New Giardia test kits, test at home, results in 5 minutes
Dog, Puppy and Cat
What is Giardia?
Giardia is a tiny parasite that lives in the intestines of various animals. Humans and other animals can catch Giardia so it’s very important to wash your hands after cleaning up any dog poo or touching dogs with diarrhoea.
Giardia spreads in poo. It’s commonly caught from ingesting contaminated food or water, grass or from the environment.
Rolling and playing in contaminated soil, parks , fields , Licking paws and body after contact with a contaminated surface (for example, a dirty litter box or cage
Drinking water from a contaminated stream, pond, Young pets, like puppies and kittens, have a higher risk of illness than adult dogs and cats.
Diarrhoea which is often very watery, Diarrhoea containing blood, Weight loss, Excessive farting, Eating less and Vomiting.
It’s also quite common for dogs to become infected with Giardia and not show many (if any) of the above signs.
Dogs that have been infected but have no signs still have Giardia in their poo and can easily spread the disease to other dogs.
Giardia infection in puppies is very common, in dogs with compromised immune systems, or (as in the case of puppies) with underdeveloped immune systems, these cysts can pass through the dog’s intestinal tract and be transformed into the feeding form, a trophozoite.
In trophozoite form, the parasite will attach to your puppy’s intestinal wall to eat. As it eats, this parasite divides and multiplies, and can cause serious damage to the intestinal wall. When this happens, your pet will begin to display clinical signs of infection.
As the parasite multiplies and divides, it also transforms itself into new cysts that eventually your pup will pass out, to transmit and infect another host. The life cycle of giardia in dogs from ingesting it in cyst form to defecating it back out in cyst form is thought to be roughly 4-16 days.
How do I perform the Test?
It is very simple - just use the enclosed cotton swab to obtain a faecal sample, mix it with the test solution and then add 3 drops to the test cassette. You will then be able to read the results after 5 minutes.
The best time to test is during the shedding phase and/or when the symptoms appear. If tested outside this time period, you may get a false negative result.
What should I do if I get a positive result?
You must see your Vet immediately so that he/she can start treatment ASAP.
