Giardia: what you should know about it
Author: Luana A. Battaglia, Ilona Judhianto and Stefanie Stobbe | Read time: 5 min
As a pet owner, you probably have already heard the word “Giardia”. Maybe your vet told you about the risk when you first had your puppy, or a neighbor told you a horror story about having to clean the whole flat repeatedly because of Giardia. Anyway, what exactly is Giardia? What does it cause? Is there anything to worry about?
These and many other questions will be answered here by our Tierarztpraxis Bärenwiese Team! Check it out!
Overview
Giardia is a protozoan parasite, i.e., a microscopic organism that causes a common disease called Giardiasis. This parasite has two life forms: a swimming flagellated trophozoite, and an infectious resistant cyst.
Giardia can infect dogs, cats, wild animals and also people and may cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and bloating. However, most infections do not cause any symptoms at all, which means that many infected individuals are unknowingly spreading the disease.
How does my pet get Giardia?
Giardia is spread by the fecal-oral route. This means that the stool (poop) particles from a sick animal containing giardia cysts come into the mouth of a healthy animal. This can either happen directly or indirectly via contaminated water, food, objects or surfaces. The cysts will settle in the intestines and turn into trophozoites, which will cause the symptoms.
We listed below some examples of how your pet can become infected with Giardia:
- drinking contaminated water from puddles, lakes or rivers
- eating contaminated food (like fruits and vegetables from the environment)
- licking contaminated objects (ex. food/water bowls, toys) or surfaces (like the floor or grass)
- rolling in contaminated soil or being in contact with infected poop (e.g. by using a dirty litter box) and then grooming itself
- Grooming a contaminated animal (because giardia cysts can be on their fur close to the anus)
Who has higher risks of being infected or getting sick?
Dogs have higher risks of coming into contact with Giardia than cats, mostly because of their lifestyle. Animals living in high-density populations such as kennels and shelters are more likely to be infected because the contact amongst them is much closer and the hygiene in such environments is often poorer.
Puppies and kittens are more susceptible to becoming ill than adult pets due to their underdeveloped immune systems. Geriatric animals and those who have concomitant diseases also are more prone to become infected, due to their weaker immune systems.
What about the symptoms and signs?
Symptoms are more commonly seen in young pets and can be acute, transient, intermittent, or chronic. They include:
- soft to watery fatty stool (diarrhea) that may contain blood, usually with rancid odor
- inappetence, nausea
- vomiting
- abdominal pain and bloating
- weight loss (in chronic cases)
If left untreated, the symptoms can aggravate and endanger the pet’s life, especially in puppies, kittens and immunocompromised animals. Adults are usually asymptomatic, meaning they don’t show any signs of the disease.
How can Giardia be diagnosed?
Your veterinarian will ask you to collect a stool sample (around 2g) from every time your dog poops for three consecutive days. Then a fecal flotation will be performed to search for Giardia cysts and also for other parasites’ cysts. Unfortunately this method can sometimes fail to detect Giardia cysts due to their very small size and because they are not always present in every fecal sample. To increase the chances of a positive diagnosis, a direct smear from the feces can be done to check for trophozoites.
Some veterinary practices also offer Giardia-specific antigen tests (SNAP tests), which have a higher sensitivity and specificity for detecting Giardia cell proteins in feces. Unfortunately, this analysis can also show either false-positive or false-negative results.
Occasionally, the vet may decide to send samples to a reference laboratory for specific tests if there is still doubt about the tests’ results. This may also be advisable in households where residents need to be especially careful not to contract giardia themselves, such as those with young children, the elderly, pregnant women or immunocompromised individuals. The samples are tested with an ELISA antigen test and/or with a PCR test to determine the Giardia genotype, as some genotypes can be transmitted to humans.
When to treat and how is Giardiasis treated?
Basically, your pet will be medicated if it tests positive and for as long as it has symptoms.
Giardiasis can be treated with a strict therapy of deworming drugs as well as some antibiotics. A combination of both drugs may be needed when only one medication fails to control the infection. Since the intestines are the organs most affected by giardiasis and also where the parasites multiply, a special diet and probiotics can be used to accelerate the healing process.
Usually, pets are treated at home, unless they are severely debilitated or dehydrated. In these cases, prompt hospitalization for supportive treatment with intravenous fluids and other medications are necessary to reduce the risk of complications, including death.
It is very important that the therapy is combined with hygiene measures in order to prevent re-infection with Giardia cysts. The environment and the pet’s objects (food and water bowls, towels, toys) should be cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis and the animal should be bathed to eliminate cysts from its fur, at least the back end. Your vet will advise you on the best methods and products to use. Feces should be removed as soon as possible, as the Giardia cysts are infective as soon as they leave the body.
If there is more than one pet in the household, it is best to isolate the pet receiving treatment to avoid contaminating others until the next follow-up at your vet. Also think about having the other pets screened for Giardia as they might serve as a possible infection source.
What can I expect after treatment?
Adult animals with a healthy immunity often do well after treatment depending on the severity of infection. Some infections can be harder to fight than others and some pets may require more time and effort to complete recovery. Puppies, kittens, geriatric animals and those affected by other health conditions have higher risks of developing complications, including death.
It is advisable to repeat fecal examinations five to seven days after the end of the treatment to verify if it was successful and to detect reinfection. If the tests are positive and the symptoms persist, treatment should be repeated.
Can I get Giardia from my pet?
Unfortunately, yes. Giardiasis is a zoonosis, i.e., a disease that can be shared amongst different species. However, the chances of becoming infected with giardia through your pet are lower compared to human to human transmission because of the different Giardia strains infecting animals.
Humans can also be contracting Giardia from livestock or exotic and wild species, such as birds, monkeys, beavers, chinchillas and opossums, either by direct contact with their feces or by contamination of the water supplies. Indirect water-borne transmission is the most important cause of Giardia outbreaks in humans.
Can I prevent giardiasis?
Absolutely! Avoid visiting potentially contaminated areas – especially some dirty parks, sidewalks and play areas – and avoid contact with contaminated water, food, objects and surfaces. Also, try to separate your pet from any giardia-positive animal undergoing treatment. Give your animal good quality food, clean water, practice good hygiene, and take it regularly to the vet for check-ups, vaccinations and deworming to make sure they remain healthy.
How can I protect myself, my family, others and their pets from giardiasis?
Basically, you need to make sure that you practice good hygiene to prevent accidental infection, spread, and reinfection with Giardia. We have summarized them for you below:
- Disinfect surfaces regularly, especially areas used by your animal
- Wash and disinfect regularly your pet’s toys, bowls and bedding
- Remove your pet’s poops immediately and dispose of them properly. This also applies to outdoor areas and cat litter boxes
- Remove sources of standing water from your garden
- Clean your dog’s paws before entering the house
- Wear gloves when working with plants or in the garden, as the soil may be contaminated
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
How long does Giardia survive in the environment?
Giardia is a very hardy microbe, unfortunately for us and our pets. Giardia cysts, the infectious live forms of Giardia, can survive in the environment or on surfaces for up to 2 months, especially in cool and moist conditions. Winter provides ideal conditions for the cysts to survive in water and soil for several months.
Do you need more help? Contact us and schedule an appointment!