- Joined
- Jan 8, 2018
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Hi guys!
I've been a "lurker" on The Cat Site for the past several years and have gotten some really great ideas and advice from this site with my last kitty of 17 years (RIP) and no my two new kittens!
A little background: We got two Devon Rex kittens last month from a breeder who's been in the business for 42 years. She seemed reputable (cats bred for breeding programs, shows etc) and keeps up with all of her cat's owners throughout their lives. So far, everything has been great- they are healthy, playful, active, and tons of fun to have in the house! The only issue they have had thus far is a mild URI that cleared with Lysine. However... the vet ordered a routine stool sample test just as a precaution. The girl (Ramona) has had perfectly formed stools and eating well. The boy (Freddie) has been also eating like a horse (and growing like crazy!) but has had intermittent diarrhea. No blood, just cow patties in the litter box. Neither have been vomiting or losing weight. Quite the opposite. We figured his was stress related and also tweaking his diet slightly since he's been home. The stool that was tested was Ramona's and it came back positive for Giardia! I was shocked. She especially is not showing symptoms. The vet said they did not find cysts but did find proteins indicating an infection on a SNAP test.
Me being paranoid, I started researching Giardia and I'm getting overwhelmed with the amount of cleaning and possible re-infections I might have to deal with. I alerted the breeder and she informed me that she gave Panacur to the whole litter twice before they came to us. Which doesn't make sense how they could have Giardia now... Our vet gave us Panacur to treat them both once a day for four days but did not mention anything about cleaning/disinfecting anything. I'm confused. I called the vet back and asked some follow-up questions and they seemed pretty nonchalant about the whole thing, saying I should scoop their poops when I see them, and maybe wipe their rear end after they go but that I didn't have to go crazy with cleaning. This seems to be the opposite advice from things I've been reading on this site and others... What gives? I'm not sure how to proceed. I'm worried that the Panacur isn't working and that this will be a constant cycle... Help!
What is your experience with Giardia in kittens? Is it really a big deal? Our vet said around 80% of the puppies and kittens they see have Giardia at some point. What are the chances of us becoming infected by playing with them, letting them lick us, etc?
I've been a "lurker" on The Cat Site for the past several years and have gotten some really great ideas and advice from this site with my last kitty of 17 years (RIP) and no my two new kittens!
A little background: We got two Devon Rex kittens last month from a breeder who's been in the business for 42 years. She seemed reputable (cats bred for breeding programs, shows etc) and keeps up with all of her cat's owners throughout their lives. So far, everything has been great- they are healthy, playful, active, and tons of fun to have in the house! The only issue they have had thus far is a mild URI that cleared with Lysine. However... the vet ordered a routine stool sample test just as a precaution. The girl (Ramona) has had perfectly formed stools and eating well. The boy (Freddie) has been also eating like a horse (and growing like crazy!) but has had intermittent diarrhea. No blood, just cow patties in the litter box. Neither have been vomiting or losing weight. Quite the opposite. We figured his was stress related and also tweaking his diet slightly since he's been home. The stool that was tested was Ramona's and it came back positive for Giardia! I was shocked. She especially is not showing symptoms. The vet said they did not find cysts but did find proteins indicating an infection on a SNAP test.
Me being paranoid, I started researching Giardia and I'm getting overwhelmed with the amount of cleaning and possible re-infections I might have to deal with. I alerted the breeder and she informed me that she gave Panacur to the whole litter twice before they came to us. Which doesn't make sense how they could have Giardia now... Our vet gave us Panacur to treat them both once a day for four days but did not mention anything about cleaning/disinfecting anything. I'm confused. I called the vet back and asked some follow-up questions and they seemed pretty nonchalant about the whole thing, saying I should scoop their poops when I see them, and maybe wipe their rear end after they go but that I didn't have to go crazy with cleaning. This seems to be the opposite advice from things I've been reading on this site and others... What gives? I'm not sure how to proceed. I'm worried that the Panacur isn't working and that this will be a constant cycle... Help!
What is your experience with Giardia in kittens? Is it really a big deal? Our vet said around 80% of the puppies and kittens they see have Giardia at some point. What are the chances of us becoming infected by playing with them, letting them lick us, etc?