My dog had giardia. Why are his stools still soft after treatment?

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.

Be patient and try not to panic. It is normal for stool to change during treatment for any parasitic infection. You may have better success using a very digestible prescription diet like Hills I/D for a few weeks while you're dealing with the Panacur treatment, and I would recommend adding canine probiotics to the food as well to help repopulate good gut bacteria. Finish the Panacur as prescribed. Pepper's stool will normalize with time.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sprig. It will take some time for the medications to start working. If his stool does not show improvement within 48 hours or if he develops if he develops blood in the stool, I would let his veterinarian know. Otherwise it should be fine. I hope this information helps!

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

Ths can be a tricky disease to get rid of. The diarrhea caused by Giardia can lead to colitis, an inflammation in the bowel wall, which can make the diarrhea worse and/or persist despite the treatment. You will need to make sure you are cleaning up all of Kenai’s feces daily so that he does not become reinfected. It may also be helpful to ask your veterinarian about adding a probiotic to Kenai’s treatment plan. This can help the diarrhea clear up more quickly. And finally, it may be worth retesting Kenai’s feces to make sure nothing else is going on. He may need an additional antibiotic to help clear up the diarrhea. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Some dogs will shed giardia with no clinical signs, so it may not be worth retesting the other ones if they are normal. If any of them start having loose stool again though it may be worth testing them as they may be reinfecting each other.

Hi! I would say that it is likely ok. Sometimes it takes a bit longer to see results. If it is just soft and Snowball is otherwise fine, I would just give it a few days before getting concerned. Keep in mind that metronidazole is not always a curative medication for diarrhea but rather an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties that help with colitis. This means that it will not treat an underlying disease every time. Perhaps try a few days on a bland diet mostly composed of boiled chicken or turkey and rice. If no resolution within a few days, it may be appropriate to start her on a probiotic or try a different medication such as Tylosin. Best of luck with her!