Dealing With Giardia, Please Help Me I Feel Hopeless

[aelu]

We brought home our 8-week kitten and found out he had giardia.
He had terrible bloody diarrhea and wasnt gaining any weight-- his fecal sample came back positive on the third day. He was put on 7 days of panacur and probiotics, and it seemed to work well. His stool slowly firmed up and he started gaining weight, running around, acting like a normal kitty! I felt so relieved and thought the giardia sorted itself out.

Then, once the medication stopped, his stools got loose again, then by the 2nd day of no medication it was full blown bloody diarrhea again-- he also threw up his meal which he never did before. He was so weak and didnt want to eat any food.
Its the weekend, so we decided to give him another day of panacur until the vet opens on Tuesday (holiday on monday). It worked near instantly; we gave panacur in the morning, he stopped having diarrhea and started acting normal again. I'm glad that panacur does seem to make him feel better (and firm up his poop) but I'm so worried about the possibility of him getting diarrhea again once he's off medication

Our older cat started showing symptoms, so he was also put on panacur to be safe (but days later). The older cat has slowly started eating less and less since his medication, which is driving me crazy because he NEVER denies food and I can feel him losing weight and his scruff doesnt bounce back like it used to.

I've read everything online to prevent disinfection; I vacuum, steam clean and disinfect litter boxes everyday. I also keep the cats in seperate rooms so they dont groom each other.

Just... can someone please tell me this nightmare will stop? Has anyone experienced a kitten that had diarrhea only while off medication? Has anyone experienced Panacur making cats lose their appetite? We lost a kitten to FIP a couple months ago and that was such a long battle that costs us thousands, and now we have to go through this. 2017 had just been the hardest year for me and I need to know theres light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[orange&white]

I'm very sorry to hear about your troubles with the cats.

Your only question I have an answer for is very recent experience (Memorial Day Weekend) with Panacur and appetite.

I brought in a feral kitten who was having solid poops, but I gave him Panacur wormer just to be on the safe side. My other kitten had not been wormed since she left the shelter last winter, so I wormed her at the same time. (Neither kitten had any sign of worms nor loose stools.)

Both kittens seemed constipated by the second day of Panacur, and both kittens lost some of their normal appetite on days 2 and 3 of treatment. The 7 week old kitten ate 65% of his normal food and my 8 month old kitten ate 57% of her normal food. The day after treatment both of their appetites bounced back to normal. So I will say that Panacur will firm up stools (even when they are already firm) and cause a loss of appetite during treatment.

Before treating them, I did read that common side effects are nausea and vomiting. Neither of my kittens vomited, but the lack of appetite could be from nausea.

I wish I could help you with the rest. Hopefully someone here will have some experience with Giardia.

 

[aelu]

I'm very sorry to hear about your troubles with the cats.

Your only question I have an answer for is very recent experience (Memorial Day Weekend) with Panacur and appetite.

I brought in a feral kitten who was having solid poops, but I gave him Panacur wormer just to be on the safe side. My other kitten had not been wormed since she left the shelter last winter, so I wormed her at the same time. (Neither kitten had any sign of worms nor loose stools.)

Both kittens seemed constipated by the second day of Panacur, and both kittens lost some of their normal appetite on days 2 and 3 of treatment. The 7 week old kitten ate 65% of his normal food and my 8 month old kitten ate 57% of her normal food. The day after treatment both of their appetites bounced back to normal. So I will say that Panacur will firm up stools (even when they are already firm) and cause a loss of appetite during treatment.

Before treating them, I did read that common side effects are nausea and vomiting. Neither of my kittens vomited, but the lack of appetite could be from nausea.

I wish I could help you with the rest. Hopefully someone here will have some experience with Giardia.

Thank you for taking the time to respond, it really eases my stress

 

[posiepurrs]

I treated my entire cattery with Fenbendazole (same as Panacur) due to a giardia outbreak. I treated as the vet suggested and then we repeated the treatment awhile later. I don't remember the exact timing since it was so long ago. Two things concern me: Was he also tested for Tritrichamonas Feotus? It isn't uncommon for both parasites to be found in one cat. Symptoms are basically the same, and unless tested for by PCR it is difficult to diagnose TF. The second thing is you say the older cats scruff doesn't snap back like it used to. That could be a sign of dehydration.

 

[kashmir64]

I just got over Giardia several weeks ago. The thing about this protozoa is that it can re-infect your kitten easily. Certain protocols must be maintained.
1) Wash all blankets or bedding in HOT soapy water. The hot cycle with laundry soap is fine, just not too scented.
2) Keep litter box clean. I recommend switching to clay litter for the duration since it is cheaper. Dump litter from box, clean with antibacterial soap (I used Dawn dishwashing soap) spray with 10% ammonia and wash again with same soap. Bleach can also be used, but ammonia doesn't stain.
3) Spray everything they sat on, laid on, etc with 10% ammonia.
Do this every single day. But make sure you have proper ventilation and the cats do not get near the sprayed areas until they are dry and ventilated.
You could steam clean your furniture and floors instead.

Also, and this is IMPORTANT....NEVER mix ammonia and bleach. It will create Mustard Gas and kill all of you.

Also also, if you ever have Coccidia, bleach will not kill it. It needs to be ammonia.

Also again, it should not affect your grown cat unless s/he has a compromised immune system, so you may want to have him/her checked by the vet for an underlying problem.

 

[aelu]

Thank you for you replies everyone.
kashmir64 I have doubled-down on the cleaning since you posted (Sorry for the late reply). We have washed all bedding and blankets, bought extra duvets and will switch and wash them out every two days. We switch the litter boxes everyday, and also disinfect them.
I also steam clean our furniture and floors everyday, sometimes twice a day when I see the cats have tracked litter.

posiepurrs I'm not sure if he was tested for T-Feotus, they just sampled his diarrhea (because he pooped while we took him to the vet) and they called us an hour later to tell us he had giardia.

The vet was closed when I posted, so what we did was put him back on his panacur dosage. The kitten's stool firmed up after a day (like I said, he does better while on medication), but it still smells terrible. There was no blood in his stool and the color was fine.
I also wanted to mention something I forgot to mention before: near the end of his first round of panacur, his stool was firm, but the color was getting lighter and lighter, almost yellow.
He started eating a little again, but not like he used to. We also found some vomit at the end of the bed, and this morning he had a bit of foam on his mouth that I cleaned up. I read somewhere that a little bit of foam could indicate an upset stomach?
He was dehydrated from the diarrhea but I combat that with some electrolyte water and special kitten tonic.
We are taking him to the vet today and I will keep everyone posted.

Our other cat must have been experiencing nausea from the medication which is why he wasn't eating. I postponed giving him panacur until the end of the day, and that worked out well because his appetite returned and he started to eat again!

 

[posiepurrs]

If you got the test results that quickly the test wasn't for TF. The fecal sample should be sent to a lab to run the PCR test. With in house testing (which sounds like what was done for your cat) it is easy to mistake TF protozoa for giardia under the microscope since they look similar. If the symptoms continue I would ask for a PCR test. I hope the panacur works!











.

 

[jcat]

The problem with fenbendazole (Fenbenol/Panacur) is that it often takes two or three rounds of it to get rid of giardia (and even then it's not always effective). If the giardia are still around after 2 or 3 rounds of it, your vet will probably prescribe something else like metronidazole, which is bitter and therefore harder to give.

that one more round of Panacur works for you!

 

[aelu]

jcat then it is a good thing we decided to put him back on panacur. We are waiting at the vet office right as I'm typing this.

The only issue we have right now is that he has been vomiting since his diarrhoea reappeared, and that was not a symptom he had before.

 

[aelu]

Has anyone encountered this situation?:
We went to the vet and they just told us to stop giving him Panacur and wait for his stool results. We dropped off a sample this morning and find out tomorrow if he still has giardia. If he does, they told us to continue Panacur--well..okay then. I just think its strange they told us to stop for one day, especially because I told them that the Panacur helps with his poop.

Well, since he didnt get any panacur today, his diarrhea returned and his appetite diminished. He ate a little bit, but then the food would go straight through him. We decided to give him another small dose of Panacur. We figured it was way more important that he stopped his diarrhea and had an appetite than risk him getting dehydrated again. Bam: his appetite returned within 2 hours, and poop firmed up within 6 hours.

This just baffles me.. I mean, I definitely dont want the little guy to take this medication for a prolonged period of time (and we are definitely going to the vet again the next day) but how does this fix the problem so quickly? The vet didn't seem too alarmed, but he also didnt seem to be listening to me. Does Panacur have some kind of anti-inflammatory property? Maybe the little guy just has an inflamed stomach and the pancur soothes it? Any thoughts?
Oh, I'd also like to mention this: when we first took him to the vet for his diarrhea, we had no idea what was wrong with him and he got an antibiotic shot that was meant to last the day. THAT also helped his diarrhea resolve itself instantly. His energy, appetite and poop were all fine within 12 hours of that shot. Then we found out it was giardia a couple days later, and started the Panacur treatment shortly after. During the treatment, he gained weight, had a ravaging and healthy appetite and his stools were firm (they smelled like death though).. They did start to turn yellow at the end of the treatment though, which I found odd and told the vet (again, he didnt seem to concerned).

Can anyone weigh in on why antibiotics (I believe it was Amoxicillin) or Panacur treats my baby boy's diarrhea [because our vet didnt seem interested in discussing it with me]? We feel like its very important to get rid of his giardias infection, but its also important to combat his diarrhea as well. Any natural remedies we can try, to firm up his stools?

 

[kashmir64]

I wish I could help. I have no idea why this works so rapidly and quits working just as fast.

Do be sure, however, to give him some probiotics about 2-4 hours after the Amoxicillin.

they smelled like death though)

It is a nasty, awful, nose violating smell. And once it gets in your nose hairs, that's all you will smell wherever you are.

 

[orange&white]

Not sure, but antibiotics kill of both bad and good bacteria...so the giardia or whatever parasites are putting out some pretty bad bacteria and lots of them (would be my guess). Hopefully after all the treatment and he's "all clear" you won't be seeing the diarrhea issues any more.

 

[aelu]

It is a nasty, awful, nose violating smell. And once it gets in your nose hairs, that's all you will smell wherever you are.

YES, I smell it even now while I'm at work. The funny thing is, my boyfriend and I are sleeping in separate rooms to keep each kitty happy (they are quarantined till this nightmare is over) and he is with the pooper; that room smells TERRIBLE but he claims to not smell anything off

 

[aelu]

Not sure, but antibiotics kill of both bad and good bacteria...so the giardia or whatever parasites are putting out some pretty bad bacteria and lots of them (would be my guess). Hopefully after all the treatment and he's "all clear" you won't be seeing the diarrhea issues any more.

We hope so too! I read many cases that diarrhea can persist even if he's in the clear, so we are giving him probiotics as well. They didn't really seem to help though! We are now going to try a sensitive prescription food.

 

[monkeymind]

We brought home our 8-week kitten and found out he had giardia.
He had terrible bloody diarrhea and wasnt gaining any weight-- his fecal sample came back positive on the third day. He was put on 7 days of panacur and probiotics, and it seemed to work well. His stool slowly firmed up and he started gaining weight, running around, acting like a normal kitty! I felt so relieved and thought the giardia sorted itself out.

Then, once the medication stopped, his stools got loose again, then by the 2nd day of no medication it was full blown bloody diarrhea again-- he also threw up his meal which he never did before. He was so weak and didnt want to eat any food.
Its the weekend, so we decided to give him another day of panacur until the vet opens on Tuesday (holiday on monday). It worked near instantly; we gave panacur in the morning, he stopped having diarrhea and started acting normal again. I'm glad that panacur does seem to make him feel better (and firm up his poop) but I'm so worried about the possibility of him getting diarrhea again once he's off medication

Our older cat started showing symptoms, so he was also put on panacur to be safe (but days later). The older cat has slowly started eating less and less since his medication, which is driving me crazy because he NEVER denies food and I can feel him losing weight and his scruff doesnt bounce back like it used to.

I've read everything online to prevent disinfection; I vacuum, steam clean and disinfect litter boxes everyday. I also keep the cats in seperate rooms so they dont groom each other.

Just... can someone please tell me this nightmare will stop? Has anyone experienced a kitten that had diarrhea only while off medication? Has anyone experienced Panacur making cats lose their appetite? We lost a kitten to FIP a couple months ago and that was such a long battle that costs us thousands, and now we have to go through this. 2017 had just been the hardest year for me and I need to know theres light at the end of the tunnel.

U probably know this by now but if the scruff isn't bouncing on older cat, likely dehydrated. Just got giardia diagnosis & reading threads. So sorry to hear of your kitten loss and the overwhelming year. I will likely post after reading threads on our situation. I asked vet about disinfecting & he said not to worry about it but reading these threads is freaking me out

 

[kashmir64]

U probably know this by now but if the scruff isn't bouncing on older cat, likely dehydrated. Just got giardia diagnosis & reading threads. So sorry to hear of your kitten loss and the overwhelming year. I will likely post after reading threads on our situation. I asked vet about disinfecting & he said not to worry about it but reading these threads is freaking me out

Disinfecting is the key to keeping this under control and eliminating it.

 

[aelu]

Hey guys, going to give everyone (and anyone dealing with the same issues) another update:

So we finished another round of panacur two days ago (this was his third treatment) and he is showing signs of giardia again (bloody loose stools).
We are collecting samples and will find out this week if he still has giardia. Our vet is very reluctant to give him metrodazinole, but she expressed that if this last round doesn't work she will start metro next.

We were really anal about our cleaning schedule and if he is still infected it could just be that we are dealing with a resistant strain. Despite the possibility he is re-infected, we aren't losing hope!

We found that S. Boullardi has helped control his diarrhea while he was on medication, and he managed to gain enough weight to be a healthy kitty. You can no longer feel his bones, and he looks plumper. Will update again later; hopefully he still does not have giardia, but that seems unlikely given his symptoms.

 

[kashmir64]

I can't help but feel there is an underlying problem here. Giardia usually only shows in kittens or the elderly. Unless, your cat has an immune compromised system. If your cat has a strong immune system, neither Giardia nor Coccidia shows sympoms.

I would have him checked for this.

 

[2furbabies]

Hi - so sorry you are dealing with this. Every cat I've ever brought in had Giardia. Usually it is a quick fix with meds. All of mine were put on Metronidazole (Flagyl). It took my last kitty 2 rounds of the meds to finally clear it up. She was on it for about a month. Hoping you get some good results soon.

 

[aelu]

Hi - so sorry you are dealing with this. Every cat I've ever brought in had Giardia. Usually it is a quick fix with meds. All of mine were put on Metronidazole (Flagyl). It took my last kitty 2 rounds of the meds to finally clear it up. She was on it for about a month. Hoping you get some good results soon.

Thanks for your reply! If he is still positive, he will get prescribed Metronidazole this time, and I hope it works. Our vet didn't want to give it to him because its such a strong medication and he was so weak at the time. Thankfully probiotics helped him put some weight on.