How can I protect my dog from giardia when visiting an infected puppy?

Hi, I'm Dr. Johnson. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear that Loki has giardia. Sometimes it can be frustrating to treat. I am assuming you know Loki has giardia because your Veterinarian checked a stool sample. If that is the case then your Veterinarian will prescribe the appropriate drugs to help clear the giardia infection. There are no over the counter drugs that are recommended. Definitely consult your Veterinarian if you haven't already. There are some cases where giardia can persist despite the appropriate treatment and longer courses of drugs or different medications are prescribed. Some times we need to wait for the puppies immune system to mature. At home you should be preventing Loki from re-infecting himself: immediately clean up all stool, use disinfectant cleaners, do not allow him to eat his stool, if he walks through his stool wash his feet well, do not allow his stool to contaminate his drinking water and take him outside to a designated area of the yard on a leash to do his business. Giardia is also what we call a zoonotic disease, meaning humans can contract it as well. Humans, cats and other dogs get it from ingesting fecal material or drinking fecally contaminated water. When you clean up his stool either wear gloves and/or wash your hands immediately. Do not allow children or immunosuppressed family members to handle the stool. Your cat would have to ingest Loki's stool or drink water that had been contaminated with Loki's stool. You could always have your cats stool checked to be sure. I wish you luck! I hope Loki clears the infection soon! They usually do!

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!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mia. Giardia is spread through a fecal oral route. Typically good hygiene and washing your hands thoroughly prohibits this from occurring. I would not let her lick your mouth. Scoop the feces in the yard frequently and wash your hands afterwards. She should stay home from doggie daycare until the infection is resolved. I hope this information helps!

Giardia is transmitted through contact with an infected dog's poop, so it would be a good idea to give her rear end a quick wash before any outings with other dogs to make sure everything is clean. If she has an accident during the play date, make sure to clean it up and disinfect the area. There is no risk of transmission from casual contact, playing together, sniffing noses, etc. so it should still be fine for her to get out and socialize as long as you take appropriate precautions :)

Hello, it can be challenging to rid giardiasis from a household especially when multiple dogs are affected. The best recommendation would be to treat all 3 dogs, at the same time, until you have 2 negative fecal samples. You should retest the fecals 10 days after initiating treatment for giardiasis and 10 days in-between testings. However, the most important part of this is to reduce environmental contamination, because as though you may successfully rid your dogs of giardia, they can become re-infected at any point. Treating the environment means you have to pick up their stools immediately after they defecate and you must wash the areas where they defecate with water and bleach. Most infections occur via a fecal to oral transmission. So at some point your puppy may have been exposed to giardia, then came to your house and started shedding the giardia onto your environment exposing your other dogs as well. Please wear gloves and wash your hands after cleaning as giardia can also infect humans. Best of luck and hope this helps.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, they should be maintained separately as this can be easily caught by another dog. Coccidia is transmitted via the fecal oral route so if there any surfaces that are contaminated with your pup's feces, this should be washed thoroughly and other dogs should be kept away from it. Good luck and have a good night!

I hate t hear Max is having this issue. Most puppies with Giardia are fine to vaccinate as long as they are not lethargic, not eating well, vomiting or have severe diarrhea. Mild, non-bloody loose stool in a puppy who is active and eating well can generally be vaccinated (though you may space them out to be more safe). Also, giardia testing needs to be done 4-6 weeks after treatment to be sure the parasite is gone. Some pets will need a combination of medication to kill the parasite. Make sure to check with Max's vet to make sure it is ok to vaccinate him and to make sure Max is getting the correct medication. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.