Possible Giardia...get A Second Opinion?

[trisha422]

My little girl has had poop of all consistencies, from liquid, to pudding, and soft solid with bloody mucus always in the 4 months I've had her.

She was diagnosed with IBD and every remedy hasn't worked for her.

A new alternative medicine vet suggested giardia and upon research I've done myself, it sounds likely!

However, she looked at a stool sample under the microscope and found nothing but is deciding to treat her anyways.
She just gave her Tylosin and she is to take it 2x a day for a week.

I looked up this medication and I see no mention it of it being used to treat giardia.
Is anyone familiar with it?

I understand that that there are special tests to diagnose giardia and other more popular medications that are mentioned often.

Should I go ahead and get a second opinion or try out the Tylosin and see if it does the trick even though the vet has no confirmation of giardia.....
I've already spent so much money!!!

 

[abyeb]

A fecal antigen test is one way to test for giardia specifically, as it doesn’t always show up on a regular fecal test. I’m not familiar with Tylosin personally; this article: Giardia And Giardiasis In Cats mentions Metronidazole as a commonly prescribed antibiotic for giardia.

Sorry I couldn’t be of more help, other posters might be able to give you more info. I hope that your kitty is on the mend soon!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Actually, I did some searching on this, and I'm going to second what abyeb said! Tylosin is actually used to treat IBD in cats. But I'd want that fecal antigen test done, just to be sure you are treating the right illness! If this is IBD, we have several members who are managing this with their kitties, and I'll tag a few of them to help you. Let's get a good diagnosis first, though!

 

[duckpond]

I had a kitten with Giardia and Coccidia when i got him at about 3 months old. It can be difficult to test for, and it is not present in stool samples all the time, it goes in cycles. It may take multiple test to get a positive reading. It can also take a long time, and multiple treatments to get rid of either one. Often more than one treatment or medication.

Metronidazole is normally given for Giardia and a sulfa antibiotic for coccidia. My kitten needed several rounds of treatment.

Our vet also said to bathe the cat well. and keep the litter box very clean. i used a cheap litter and changed the box daily. was the box well with soapy water, then soak in bleach water for 15 min or so. Rinse well and let dry for a day or two. Repeat I was so tired of cleaning boxes by the time he got better, but its important. Best of luck, this is a hard one to get over, but you can. My kitten is now a big healthy 3 year old, with no problems what so ever

I might get a second opinion as well.

Coccidia and Giardia – The “Non-Worm” Parasites | Frontier Veterinary Hospital, P.C.