Giardia, Coccidia, Tapeworms...OH MY!!
Anyone have any tips, advice, etc? We have been disinfecting the floor, her bowls, toys, towels and anything else that comes in contact with us or our other corgi (Linus). Linus has also been taking the same meds as Lucy at the same time because he licks her EVERYWHERE. We also clean up her poop immediately and she doesn't go anywhere that she could be infecting others (we have a yard, so we don't walk her yet).
I just feel so bad for the poor thing, she's been on medication since we got her. Is there something else that I could be doing?
Also, our breeder was very upset and has paid a significant portion of the vet bills so far even though from what I've been reading, this is really not something she necessarily could have prevented (she properly wormed/vaccinated for the age of the puppy).
I'm currently feeling really crazed, and reading the internet makes me think my dogs will just be sick forever. Thoughts?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jen Giammona on
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I should also add that she's put on nearly 3lbs since we've had her. She's playful and she eats and drinks just fine and acts like a typical puppy. This whole situation seems to be taking more of a toll on me than the pups, lol.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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I had a litter that got Coccidia. it does happen. My females were wormed before they were bred and I think that helped but they can catch worms from other dogs too:(
Sometimes I see that Blue causes diarrhea more than others...don't know. Whatever food you choose make sure you slowly introduce the food over at least a week. Little by little. This can also be a reason for diarrhea.
Sounds like you are taking the necessary precautions. I hope they all are better soon:)
Glad she is being a typical pup...hope you feel better soon too:)
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Permalink Reply by Linda on
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Poor pup and poor you! Glad to hear that she is being a normal puppy otherwise. Are you doing anything to disinfect the areas where she poops? I have heard that some dogs have a problem with the Blue, both mine are on Blue weight maintainance and are doing fine but mine are adults. It could also be as you said, she has a problem with chicken. Just reintroduce kibble slowly and maybe try another brand that isn't chicken based.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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The breeder runs a poor establishment and you are lucky that she is paying for some of the bills. Tapeworms come from fleas and take awhile to mature to where you see evidence of them, so there must have been fleas on the mother dog and/or on the premises where the pups were born and raised.. Coccidia and Giardia can happen even to a good breeder, but the chances that both would happen together, plus fleas and tapeworms are so unlikely that it's not worth even considering. The whole picture speaks of dirty, unsanitary conditions.
The pup's development is compromised by all the medications and lack of normal nutrition during a fast growing stage of life. I would try to supplement her bland diet with some boiled lean chicken, a little yogurt, a little olive oil. Start with small amounts and play it by ear depending on the stools. I would also give a supplement such as Nutri-cal
http://www.amazon.com/Nutri-Cal-High-Calorie-Nutritional-Supplement...
Discuss all this with your Vet. Best wishes.
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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I don't think tape worm is necessarily a sign of a poor establishment. My own dogs both had tapeworms as adults and they never had fleas (still not sure exactly where it came from). I think most shady breeders would never offer reimbursement for vet bills.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I read that they just have to eat one flea. So even if you treat, if a flea hops on the dogs and the dog bites the flea and eats it---- presto tapeworm!!
Jack got hookworms. Not sure where. He was all the same places Maddie was and she never got them. Kennel? Park? Eating some cat poop on a walk? There are feral cats galore around here.
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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on
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I know it feels a bit overwhelming, especially with a new pup, but it will eventually start to get better. :) Poor Yuki had a nasty bout of giardia and coccidia just after we brought him home as a 4-month-old pup. Our vet told us that coccidia is quite common to get right after giardia because giardia and the medication wipe out a lot of the bowel's defenses. It seemed like Yuki's stool would never firm up again and the poor thing had so many accidents indoors because he just couldn't hold it, but eventually he began to get better and it all worked its way out of his system. I want to say it was a good 1-2 months of craziness before he was back to normal, but I can't remember too well. That was a little over years ago, heh. Hang in there!
Regarding the food, I've heard some say that Blue sometimes causes loose stool for their dogs. Did you slowly introduce the food if it was new? If not, the sudden change could've also caused the loose stool. Or it might have been the beginnings of the giardia.
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I've definitely read up about Blue causing diarrhea in dogs, as well as chicken based foods causing it as well. My almost 2 year old corgi eats Blue Freedom Grain Free, and he's done very well on it. I've gotten some Merrick all life stages duck formula (it was the only 5 star food that I could find in Petco at the time) and if she does well on that, I might switch Linus to it as well so they both eat the same thing.
Our vet was not surprised by all this and said that it definitely can happen, and not to blame the breeder too much because the puppy is otherwise beautiful and in good health. Also, it's the same breeder we got Linus from and the vet also comments on what a beautiful dog he is and he came with zero issues. The breeder was really upset when we told her all of this and she came highly recommended when we were researching to buy Linus. They are an AKC breeder and she has several dogs that she shows, so I didn't get the feeling that it is a shoddy facility.
I've been scrubbing the floor nonstop and we wash her bowls and Linus's bowls every day. I've washed her bed and toys in hot water a few times and we've thrown out any toys that have touched her poop. I'm just horrified every time I read about how difficult it is to kill both giardia and coccidia. Thankfully we have wood floors, so they are very easy to clean well.
I have been supplementing her food with Nutrical as well as cottage cheese and both dogs get a tummy treat (probiotics) every day. The probiotic has really helped Linus, who used to be a daily puker (vet says he has a very sensitive stomach).
I just feel so bad for this tiny puppy. She's seriously got some spunk though. She's going to give Linus a run for his money when she gets bigger because she doesn't quit when they are wrestling!
Thank you all so much, this has been so stressful!!!
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Jen, sorry you have to go through all that work and your puppy through all the meds and discomfort. Things in the end have to make sense. If you bought your first dog from this breeder with no problems, the difference is so great this time that there has to be some explanation. I disagree with your Vet's assessment that this can happen and not to blame the breeder too much. It is not alright to produce and sell pups in the condition you received yours. Some breeders will use their stud dog on an outside female and get one or more puppies in return as their stud fee, which they then will sell under their kennel name. In that case the pups would be born elsewhere and then go to the breeder generally as soon as weaned. Another possible scenario is that the female may have been of their breeding and sold originally with a "puppy back" clause. As in the previous case the pups would be born/raised elsewhere, until weaned or even later. Many small hobby breeders make those kinds of arrangements and there is nothing wrong with that if the people having the litter, under the breeder's direction and supervision, do things right, however all this should be disclosed to the buyer.... That could explain a lot. Just guesswork on my part, there may be other explanations for what went wrong. One thing I'm sure of: any reputable breeder would be HORRIFIED to have sent a pup out in the condition you received yours. Your pup's breeder is cooperating with you financially to set things right, to her credit. What I'm saying is that there is more to this story than meets the eye and no one reading this post should think this is an acceptable situation when you buy a puppy from a reputable breeder.
These are the kinds of stories you hear about large chain pet shops and puppy mill dogs. Unfortunately for the dogs, raised in awful conditions, PA has a lot of Puppy Mills, most in Amish country.... I've seen a lot of them and my hear aches at the stories I've heard. All with AKC papers. AKC makes a lot of money on various registration related fees from these mills, to their shame.
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I'm not sure I agree with this. First of all, Coccidia is everywhere. Jack came home with it. Maddie has had it twice. Neither dog was symptomatic. I looked into it carefully and what I learned is treatment does not kill the protozoa. It stops it from reproducing long enough for the dog's own immune system to keep it in check. Many healthy adult dogs are carriers. Therefore many puppies pick it up and weaning stress causes it to proliferate.
Giardia--- not sure where you are, but around here most dogs pick it up from drinking from standing water, or puddles. The cysts can live in the environment for months, and healthy dogs can occasionally shed the cysts. Shedding dogs don't test positive at stool checks in every stool. So you can have a shedding dog on your property who has no symptoms and has a negative fecal at the vet. If the breeder goes to shows and the dogs are then back in her yard, it would be easy enough for one healthy dog with a negative fecal at last year's vet visit to be shedding both Giardia and Coccidia in the yard where the pups were playing, especially if the weather had been damp and the soil stayed moist.
Tapeworms--- well, it only takes one flea. I know the breeder we used did not use spot-ons all the time on all the dogs. And even if you treat, you can still have a live flea on the property for a short period of time. It does not take a heavy infestation to transmit.
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I also just noted above that around here, we have feral cats galore, carrying god-knows-what. Depending on where the breeder lives, it's easy enough for other animals to track some of these diseases into the yard, and then her other adult dogs to transmit to pups.
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@ Beth, any one of these could occur even under relatively good circumstances, but not all at the same time!! Tell me you've researched and found who you think is a reputable breeder ( one with a good reputation among other good breeders), you've waited for your puppy, paid good money and got a puppy like Jen's and tell me you still think that's a good breeder, THEN I'll be more likely to split hairs with you....
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