thanks for that Layla, and perhaps my vet might think Zena fits into that category seeing as this will be the 3rd time in 2 years? Not normal is it

I would imagine so, because my vets use nothing but Fort Dodge Vaccines, so they'd be able to get hold of it over here no probs.

Well, we've got normal poops today, had my usual 3 of them so far this morning, even though they seem a bit light in colour, they're formed and looking good lol! They're almost verging on a green tinge now though instead of yellow? I saw some little white flecks in them too, kind of like tiny pieces of cotton? She is wormed every couple of months with Stronghold, but maybe she needs something else, so I might use the Drontal next time around if he doesn't think I need to take the 3 day course of Panacur route. I'm seeing him again on Monday with 3 day's stool samples so it'll be interesting what they might find, but of course, they'll never find the giardia will they coz it's nigh on impossible!

It is indeed. We were very lucky indeed that not only one of Tai's samples positive, but with me as well. It is extremely difficult to diagnose Giardia in humans, and not a lot easier in dogs. when I say lucky, I don't mean it was lucky that we got Giardia, but lucky that both dog and human had a positive sample in which to rub the noses (metaphorically speaking of course!) in the noses of the local Environmental Health people, who, naturally, were not at all interested in the numbers of dogs who were getting sick, but were interested in my positive sample - because of course I am a human being and therefore MUCH more important than a mere dog

Glad she is getting better Helena

http://priory.com/vet/giardia.htm

Giardia is not a worm and is endemic in some human populations abroad and here.

It is a zoonoses so if your dog has giardia you should be treated too!

Thanks for that link Smokeybear, it's an article I've already come across, but read it all again (as yer do!)

If it wasn't the fox poo, then it has to be the fact that her ball must have rolled in some diarrhea up in the fields I walk, as I noticed there was a lot of that about a couple of weeks ago when this first started with her sickness. I will never know, and I probably won't even know whether it is in fact this giardia, except for the fact that the rancid smelling, yellow poo is a classic sign of it, but then it's also a sign of some kind of bad bacteria too, so who knows?!

I will have a chat with the vet on Monday and see where we go from here.

It's not endemic here in the UK I don't think! Maybe it could be amongst people newly settled in the UK who have come in from abroad from countries such as Russia where it is endemic, but as far as I know, presently it is not endemic in the UK. Mind you, it will become so if this disgusting practice of spreading human sewage sludge on the fields close to human habitation as fertiliser is allowed to continue.

My OH has a theory that humans most at risk of picking up giardia, which is zoonotic as you rightly say, are those with dogs with hairy feet - like my northern breeds, next door's GSDs, and Helena's Zena, next door but one's long coated retriever. I cannot actually think of a dog I know who has had giardia who doesn't have hairy feet. Gucci, the chihuahua, has not had giardia, although we always treat him when we do the others with the 3 day Panacur regimen just to be on the safe side, and we take it too because we find it far more effective than Metronidazole, the human treatment. Both OH and myself have taken several doses of Equine Panacur (it is exactly the same as that for dogs, and we buy it in large bottles on the internet and save a fortune), and have lived to the tell the tale!

It's not endemic here in the UK I don't think!

I repeat, it is endemic in some populations here in the UK according to several microbiologists/doctors and vets I know! If not treated, it exists; many people have it without knowing about it.

Often it is the vet that identifies the issues in dogs so humans then visit the doctor and vice versa!

yip tiz rife!!

a hell of alot of pups seem to come with it

re the vaccine..im not sure if it is available here..,not all of the vaccines fort dodge make are, but your vet will know by a quick phonecall to his rep.

Yes, that's what I thought, it's just your original statement hadn't made it clear, thanks for that!

Tai was diagnosed before we were ... it is slightly easier to diagnose in dogs apparently, but is still difficult. I suggested to OH in future why don't we give a sample of our own faeces to the vet to send off to the dog lab? It would be in a sealed fecal pot, can't see why it should make any difference either to the lab technician or anything else. However, due to our unfortunate experiences we are so clued up now about giardia that we don't need to, we can self-diagnose and self-treat, and it works every time.

thanx for that