In recent years, gut health has been given more and more attention – both for us humans and for our pets. A healthy gut with a balanced flora is the foundation for overall health. The gut is at the centre of the immune system, so supporting it helps our four-legged friends' immune resistance. Pets with an irritated or damaged gut are more likely to get sick and infected. If your pet’s gut flora is unbalanced, parasites and endoparasites have an easier time infecting your pet. Typical endoparasites in cats and dogs include roundworms and tapworms, as well as protozoa. Protozoa are a group of microorganisms and single-cell parasites that are even smaller than worms – and Giardia is a type of protozoa.
What is Giardia and how do I protect my pets from it?
06 March 2020 — by Sara Roller
Giardia are single-cell intestinal parasites that are common in both cats and dogs. They cause recurring diarrhea and can be very persistent to medical treatment. To prevent giardiasis, infection or re-infection with Giardia, it is important to support your pet’s gut flora.
Guardia infects primarily kittens, puppies and pets with a weakened immune system.
Symptoms of Giardia infection or giardiasis
A typical symptom of a Giardia infection is sporadic diarrhea. The feces then often have a foamy or mushy consistency and have foul, rotten smell. Other symptoms can include weight loss, general weakness and a loss of appetite. However, in otherwise healthy adult cats and dogs, Giardia infection can easily go unnoticed. Even when asymptomatic, animals with giardiasis will excrete so-called Giardia cysts. These almost invisible cysts are very resilient and can remain infectious for several weeks.
How does a pet get infected with Giardia?
The risk of Giardia infection is particularly high in places where many cats and dogs meet, such as animal shelters, dog schools, kennels and in households where many animals live. Cats and dogs can get infected with Giardia through infected feces of other animals, contaminated drinking water or directly from an infected animal. The Giardia cysts are then taken in through the mouth and from there enter the digestive tract and gut.
Giardia parasites in the gut.
A veterinarian can diagnose a Giardia infection with the help of fecal examination. Since Giardia cysts are not excreted consistently, a collective sample of feces from three days should be examined. If the test result is positive and your pet shows symptoms such as diarrhea, a drug treatment is prescribed for several days. The individual treatment regimen should always be determined in consultation with a vet.
Parallel to treatment with medication, thorough environmental treatment is important, involving:
- Thorough cleaning and disinfection of resting places and surfaces.
- Washing blankets, toys, baskets, bowls and other objects in hot water.
- Collecting feces and disposing these in closed plastic bags.
- Treating all contact animals simultaneously.
- Checking the success of the treatment after therapy with a new fecal examination.
- Paying attention to good hygiene in people who share the same household as the infected pet, especially children and those with a low immune system.
Stabilize and balance the gut flora to prevent parasite infections
Your pet’s diet can be optimized with a food supplement such as FloraComplex for cats and dogs. This complex of natural ingredients stabilizes and balances the natural gut flora with inulin (a prebiotic), immune-strengthening substances such as purple coneflower extract (Echinacea purpurea herba), and a high proportion of probiotic cultures. The Entrococcus faecium cultures in FloraComplex have a positive effect on the gut’s microflora by colonizing it and helping build up the intestinal flora naturally. Probiotics support the gut in the production of a biofilm that can prevent pathogens from entering and colonizing the intestinal mucosa. This is particularly important when your pet has giardiosis, as the Giardia can in this way be replaced by a healthy, natural gut flora.
