Giardia infection is fairly common in pets especially dogs. It is a zoonotic infection, meaning it can be passed between animals and humans. Animals that have been housed with lots of other animals are common carriers of the parasite.
The usual way a dog gets infected is by ingesting a giardia cyst contained in the feces of another animal. Contaminated outdoor water is very often the source of infection, since the giardia parasite thrives in cool, damp environments.
Once inside your pet's body, the cysts open and active forms of giardia attach to the walls of the intestine and begin to reproduce. Eventually some of these active forms build new cysts around themselves and pass from the pet's body in feces and the cycle begins again.
Many pets with giardia have no symptoms. The most common symptom is diarrhea, which can be acute or chronic. Left untreated, a giardia infection can cause serious GI inflammation, chronic diarrhea, malabsorption and other digestive issues, and weight loss.
Diagnosis of a giardia infection requires a special test that not every vet uses. Effective treatment of an infection requires thorough follow-up to insure the parasite has been completely cleared from your pet's body.
Read the complete article: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/03/19/giardia-infection-on-pets.aspx
The usual way a dog gets infected is by ingesting a giardia cyst contained in the feces of another animal. Contaminated outdoor water is very often the source of infection, since the giardia parasite thrives in cool, damp environments.
Once inside your pet's body, the cysts open and active forms of giardia attach to the walls of the intestine and begin to reproduce. Eventually some of these active forms build new cysts around themselves and pass from the pet's body in feces and the cycle begins again.
Many pets with giardia have no symptoms. The most common symptom is diarrhea, which can be acute or chronic. Left untreated, a giardia infection can cause serious GI inflammation, chronic diarrhea, malabsorption and other digestive issues, and weight loss.
Diagnosis of a giardia infection requires a special test that not every vet uses. Effective treatment of an infection requires thorough follow-up to insure the parasite has been completely cleared from your pet's body.
Read the complete article: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/03/19/giardia-infection-on-pets.aspx