Giardia in puppy

[Sleepyheaded_Mama]

Okay, question, as it is a source of debate around our house lately. We have a 13 week old french bulldog puppy we got when she was 8 weeks old from a breeder (in hindsight, likely a backyard breeder). We found out she had giardia the day after we brought her home and she has been treated/tested/treated again repeatedly ever since. If this last round of metronidazole (Flagyl) doesn't clear her up she is being referred to some university for further treatment. Frankly this is making her a house-breaking nightmare with plenty of poo to clean up so often, she lives her sad little life confined to an x-pen in our kitchen and bathed a few times/day usually.

Up until my BFP I held her all the time to try to make up for her being confined so often and because frenchies are very social dogs and NEED their humans desperately. Problem is, I can't bring myself to hold her anymore and I don't clean up her poos anymore, either. I am just so heebed-out by the idea of giardia hurting my baby, so John has been the one to clean up her messes again and again. He is getting pretty irritated with me about it, too.

Does anyone know if it's safe for me to clean up giardia-laden poop during pregnancy? I am overreacting? It's not harmful along the lines of toxoplasmosis is it?

[bananabee]

I don't know if it's safe for you to clean it up, but just wanted to mention I had a pup w/endless diarrhea after being on Flagyl until I started giving him yogurt. 1-2 TB yogurt w/his meals, and after a couple days he was good as gold. Flagyl is an antibiotic and it kills all the good bacteria and my poor dog just couldn't digest his food. The vets were so clueless - I couldn't believe it was so cheap and easy to fix. Yogurt. I still give it to my pup daily just to so I can sleep easier knowing I won't wake up 3 times a night to a crate and dog covered in poo.

[Mama_2_Boy]

Isin't this a parasite? I don't think you are being paranoid. If something accidentally gets transmitted and you injest it, then you can get it as well...and I don't know if it's treatable while you are pregnant, I think you have to wait till the baby is born and then you are dealing with a risky pregnancy.

In my opinion - why take any chances?

[Sleepyheaded_Mama]

bananabee - her poo isn't diarrhea, it is formed - she always lays 'em out like donuts, lol, but she goes so OFTEN it is ridiculous. She started out on Eukanuba from the breeder and I switched her to Orijen Puppy awhile ago and there has been NO change in the consistency or frequency of her BMs. Sorry, don't mean to get off topic, I will get some yogurt and see if that perhaps will at least SLOW her down somewhat.

Mama_2_Boy - that is my train of thought EXACTLY. I think the baby is not 'real' to him just yet and that he thinks I'm just being a slacker or 'milking' the fact that I'm pregnant. I do feel bad as she was a gift from him to me, and a rather pricey one at that, because she was going to be 'our' baby, because of course, we never dreamed we would be having a REAL baby together.

[MommaSomeday]

From my reading, it can definitely be passed to you. It's a parasite, so cleaning up the messes is definitely an easy way to contract it. However, it doesn't seem to be incredibly harmful to you and baby, like toxoplasmosis would be. It would just make you sick, and you would need to be treated with antibiotics. That is where the slight scare with pregnancy would be - the antibiotics. I'd say you are not being paranoid at all, and to try to stay away from it. Also make sure anything that touches it is cleaned very, very well.

Maybe some extra hugs for your husband and a lot of appreciation are in order. I hope the yogurt helps!