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GIARDIA INFECTION

The POOP nightmare for every multiple cat and/or dog household

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IF THERE’S ANY DOUBT…

Loose Stools we don’t want to see!

Nice firm turds are what we DO want to see!

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DEFINITIONS Diarrhea…Excessive and frequent

evacuation of watery feces, usually indicating gastrointestinal distress or disorder.

Loose Stool…Refers to watery feces with no solid form.  (Loose stool would be classified as "diarrhea" if the passage of stool was frequent or excessive in volume.)

Tenesmus…A painfully urgent but ineffectual attempt to urinate or defecate

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THE POOP PATROL BY TERRI JORGENSEN

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COLOR Yellow or Greenish Stool = Rapid transit Black Tarry Stool = Bleeding in upper

digestive tract Red Bloody Stool = Bleeding in the

lower bowel (colon) Pasty, Light-colored Stool = Lack of Bile

(liver disease) Large Gray, Rancid-smelling Stool =

Inadequate digestion, Malabsorption Syndrome (often with oil on hair around anus)

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CONSISTENCY Soft Bulky Stool = Overfeeding or poor

quality food high in fiber Watery Stool = Bowel wall irritation with

rapid transit and decreased absorption Foamy Stool = Suggestive of bacterial

infection

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ODOR The more watery the stool, the greater

the odor! Foodlike smell or sour milk smell = both

incomplete digestion and inadequate absorption

Putrid smell = infection or blood

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FREQUENCY Several small stools per hour with

straining = colitis 3-4 large stools per day =

malabsorption or inflammatory bowel (Note: any pathogen or parasite that

would trigger rapid transit of food through the bowel would also result in malabsorption)

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WHAT EXACTLY IS GIARDIA?

Giardia are protozoans (single celled organisms)

This microscopic parasite clings to the surface of the intestine, or floats free in the mucous lining the intestine.

The motile feeding stage occurs in the small intestine.

The non-motile cyst stage occurs in large intestine.

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LIFECYCLE AND TRANSMISSIONGiardia is transmitted during the cyst stage when it is excreted in the feces. Cats pick up cysts from the litter, floors, or fur. They usually ingest the cysts while cleaning themselves.

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THE CYSTS ARE THE BIG ENEMY!

Cysts can live outside of the body for months in favorable (moist & warm) environments.

Cysts are very hard to kill.

Cysts are very easy to pick up and contaminate water supplies like streams and wells.

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SYMPTOMSAsymptomatic cats are

“carriers”.No symptoms.

Can excrete cysts in feces.

Symptomatic cats are “sick”

Stressful conditions such as changes in food, moves, overcrowding, breeding, showing, new cats, etc. can bring on a “break”.

Loose stools, diarrhea

Frequent stinky stools

Weight loss

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GIARDIA FLAGELLATED ATTACHED TO INTESTINAL

WALLThis is the stage that creates the sickness, Giardiasis. The Giardia attach to the intestinal wall and interfere with the cat’s ability to absorb nutrients. This creates the weight loss. They usually don’t lose appetite.

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DIAGNOSISStool Samples need

to be FRESH and MOIST

Fecal LoopInserted into rectum to

get FRESH fecal or mucus sample that hopefully contains

Giardia (if there is an infection).

Cysts are shed in stools sporadically

Need several samples over at least three days

Cysts & flagellet die in dry & hot conditions.

ELISA test better than fecal exam

You CAN get false negatives!

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AS THE LITTER BOX TURNS

FLAGELLETMostly found in LOOSE

stoolDon’t survive outside of

body for long

CYSTMostly found in FIRM

stoolsSurvive outside of body

for months

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TREATMENT

The great Big FUN FUN FUN topic, especially for multiple cat/dog

households!

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FENBENDAZOLE“Panacur”—anti-parasitic

Safeguard (for goats) is a fenbendazole 10% solution, 100 mg/ml.Can be purchased at Coastal Farm Supply or Winco Farm Supply

Dosage is 50 mg/kg of body weight or 25 mg/lb of body weight.

Dose by mouth once daily for 5 to 10 days…some advise 14 days.

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METRONDIZOLE

“Flagyl”– anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-parasitic.

Helpful to calm the bowel.Often given in conjunction with fenbendazole.

About 70% effective in treating Giardia.Can be toxic to the liver and cause vomiting.

Dosage is 15 mg/kg body weight (My 5-6 lb cat was given 63 mg once daily)Dose one time a day for 7 to 10 days.

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THE ENVIRONMENT• Bleach every surface you can several times while treating and at the least when treatment is done.

• Bleach litter boxes and scoops every time litter is changed.

• Steam clean your house if you can, including hard floors

• Steam clean your carpets and upholstery

• Machine Wash in hot water

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CATS AND THEIR LITTER BOXES• Scoop fecal matter out immediately• Sweep up cat litter and waste from floors frequently• Change cat litter more frequently• Use different scoops for each group• BLEACH

• Trim hair from “perianal” area• Use baby wipes to wash their butts for them several times a day• Wash their feet if litter is sticking to them

• When treatment is done, dump litter, bleach boxes & scoops, and bathe your cats

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MULTIPLE CAT/PET HOUSEHOLDS• After first treatment, rest for 7 days, then treat & clean again.• Treat entire population • Treat on regular basis, like every 6-12 months

• For cleaning, you should put animals in a “clean area”, • disinfect living quarters, • let dry for 3 days• return bathed pets to quarters

• Treat ALL new cats during quarantine as if they have Giardia!

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WASH YOUR HANDS EVERY TIME YOU OR A CHILD IN YOUR HOME TOUCHES YOUR CATS OR LITTER BOXES

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RESOURCES• http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2236+2241&aid=738

• http://cats.about.com/od/gastrictractdiseases/p/giardia.htm

•http://www.vetinfo.com/