Giardia in me and my cats?

[ChunkyNaomBaby]

So I recently posted about my cat Naom having weird diarrhea and vomiting. I took him to the vet and they said he has slightly irritated small intestines. They said he might have just eaten something bad, and prescribed him Sucralfate and liquid Metronidazole (he hates this one). They also gave him an injection for nausea and some fluids because he was dehydrated. I just gave him his first doses of medication a couple minutes ago(it was not easy) so I will see if they work. The vet also gave me a container to get a fecal sample if I wanted to, because I was worried about parasites.(does anyone know how much a fecal test costs?). Anyways, I have now realized that my other two cats are also having diarrhea(not as bad as Naoms tho). I have also realized that both me and my sister( we are the ones who scoop and take care of my cats) are both having some digestive problems(like diarrhea, stomach pain, Itchy eyes, loss of appetite, fatty stools(tmi, sorry), and fatigue. I looked online and those are all symptoms of giardia. Is it possible for me, my sister, and all three of my cats to have this? If so, what should I do? I don’t have the money to take my other two cats to the vet right now, even for Naoms visit I had to borrow more money from my parents because I am still looking for a job. I am also going to be out of town for a week and am leaving the cats in the hands of my sister.
Also, my other cat Baby is having diarrhea and doesn’t want to eat as much as she used to. She is still active and happy, she just doesn’t want to eat her food. I think she might be a little dehydrated, so is there anything I could do to help her? I have read that Pedialyte can be given to cats that are dehydrated, is that true? Also is there anything I can give them to help solve the diarrhea? Maybe some canned pumpkin or probiotics? I just want some suggestions so I can call the vet and ask about specific products. I appreciate any help, I just want to solve this before I leave on Sunday. I don’t want to leave my sister with three sick cats.

 

[Krienze]

I'm incredibly interested in your thread, so I'm gonna follow.

I feel like dejavu is hitting me while reading this as I have had the exact same issue and was going a little nuts wondering if maybe we caught something from the cats or vice versa. What your vet did is exactly what mine did for Isabel, though she's now bettter & eating just fine.

 

[BlackCatOp]

While giardia is technically considered zoonotic - in reality cat to human (or human to cat) transmissions have not be shown as different assemblage (species) of giardia infect cats and humans. Cats are generally infected with G. felis and humans with G. intestinalis, G. lamblia, G. duodenalis, and G. enteritica. People are generally infected with giardia from unwashed produce or poorly treated water rather than from animal contact.

Not sure how you and the cats symptoms fit together but I personally wouldn’t be concerned about getting giardia from your kitties (still practice good hygiene after litter box cleaning) Sorry you all are experiencing GI issues and hope you and the kitties get some relief soon!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Yes, it's possible you ALL have the same thing. Here is an article that explains what both felines and humans can have:

Zoonotic Disease: What Can I Catch from My Cat?

Since all three cats basically have the same symptoms, it's probably not necessary to take them all to the Vet. If this medicine works for the one, it should probably work for them all, but I would definitely CALL the Vet and let them know what is going on before you start dosing them all.

As far as the cost of a fecal exam, every Vet is different, so you need to ask your Vet.

Yes, unflavored Pedialyte is good for rehydration in cats. You may need to feed it to them in tiny portions thru a needleless syringe. Be very careful though because you don't want to cause them to aspirate it. You can youtube how to give cats liquid. You may have already done that in order to give that liquid medication.

You can certainly try canned plain pumpkin. Some cats like it, some don't. About 1 teaspoon 3 times per day. Mix it into their food. Also, probiotics are good, You can use human probiotics, and open the capsule and also mix that into their food. I usually mix 1/2 capsule in the morning and 1/2 at night. If it's Giardia, however, they will need a specific medication to resolve the issue. This is why you need to let your Vet know that all three cats are having issues, AND their caretakers as well. You shouldn't even have to bring Naom back in, but I'm guessing they will want that stool sample to test.

Did I cover everything? If not, let me know.

 

[Burts]

Me and Allie my cat both started a month ago with upset tummies at about the same time, strange but we wondered the same thing...My cat got better but im still suffering after a month and have all kinds of lab work being done.....

Im drinking kombucha since yesterday and yogurt

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Me and Allie my cat both started a month ago with upset tummies at about the same time, strange but we wondered the same thing...My cat got better but im still suffering after a month and have all kinds of lab work being done.....

Im drinking kombucha since yesterday and yogurt

Hopefully your lab work will come up with whats wrong with you and you can get some relief. How's Allie?