Bloody Stool Even After Giardia test came back negative.

[domi8tor]

So when I got my Frenchie he was weeks on November 26. He came from the Breeder with Giardia, as I realized his stool had blood in it. So I contacted the Breeder and she suggested that it might be Giardia and she was right after we took him to the vet and had a fecal test. Its been a month of multiple treatments and on the second test the Giardia came back negative and no parasites on his stool. However his stool never stopped having blood in it.


Here is a list of events:

(1) when we got him, he had a safeguard for 3 days

(2) went to the vet and she had him on metronidazole and panaruc for 2 weeks-fecal test came back with Giardia

(3) had a 2nd fecal test, and it came back negative. However, his stool still had traces of blood. At his 16 week appointment he had his last puppy vaccines and another last dewormer.

(4) Vet recommended to give him pumpkin along with his food and we had him on Forti Flora from Purina. His stools got a lot better however, we stopped the forti flora and his has bloody stool again

(5) We changed his food from Purina Puppy Chow to Orijen Puppy Grain Free.

 

[Hervé Eulacia]

Honestly if the stools don't firm up with Orijen Puppy, I'd switch food to Orijen Regional Red or Tundra, in order to avoid chicken entirely.

Give it a week and reassess.


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[2bullymama]

Giardia is very hard to get rid of.. it is possible he still has it even with a negative.... [MENTION=894]blushy[/MENTION] may have more insight


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[blushy]

Get another fecal.

The medicine can really tear a puppies digestive system up as well.

Our pup was on rounds of meds for giardia for almost 7 months. The bloody diarrhea lasted that entire time. If there is still blood in the stool, it's likely because there is still an issue.

Also, avoiding chicken may or may not help at all. Our boy could NOT eat anything beside chicken because everything else was much too rich for his repairing digestive tract, and it's still sensitive, it's permanately this way from giardia/treatment.


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[domi8tor]

Thank you all for the responses! Much appreciated.

Do you guys think it may be because of the food change too? We went from Purina which he had Diarrhea to Orijen within 2 days to a full change because its not like his food original food from the breeder was any good.

Also, the a supplement Forti Flora seemed to help a lot? How long does it take to determine if is the new food causing this issue? He is only been on the new food for 1 week.

Get another fecal.

The medicine can really tear a puppies digestive system up as well.

Our pup was on rounds of meds for giardia for almost 7 months. The bloody diarrhea lasted that entire time. If there is still blood in the stool, it's likely because there is still an issue.

Also, avoiding chicken may or may not help at all. Our boy could NOT eat anything beside chicken because everything else was much too rich for his repairing digestive tract, and it's still sensitive, it's permanately this way from giardia/treatment.


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[blushy]

Thank you all for the responses! Much appreciated.

Do you guys think it may be because of the food change too? We went from Purina which he had Diarrhea to Orijen within 2 days to a full change because its not like his food original food from the breeder was any good.

Also, the a supplement Forti Flora seemed to help a lot? How long does it take to determine if is the new food causing this issue? He is only been on the new food for 1 week.

A range from 2-4 weeks for the food, I usually know within 24-48 hours if food is going to be an issue with my dogs. Especially allergy wise.

Honestly the food change ~shouldn't~ cause BLOODY stool. If so, there is another issue entirely. Diarrhea, yes, but not the same type of bloody stool you knew of because of the parasite.

I switched Titan the day we got him from whatever crap the breeder gave us in a ziplock to Merrick puppy, then cold turkey switched him again to Rawboost puppy. Never had any upsets during those times. Only when he was in between treatment for giardia did the blood/diarrhea reoccur.

Once he was giardia free I cold turkey switched to Fromm, and now switched to Blackwood. No issues at all. 0.

Good luck!


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[domi8tor]

A range from 2-4 weeks for the food, I usually know within 24-48 hours if food is going to be an issue with my dogs. Especially allergy wise.

Honestly the food change ~shouldn't~ cause BLOODY stool. If so, there is another issue entirely. Diarrhea, yes, but not the same type of bloody stool you knew of because of the parasite.

I switched Titan the day we got him from whatever crap the breeder gave us in a ziplock to Merrick puppy, then cold turkey switched him again to Rawboost puppy. Never had any upsets during those times. Only when he was in between treatment for giardia did the blood/diarrhea reoccur.

Once he was giardia free I cold turkey switched to Fromm, and now switched to Blackwood. No issues at all. 0.

Good luck!


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Again thank you Blushy, seems like you are the Giardia Expert in the Forums and so glad we have you around! I will follow you advise and take a stool sample for testing tomorrow to see if the the 2nd test was a false positive. Spoke to the Vet today also, and she mentioned that since his test came back clear, that I should see
and specialist and maybe have a procedure done to see his intestines. I don't know about that. Will keep you guys posted.

Thanks

 

[blushy]

Again thank you Blushy, seems like you are the Giardia Expert in the Forums and so glad we have you around! I will follow you advise and take a stool sample for testing tomorrow to see if the the 2nd test was a false positive. Spoke to the Vet today also, and she mentioned that since his test came back clear, that I should see
and specialist and maybe have a procedure done to see his intestines. I don't know about that. Will keep you guys posted.

Thanks

My poor baby dog gave me a pretty educating experience! And thankfully my vet is extremely knowledgeable so that helps as well!

I don't think any procedures like that will need done. Giardia can reoccur at any given time. I hope you figure everything out quickly! I know how frustrating it can be to deal with this when all you're trying to do is enjoy your new puppy!


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[Honeys Owners]

I wouldn't rush to do a colonoscopy since the giardia test can come back negative even when the dog has giardia. I would just repeat a course of the febendazole 50mg/kg once daily and metronidazole 25mg/kg twice daily for 5-15 days, and wash the dog and clean the environment as follows: ( copied from Giardia in Dogs: Learn About Symptoms and Treatment )
A dog should be bathed on his last day of treatment to eliminate all giardia cysts from his hair coat. Wearing gloves, you should bathe and rinse his whole body as normal and then focus last on his hind end. Do not touch the rest of his body after you have bathed and rinsed around the anus. This will eliminate spreading any remaining giardia cysts around his hair coat. Pet bowls, toys, etc., should be disinfected in either boiling water or in a high-temperature dishwasher. Upholstery and carpeting should be steam-cleaned and allowed to dry. Hard surfaces can be disinfected with a dilute bleach solution (3/4 cup of bleach mixed with 1 gallon of water) or a disinfecting household cleaning product.

 

[blushy]

I wouldn't rush to do a colonoscopy since the giardia test can come back negative even when the dog has giardia. I would just repeat a course of the febendazole 50mg/kg once daily and metronidazole 25mg/kg twice daily for 5-15 days, and wash the dog and clean the environment as follows: ( copied from Giardia in Dogs: Learn About Symptoms and Treatment )
A dog should be bathed on his last day of treatment to eliminate all giardia cysts from his hair coat. Wearing gloves, you should bathe and rinse his whole body as normal and then focus last on his hind end. Do not touch the rest of his body after you have bathed and rinsed around the anus. This will eliminate spreading any remaining giardia cysts around his hair coat. Pet bowls, toys, etc., should be disinfected in either boiling water or in a high-temperature dishwasher. Upholstery and carpeting should be steam-cleaned and allowed to dry. Hard surfaces can be disinfected with a dilute bleach solution (3/4 cup of bleach mixed with 1 gallon of water) or a disinfecting household cleaning product.

Great info!

I think I bleached my entire house daily. Bathed titans butt about 13 times a day. Used baby wipes to wipe his butt after every potty, washed bowls and dog toys multiple times a day/week... for seven entire months.


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[Mavis]

[MENTION=894]blushy[/MENTION], you are such a good mommie!

 

[blushy]

[MENTION=894]blushy[/MENTION], you are such a good mommie!

Aww it's just what we have to do for these little angels!!! You'd all do the same!


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[domi8tor]

I wouldn't rush to do a colonoscopy since the giardia test can come back negative even when the dog has giardia. I would just repeat a course of the febendazole 50mg/kg once daily and metronidazole 25mg/kg twice daily for 5-15 days, and wash the dog and clean the environment as follows: ( copied from Giardia in Dogs: Learn About Symptoms and Treatment )
A dog should be bathed on his last day of treatment to eliminate all giardia cysts from his hair coat. Wearing gloves, you should bathe and rinse his whole body as normal and then focus last on his hind end. Do not touch the rest of his body after you have bathed and rinsed around the anus. This will eliminate spreading any remaining giardia cysts around his hair coat. Pet bowls, toys, etc., should be disinfected in either boiling water or in a high-temperature dishwasher. Upholstery and carpeting should be steam-cleaned and allowed to dry. Hard surfaces can be disinfected with a dilute bleach solution (3/4 cup of bleach mixed with 1 gallon of water) or a disinfecting household cleaning product.

Thank you so much for the information, so I went back to the vet and got a more expensive stool sample that looked for Giardia Antigens and came back negative. Thats good news but bad news at the same time.
All the signs of Giardia are still there, his stools are firm and randomly he gets the diarrhea with a bit of blood in it.

So now I'm dealing with conflicting ways of going about his health:
The Vet doesn't seem too concerned because his stools are firm and blood is not present at all times. Plus since the last visit which it was a month ago he gained 3 pounds.
She recommended to put him on Hill's I/D Digestive Care Prescription Diet to see how he does and if the poop firms up.

The Breeder which she has been very nice and took her time to ask fellow breeders and recommended (attached) which is stronger dose of medicine to get rid of the Giardia because she still thinks there is traces of it despite the negative results.


At this point please give your suggestion and again thank you I totally did not consider cleaning the whole house after the treatment.

- - - Updated - - -

Aww it's just what we have to do for these little angels!!! You'd all do the same!


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I wouldn't rush to do a colonoscopy since the giardia test can come back negative even when the dog has giardia. I would just repeat a course of the febendazole 50mg/kg once daily and metronidazole 25mg/kg twice daily for 5-15 days, and wash the dog and clean the environment as follows: ( copied from Giardia in Dogs: Learn About Symptoms and Treatment )
A dog should be bathed on his last day of treatment to eliminate all giardia cysts from his hair coat. Wearing gloves, you should bathe and rinse his whole body as normal and then focus last on his hind end. Do not touch the rest of his body after you have bathed and rinsed around the anus. This will eliminate spreading any remaining giardia cysts around his hair coat. Pet bowls, toys, etc., should be disinfected in either boiling water or in a high-temperature dishwasher. Upholstery and carpeting should be steam-cleaned and allowed to dry. Hard surfaces can be disinfected with a dilute bleach solution (3/4 cup of bleach mixed with 1 gallon of water) or a disinfecting household cleaning product.

 

[domi8tor]

I wouldn't rush to do a colonoscopy since the giardia test can come back negative even when the dog has giardia. I would just repeat a course of the febendazole 50mg/kg once daily and metronidazole 25mg/kg twice daily for 5-15 days, and wash the dog and clean the environment as follows: ( copied from Giardia in Dogs: Learn About Symptoms and Treatment )
A dog should be bathed on his last day of treatment to eliminate all giardia cysts from his hair coat. Wearing gloves, you should bathe and rinse his whole body as normal and then focus last on his hind end. Do not touch the rest of his body after you have bathed and rinsed around the anus. This will eliminate spreading any remaining giardia cysts around his hair coat. Pet bowls, toys, etc., should be disinfected in either boiling water or in a high-temperature dishwasher. Upholstery and carpeting should be steam-cleaned and allowed to dry. Hard surfaces can be disinfected with a dilute bleach solution (3/4 cup of bleach mixed with 1 gallon of water) or a disinfecting household cleaning product.

Thank you so much for the information, so I went back to the vet and got a more expensive stool sample that looked for Giardia Antigens and came back negative. Thats good news but bad news at the same time.
All the signs of Giardia are still there, his stools are firm and randomly he gets the diarrhea with a bit of blood in it.

So now I'm dealing with conflicting ways of going about his health:
The Vet doesn't seem too concerned because his stools are firm and blood is not present at all times. Plus since the last visit which it was a month ago he gained 3 pounds.
She recommended to put him on Hill's I/D Digestive Care Prescription Diet to see how he does and if the poop firms up.

The Breeder which she has been very nice and took her time to ask fellow breeders and recommended (attached)View attachment 9776 which is stronger dose of medicine to get rid of the Giardia because she still thinks there is traces of it despite the negative results.


At this point please give your suggestion and again thank you I totally did not consider cleaning the whole house after the treatment.

- - - Updated - - -

Thank you so much for the information, so I went back to the vet and got a more expensive stool sample that looked for Giardia Antigens and came back negative. Thats good news but bad news at the same time.
All the signs of Giardia are still there, his stools are firm and randomly he gets the diarrhea with a bit of blood in it.

So now I'm dealing with conflicting ways of going about his health:
The Vet doesn't seem too concerned because his stools are firm and blood is not present at all times. Plus since the last visit which it was a month ago he gained 3 pounds.
She recommended to put him on Hill's I/D Digestive Care Prescription Diet to see how he does and if the poop firms up.

The Breeder which she has been very nice and took her time to ask fellow breeders and recommended (attached)View attachment 9776 which is stronger dose of medicine to get rid of the Giardia because she still thinks there is traces of it despite the negative results.


At this point please give your suggestion and again thank you I totally did not consider cleaning the whole house after the treatment.

 

[Honeys Owners]

I think that it wouldn't hurt to repeat treatment with metronidazole and febendazole again, since the dog may not consistently shed giardia with all stool specimens. To truly trust your dog is negative for giardia, you would have to do the elisa test on three different stool specimens over a week. The dose of febendazole is always 50 mg/kg once daily for 5 days, so it doesn't matter whether you use a 10% or 22% product. The metronidazole should be given as 25 mg/kg twice daily for 7 days, but isn't mandatory. It is a good idea however since it will work by a different mechanism on the giardia, and kill other causes of diarrhea as well. It's very bitter, so more difficult to give than the febendazole which is tasteless.

 

[Honeys Owners]

I forgot to mention that a good shampoo to wash with will contain chlorhexidine. Since the dog is on multiple antibiotics you should supplement with a good probiotic like Proviable DC, Vetriscience Laboratories Mega Probiotic, Probiotic Miracle

 

[Nu2frenchie]

The bloody diarrhea cold be a stress colitis that was induced from all that has occurred recently. This can usually be treated with a round of antibiotics and probiotics.

 

[Honeys Owners]

The metronidazole plus febendazole is 98% effective in treating giardia, but reinfection from environment is very common, that's why it's so important to wash dog and environment. If your dog gets better and doesn't have any more diarrhea, you don't really need to retest if you don't want to since many adult dogs are carriers of giardia. Have you been trying the Proviable DC probiotic ? That may help diarrhea if it's from bacterial overgrowth from all the antibiotics. If you have and dog still has diarrhea another course of the antibiotic metronidazole may be warranted because it's about 70% effective in killing giardia and it can kill harmful overgrowth bacteria such as clostridia difficile that can cause diarrhea.

 

[MunasG]

I'm just joining this thread but have a frebchievwhos been struggling with severe IBD and since December diarrhea, loose stools, firm bloody stools and drag blood in stools. We did panacur, metronidazole both of which she had severe reactions to so we had to stop. She did test positive for giardia but the internal medicine specialist that we work with for her IBD is saying she has hystiocitic ulcerative colitis which is a disease common in boxers abs frenchies. It's an overgrowth of ecoli and we are on 6 weeks of baytril to treat it. I am a part of a dogs with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) group on Facebook and almost all of the Frenchie there have HUC as well. The only way it can be confirmed is through a biopsy and or endoscopy, just like IBD. Nellies was confirmed through an intestinal biopsy while undergoing surgery. Her IBD manifested in upper GI issues so vomiting regurgitation and reflux. It was only in December that the loose stools abs bloody diarrhea started. Since the baytril I've seen improvement compared to the panacur abs metronidazole. We dropped off her decal sample yesterday so hoping she has cleared the giardia but not likely since we couldn't finish the course of panacur as she had bloody vomit. Sorry to hear about your struggles and hope you get to the bottom of it. Read about HUC. It is referred to as boxer colitis too.

 

[Honeys Owners]

I mentioned in another thread that a single dose of Secnidazole can treat giardia, but it's hard to obtain, since it's a special access drug that has to be compounded. There's a great video on giardia at Vet to Vet Secnidazole . If you have your dog on long term baytril for e.coli it'd be really helpful to your dog to be giving Proviable DC or other good probiotic to prevent overgrowth of other bacteria and yeast. Make sure you give it a couple of hours after the baytril dose.