats and dogs can help as well. Hope this helps!!

Hi and thanks for your question. If the diarrhea starts again after the metronidazole, it could any number of issues. If she was diagnosed with a parasite, like Giardia, or a bacteria, it could be she still has the parasite or bacterial present in her GI and will need another round of metronidazole. That is not totally uncommon. A viral infection may be another possibility as well as a food allergy or inflammatory bowel disease. I hope this helped!

I recommend to call your veterinarian. When pets don't respond to treatment as expected, it can mean that the real cause of illness has not been identified. The veterinarian may try a different medication or recommend further diagnostics such as a fecal culture, parasite testing or ultrasound. Mia may also need additional testing of the liver such as a bile acids or endocrine testing. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. I would keep treating her if she still has cysts in the stools. When they "clear" the giardia is completely dependent on the dog. There is not cut and dry answer to that question. Same goes with how many rounds of treatment they will need. Some puppies clear it with one course of medication. Others take months of treatment. Just keep working closely with your vet. Here is a link to more information about giardia in dogs. I think you should consider using a probiotic along with treatment. Any probiotic made for dogs would be OK but I highly recommend you use Fortiflora. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/giardia-in-dogs https://www.allivet.com/p-1130-purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets-fortiflora-dog-supplement-box-of-30.aspx

Hi. Guardia can be very difficult to treat. Pets can reinfect themselves as well. I would take to your veterinarian about trying the next course of medications and include a probiotics. In addition, pick up feces right away, clean the feet with a pet wipe and clip the hair around the anal area to help decrease reinfection. In the meantime, feed boiled chicken and rice for 3-5 days to help rest the GI tract. I also would have another fecal test done. Maybe it's something else? Good luck.

Based on what you are saying, it sounds like Pepper might benefit from a probiotic in her diet to keep her more "regular". Organisms like Giardia have the ability to complete throw off the microflora of the intestinal tract, so the addition of something to right the situation is often required. There are several over the counter ones available at pet stores, my favorite being fortiflora canine. You just sprinkle it on the food once a day for thirty days. Dogs usually love the taste so it's not problem. It will be nice to know if the Giardia is gone after the retest, but I think the probiotic for now is the best plan of action.