Giardia symptoms in dogs

Giardia symptoms in dogs are diagnosed through infections in feces of infected dogs. Giardia symptoms require repeated diagnosis to detect their presence in dogs.

Giardia is a protozoan one-celled parasite, which thrives in the intestine of the affected animal. There are vesicles formed in polluted water and fecal matter and once discharged in the animal body, they release tiny pear-shaped creatures called trophozoites.

Trophozoites continue to multiply in the canine body. Trophoziotes, in case of healthy dogs live for years in the lower digestive tracts.

Common Symptoms:

In the initial stages, Giardia symptoms are not detected because most of the times, the Giardia parasites penetrate into the canine body and remain inactive in the intestine for years. In addition, it takes a long period to detect their presence after the activation phase has begun.

Since Giardiasis affects the intestine, diarrhea is the most common symptom. In fact, Giardia symptoms in dogs begin with diarrhea and vomiting. Hence, other reasons such as Salmonella and Campylobacter are not considered in the diagnosis tests of Giardiasis.

In spite that the protozoan prevails in the small intestine, mucus from the large intestine shows the disorder of this intestine. Peculiarities such as an increase in the number of white cells and traces of anemia in the blood tests are important Giardia symptoms in dogs.

Giardiasis at a later stage can produce grayish and fatty feces and obstruct the normal assimilation of food. Thus, it is probable that there is no decrease in the appetite of the dog, but a significant reduction in its weight is a common symptom.

Estimating every stool for the number of cysts for a continuous period of six months is another means to ensure if the dog is infected by Giardiasis. However, it is not widely used since it is an expensive approach to identify Giardia symptoms in dogs.

Giardisis is an undetectable disease, commonly found in the canine community. The determination of the infected percentage considers the above given symptoms and is not specific because of two major reasons:

– This disease varies largely depending on the region and its hygienic conditions. – Usually, until the final detection, Giardia symptoms in dogs go unnoticed.

Giardiasis spreads very easily through infection and hence, pet owners need to follow certain hygienic patterns such as washing their hands after handling the dog waste. Diarrhea being one of the common Giardia symptoms in dogs, babies have to be kept away from canines having diarrhea.

Treatment:

In the event you see signs of giardia symptoms in your dogs (diarrhea), consulting a vet is recommended. Medications, such as Metronidazole, can be used to treat Giardia infections.