So last week was a tough week for me AND my dogs...all 5 of them. About a week or 2 ago, Little Foot started having some diarrhea. I thought maybe she had eaten something that she shouldn't have. It got better and every few days she would have wet or very watery waste. I didn't think too much of it because since she's such a young puppy, I figure she'll eat just about anything. Last week, we had brought home a brand new puppy (a maltipoo named Spanky which you will learn more about in another post). We had him checked out a few days later and we come to find out that he had parasites which is very common among young puppies, sometimes they are born with this type of parasite as well (Coccidia). A day or two later, we notice Little Foot having more and more diarrhea, then Deebo comes down with the runs too, and then Roxy starts throwing up! I took Little Foot to the doctor, and then the boys (J-Mittens and Deebo). They all get checked out and physically they're fine. I turned in a fecal sample of all of them that I had to pay $53.50 for. Vet bills are no joke! Next thing you know, Buddha is throwing up and shaking and then he starts to have diarrhea AND blood in his poop just like the others. So I took him in as well.
The next morning, the doctor calls and tells me that they FOR SURE have parasites called Giardia. I was literally in and out of the vet's office last week. I spent $128 on Little Foot. They gave her fluids because she was so dehydrated, they gave her a shot of antibiotics, of course I had to pay for the office visit and I want to say they gave her a dose of medicine to help her with the diarrhea. I spent $72.50 on Deebo and J-Mittens, each. They got a dose of antibiotics as well. The following day, when I brought in Roxy and Buddha, I spent a total of $125 for the both of them: the office visit (each), a dose of antibiotics each, the both needed fluids, they both got antibiotics and Buddha got a dose of meds to help with the vomitting. Plus we had to pay for the medicine as well. I had my mother help me out a lot even though I didn't want to ask her for help, I knew I would need lots of it.
I've learned that Giardia in dogs is an intestinal parasite that lives in the small intestine. If giardia is ingested in any way, it can cause a dog to feel very sick. Such symptoms would include diarrhea (the main sign of the parasite) and/or vomitting. The antibiotic that was prescribed is called Panicur. The antibiotic actually stops the parasites from multiplying while it also gives the immune system a chance to do its own work. Metronidazole helps with the diarrhea symptoms as well as kill off the parasites.
There's really no way to prevent your dogs from getting parasites. However, there are measures that we as responsible dog owners can take in order to lessen the chances of our pets getting them:
-avoid dog parks and dog beaches -->some owners don't tend to pick up their dogs poop after they handle their business and this is where these protozoas are formed. If your dog licks sniffs the poop, he or she may ingest the bacteria.
-avoid allowing your dog to jump in puddles or walk through moist areas -->this parasite likes to live in moist areas. Spring time is when there tends to be an epidemic of Giardia due to the rain leaving moist and wet areas.
As painful as it was for my pockets and my mother's, I'm glad that they're feeling better. The doctor wants to get a sample of their fecal again to retest and make sure they're all better.
No comments:
Post a Comment