Poorly cat

My little Pudcat has just been diagnosed with Giardia. I have no idea how he picked it up as he and Fudgie are both indoor cats with occasional excursions in the garden and they haven't been outside for at least two months. I am going to get Fudgie tested as well as soon as I can get a litter free sample. Pudcat starts his course of treatment tonight.

I was just wondering if anyone else had any experience with this and how much disinfecting is needed. I am sure Pudcat has had it for a couple of weeks and in that time he has been all over the house. I am going to get the carpets cleaned and wash everything I can find that he has touched, I've already bleached the kitchen and will do the rest of the house this weekend. Do I need to keep them isolated from all the rooms while I do this as that could be problematical as I only have five rooms in my house altogether and no spare ones at all.

This has come as a bit of shock, but also a relief as it has taken a while to diagnose and he had to have blood taken as well - I was suspecting the worst.

Thanks
Jennie

 

found this
http://www.drpetra.com/Cats/Giardia%20in%20Cats.htm

 

I've never heard of Giardia - what is it? Will your cat(s) be okay?
I hope so.

Sorry I have no advice

 

I haven't heard of it in cats, but in peole it gives them terrible diarhea. I know people who got it while hiking the Appalachian TRail from not cleaning the water so good. But I think it is some sort of bacteria? It definitely isn't a worm, but that is about all I know!

 

Oh my goodness...I've never heard of it either. I sure hope your babies are ok! What did your vet suggest?

 

I so sorry about Pudcat. Hope he feels better soon. :m10: Death to all those nasty parasites! :mrgreen:

 

hi starry. =P~

giardia as you probably know by now is a parasite that is very difficult to get rid of because they reingest it by licking their hmmm hmmm's after going poopie, and lick their feet after being in the kitty box. when they go poo, the parasite can deposite cysts...that live in the box and outside the box...so thats why its difficult to get rid of. they pick up a cyst on their paws...or on their fur, and it gets reingested and multiplies.

max had it for a couple of months. then developed a bacteria called clostridium. the giardia made him have yellowish diarrhea...that smelled pretty bad. it was awful...he went ten times a day at one point. would step in it. i had to use baby wipes on him as soon as he got out of the box...wipe his rear end and all of his paws...

he was on meds. metronidazole, tylan powder, amoxicillin. welll...he is still on meds, but the giardia cleared up.

it is important to take fecals frequently...even after the treatment. the intestine is so long....that sometimes the parasite is difficult to see, sometimes it is in the fecal exam, and sometimes it is not. usually you can tell because the diarrhea clears up.

good luck!!!! everything you are doing is really good. :y_the_best: sanitizing is the key. also...sheets and that kind of stuff...they can carry those cysts on their paws...and deposit them different places. :shock:

quite honestly...even though they said be careful...that i could actually get it from max. i didnt care. :roll: i kissed him on his little mouth all the time. who cares??? its curable...just an irritant. i never got it though. :wink:

 

Thanks everyone for your replies, especially Lynn, it's great to hear about a personal experience. It didn't occurred to me that they can reingest it until you mentioned it, #-o I'm going to have to be extra careful with them and wipe their little furry butts and paws for them :shock: because although I haven't had it confirmed yet, I'm pretty sure Fudgie has now got it as well :cry:

Pudcat took his first dose of metronidazole last night and apart from not liking it much (!) he is fine in himself, racing around after Fudgie playing at being boys. The vet has been dosing him up with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories because we thought it was colitis at first so he has only had one day of diarrhea thank goodness.

Thanks for your support, I appreciate it
Jennie

 

Oh no, not Fudgie too.

 

Giardia is quite common here for some reason and almost all of the strays we've picked up have had it or coccidia to some degree, probably because of eating dirt or out of the garbage. It's not so bad if it's being treated and you're vigilant about sanitizing as Lynnhaz has said in her message. There are two products called Peroxiguard and Quatsyl D Plus that every cat parent should have one of. They're both non-caustic products that work on just about any kind of parasite, bacteria or mould, and the Quatsyl in my opinion was the only thing that got rid of our ringworm problem here. It smells nice and isn't destructive on surfaces like bleach, but works just as well. Trust me, I've talked to every chemist, industrial cleaning company, drug company researcher, cat breeder and veterinarian from here to the UK, and every technician at the Veterinary Colleges in PEI, Guelph and at UC Davis, and those were the main things they suggested. The Quatsyl I still use on their litter box after I clean it, once every few months I spray their toys down (and then rinse of course), and spray monthly on my vaccuum and on the carpets, just in case, and use it on my kitchen, bathroom, etc. My vet once said that one drop of blood from any sort of meat is enough to cause parasites or bacteria in a cat's system, which is pretty scary. Did I mention I haven't had a cold or flu all year? <knocks on desk> lol. Anyway, sorry for going off on a tangent - I think the ringworm has turned me into a germ freak. Hopefully your babies will start feeling better soon!

 

I'm sorry about Pudcat. I hope he is feeling better soon. Keep us posted.

 

wow...great info karen80. im gonna get the quatsyl right away. never even knew about it. :wink:

 

Great info Karen. Where can I get some Peroxiguard and Quatsyl D ?

 

i looked the quatsyl up on the internet. is it a canadian product?? i plan to call a sanitary supply here in phx to see if they carry it. :0011:

 

Hi Karen - thanks for your reply. I really wish I could get eithr product here in the UK but after searching the internet, it seems like it must be Canadian only. I had a quick look for something similar here in the UK but the closest I could get was a homemade remedy with vinegar and hydrogen peroxide which I think I'm going to try if I can get the hydrogen peroxide in my local chemist.

No more news at the moment.

Thanks
Jennie