My puppy has recurring Giardia. Can I vaccinate him for walks?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The risk of contracting Giardia from your dog is pretty slim, but elderly, very young, or immunocompromised individuals are at a higher risk. If Kiddo is fully vaccinated, fully treated with an anti-parasitic agent, and house trained, it should not be a concern for Kiddo to reinfect herself. You do not need to steam/bleach/etc your home continuously after treatment. I am happy to answer any other questions you may have and wish you luck with your puppy!

Hello, thank you for your question about Charley. Giardia can be very frustrating to treat and many puppies require multiple rounds of deworming to completely treat the infection. I suspect that she likely has a more resistant infection and not that she is immunocompromised. I would not recommend adding any supplements/immune boosters at this time. Hope this helps!

Hi there! Usually dogs that are infected with giardia can be tested after treatment to make sure they aren't still shedding the organism. You can always request the client retest after the completion of treatment, which is usually done anyway to make sure the organism is gone. Giardia can be hard to get rid of, so a lot of vets will do this. There is a client handout about giardia that I really like that I will paste below. It also gives you instructions as to how to eradicate the organism in the environment. A way to play it safe would be for you to have this dog be your last appointment of the day and then disinfect if that works with your schedule. Otherwise, I think a negative retest would be sufficient when the dog is finished with the treatment plan from its vet. Here is the client handout with some great information for you! https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952529

Typically giardia is nothing fatal as long as it is treated. A typical treatment is flagyl for 7-10days. I do not see a problem with you bringing home the puppy as long as you continue with the treatment. Also pick up all poop in yard and throw away to prevent re contamination.

Yes he should be able to take his 2nd vaccine booster as long as he does not have a fever and is otherwise eating and drinking well. Have his stool checked for intestinal parasites, which may be the cause, and then he can get this resolved with the appropriate dewormer. Giardia parasites often cause very loose stool and can be treated for. Until you find out the underlying cause of the loose stools, I would recommend feeding Sky a bland diet of boiled plain chicken and rice or cottage cheese and 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin added to his food daily. Best wishes in getting Sky's loose stools resolved. Take care.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. if they were using an antigen test then testing immediately after treatment can lead to false positive results. I would recommend following your veterinarians recommendations as different tests and different labs may have varying sensitivity.

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