Is Giardia ever incurable in cats? (kittens, eating, feline, throwing)
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I boarded my cats about 4 months ago and they got giardia. It took several weeks to figure out that it was giardia as the tests are not always positive even if the cats have it. My cats are currently on their third round of treatment, but is giardia ever incurable?
Round 1
Give cats medication 2X day for 5 days. Clean litter box, food, and water dishes daily. Results- Cats still sick.
Since that didn't work, I step up efforts, to ensure that the cats get well.
Round 2
Give cats medication 2X day for 10 days. Clean litter box, food, and water dishes daily. Clean kitchen, bathroom, and all hard surfaces in residence on daily basis. Results- Cats still sick.
Since that didn't work. I guess I have to step it up a notch for these cats to get well, if that is possible.
Round 3
Give cats medication 2X day for 10 days, higher dose. Since I can't do more to clean my residence, I decide to totally isolate the cats for the duration of their medication.
Give cats bath on day 1, 5, and 10 of treatment. (After day 1, my cats have arranged a special place in hell for me, but the vet said giardia cysts can stick to their fur and cause re-infection).
Separate and isolate the cats. Place each cat in a separate large dog crate (what was available) to isolate cat from rest of residence.
Clean food and water dishes daily. Clean litter box and dog crate hard surfaces with bleach daily.
Wash and dry all bedding on daily basis.
If this doesn't cure the cats, I don't know what will. It's time consuming, but lesser efforts did not work. My cats are both 4 years old, so they are neither kittens or elderly cats with immune issues. Is giardia ever incurable in cats?
I was planning on just getting disposable bowls and plates for their feeding because I thought it would be easier than cleaning their dishes 3 times a day after use. Same thing with cat boxes. I planned on just using cake tins and throwing them away at the end of the day(line floor with paper that gets thrown away daily). I also read that sometimes it can be a chronic problem. If I had to deal with it I was just going to get one of those steamers and clean everything a couple times a day in the area they were quarantined. I know it only says once a day...but whatever...I would be a maniac and cleaning at least 2-3 times.
Do they go outside at all? Are they drinking from the toilet?
That link I shared has the survival rate of it in certain environments so that may help you figure out how to kill it faster naturally by influencing the environmental factors.
This was in my local vet's newspaper column this morning. I don't know if it's new information to you.
Metronidazole or flagyl is our drug of first choice; panacur or fenbendazole given for five consecutive days will also work. These drugs kill the active form of giardia, the trophozoites, but may not eliminate the dormant state or cysts, so reoccurrences can occur.
Her tests came back negative, but she didn't get better. I finally discovered by experimentation she was allergic to any cat food made with chicken. Instant diarrhea.
My vet also told me it's possible for a cat to get Giardia and eventually to fight it off with no intervention at all. I know that doesn't help you right now, but it was somewhat reassuring.
I boarded my cats about 4 months ago and they got giardia. It took several weeks to figure out that it was giardia as the tests are not always positive even if the cats have it. My cats are currently on their third round of treatment, but is giardia ever incurable?
Your question is relevant to me right now. We have 11 indoor cats and are trying to introduce a 12th cat that we have cared for outside for 4 years (she is spayed, shots, I am a certified TNR rescuer with experience on these things) but I initially isolated the cat when I got her and her lab tests of feces showed giardia.
She was hospitalized for 10 days, getting metronidazole 2x a day for 5 days and Panecur for the same, daily for 5 days. (She also had dental surgery and clavamox for 10 days). I would think that the poor thing is zapped enough with drugs but now I have been reading everywhere, including in the Merck Manual, that these animals need to be bathed because cysts will stick to the fur. A low dosage of cysts is enough to reinfect:
Here is one reference: " Many cats infected with the parasite don't show signs, but still can shed cysts. Because Giardia cysts can remain on Kitty's coat after Panacur treatment, you should give him and your other cats a bath. That ought to be fun. If cat bathing is something you can't deal with, take Kitty to a groomer to do the deed. "http://pets.thenest.com/panacur-treating-giardia-cats... and here is the Merck Veterinary Manual on the elimination of giardia:http://www.merckmanuals.com/.../over...iardiasis.html " Infected dogs and cats should be bathed to remove cysts from the hair coat. Prompt and frequent removal of feces limits environmental contamination, as does subsequent disinfection. Cysts are inactivated by most quaternary ammonium compounds, steam, and boiling water. " We have completely disinfected that bathroom where Tigress now resides, as well has her bedding and carrier, with quaternary ammonium compound cleaner called Roccal which is what our vet said is exactly what is used in the hospital, and bleaching the bedding and washing and drying at the hottest temperature to kill any cysts.
My question is that I hope and wonder if we do ALL needed we are still putting our cats at risk of infection from the one new cat. We have to isolate her for a full month and re-test her feces.
I can't offer advice on cats, but both of our rescue dogs had it when they came home from the shelter and both got through it. We used Pancur for both of them.
One thing that I learned during the process was, during and after when they recovering they need to keep their "good bacteria" balanced, since their bodies get stripped of a lot of things.
Organic non-flavored yogurt(for the cultures) and canned pumpkin for fiber(the real stuff, not pie filling) really helped them get back on....regular poop schedule. I'm sure cats will love yogurt, don't know about the pumpkin.
Everything else I learned has already been covered by other posters.
I can't offer advice on cats, but both of our rescue dogs had it when they came home from the shelter and both got through it. We used Pancur for both of them.
One thing that I learned during the process was, during and after when they recovering they need to keep their "good bacteria" balanced, since their bodies get stripped of a lot of things.
Organic non-flavored yogurt(for the cultures) and canned pumpkin for fiber(the real stuff, not pie filling) really helped them get back on....regular poop schedule. I'm sure cats will love yogurt, don't know about the pumpkin.
Everything else I learned has already been covered by other posters.
I would recommend to all that the much researched and proven probiotic saccharomyces boulardii is better by far than yogurt. What Yeast is Good for the Gut?
I have used the brand Florastor which I buy over the counter at Rite Aid drug stores. My cats had a bout of bacterial induced diarrhea and the Florastor stopped it in its tracks and the cats like the flavor. I mix it in my ground raw food but you can put it in your wet cat food.
Pumpkin is very good for fiber.
I don't like yogurt for cats because they might be lactose intolerant and anyway the above listed probiotic is a lot more effective.
This was in my local vet's newspaper column this morning. I don't know if it's new information to you.
Metronidazole or flagyl is our drug of first choice; panacur or fenbendazole given for five consecutive days will also work. These drugs kill the active form of giardia, the trophozoites, but may not eliminate the dormant state or cysts, so reoccurrences can occur.
You are accurate in your post here. I have been discussing this topic, giardia treatment with a cat pet parent who happens also to be a microbiologist whose specialty is, get this: parasitology!
She explained that it is important to shampoo the animal due to the fact that live adult parasites can hide in the fur/skin or the animal. I just did that with my cat who had giardia. We used both Panacur and also metronidazole (Flagyl). She wrote to me:
"No the trophy and cysts are in the intestinal track. I would give the Meds time to work before giving another sample. The washing really only removes any parasites that are left on the kitties body. Normally gotten from dirty water. It's what a lot of people call Montezuma's revenge. The cyst stage is the more durable phase. The parasite normally needs about 3 to 4 weeks for the Meds to work."
What I haven't heard anyone mention to put an e-collar on your cats. You know they clean there butts. So they keep infected themselves....with the E-collar you would keep the cat from being able to lick itself
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, but the vet said giardia cysts can stick to their fur and cause re-infection). 
