can dogs get c-diff?

[FuzzyOne]

i'm trying to not be really annoyed by this and hopefully it won't be an issue!

my ds has a c-diff gut infection. he started taking vancomycin (antibiotic) this past friday. last night (saturday) my dh left one of my son's dirty diapers on the floor and one of our dogs cleaned it out - yuck, i know. i have no idea what he was thinking, leaving that on the floor. i have three dogs and i don't know which one did it - it happened while we were sleeping. i know that with humans the number one way to transmit c-diff is from feces to mouth. so, how concerned do i need to be here? i don't even know if this is a bacteria that can live in dogs. if i do need to be concerned, what would be the symptoms of infection and treatment?

[liz-hippymom]

i know cdiff can take weeks.months to show up after stopping the antibiotic, so give your dog probiotics- totally safe for them and will ward off the bad bacteria. the only signs i know of is intense stomach pains.

[Nicole915]

Yes, dogs can and do become infected with Clostridium difficile. It is actually more common in dogs than humans, but thankfully is usually easier to treat. Dogs are usually treated with Flagyl or Tylosin (gram neg antibiotics). If your dog presents with an acute case of diarrhea, it is probably time to take her (and a fecal sample) to your vet. They will float the sample in solution and look for evidence of a bacterial overgrowth. Strangely enough, in vet med we call it clostriduim, but human side it is refered to as c-diff.

You may want to contact your vet and let her know you have a possible infection, but I suspect that she won't prescribe antibiotics to all three dogs unless they present with GI distress. It can be a hard line to manage, trying to keep the little creatures healthy while protecting the public health by not over prescribing antibiotics.

Dogs are usually not the disease vector for human infections, but you may want to be extra diligent about washing your hands and grooming tools.

(*disclaimer - I am not your veterinarian, and this isn't medical advice*)