Giardia in Kitten - Help!

Good evening,

We just got a kitten (whom we adopted from a barn) named Kali. We are both new cat owners and neither of us have ever had kitten/cats before. We got her when she was 8 weeks old and took her in to the vet to get her needles. Shes done two sets and is completely healthy in all regards. She is a healthy weight, eats often and is growing big and strong and loves to play. Shes extremely affectionate and energetic. We just found out today she has Giardia. The vet asked us a few question about symptoms to which she has none. Her stool is normal, shes energetic, she eats and drinks well, no vomiting. The vet says we don't have to treat her because she has no symptoms even though she tests positive. I spent all day reading every site I could about the parasite and all the sites say to treat. Is this infection/parasite able to be cured, or will she always have it and should I ask that the vet treat her? Also do I have to worry as most sites say humans can get Giardia as well? Please help

Sarah and Kali

IMHO, if she was tested positive for Giardia, she should be treated. The treatment usually consists of 10 days of Metronidazole... Yes, humans can get giardia...
Not all cats with Giardia will have symptoms, actually most won't.
If this was my cat, she would be treated.

You said she doesn't have the symptoms? The foul-smelling diarrhea and the drips? It is common for outdoor kittens to have giardia because they drink from open pools and puddles of water that can easily become contaminated. I would go ahead and treat her with Metronidazole and keep her indoors where there is cleaner water for her to drink. The giardia is a cycle and they may have caught it early so stopping it would be the wisest thing to do. Also keep her litter pans very clean as that is where the disease is shed. Just follow good hygiene methods and wear gloves when handling her waste and you and your family should be fine.

Yes thats right she has no symptoms at all...........Im trying to figure out why the vet says we don't have to treat. And also I'd like to know if I do treat her now if it cures it entirely.......

Thank you both for your posts. Im going to call the vet back tomorrow and take her in to get her treated.

Originally Posted by Sarah_Kali

Yes thats right she has no symptoms at all...........Im trying to figure out why the vet says we don't have to treat. And also I'd like to know if I do treat her now if it cures it entirely.......

Thank you both for your posts. Im going to call the vet back tomorrow and take her in to get her treated.

Click to expand...

Make sure to treat her for at least 10 days - if the vet gives you 7 days of Metro, ASK for at least 10; giardia is only killed after 10 days of treatment.
Also, go ahead and get some pill pockets - wrap the pill in a little bit of pill pocket (not the whole thing) and pill the kitty with the pill wrapped in it - the pills taste awful, and wrapping them will help making the process a whole lot easier.
Good luck!

We've had TONS of cats/kittens at the shelter have normal stools & still test positive for giardia. I agree with Carolina, def. treat for 10 days! (and then re-test a stool sample to be sure she's negative)

Yep. because the first time she gets stressed- guess what? You have one sick kitty on your hands.

Soooooo I called the vet and they are going to put her on 5 day treatment with 10 dosages (2x 5 days). The vet said basically they weren't going to treat her because she only tested positive for the bacteria but had no active cysts and hte vet believes she was exposed to it prior to us getting her, when she lived in the barn butttttt that it was clearing up. Also the vet says its highly unlikely she has the strand that is transferable and offered me a few tips.
So heres to hoping.............
Cheers Everyone

Giardia isn't a bacteria. Did your vet actually call it that? I'd be dropping a vet pretty fast over a mistake like that... (because a vet should know better).

I don't know if 5 days would be enough... Honestly talk to the vet more and don't just nod and agree to everything they say.

Even if the cyst are inactive now, they'll be passed in the stool, get spread around the house and can reinfest your kitten later. Better to get rid of the parasite now and clean thoroughly.

5 Days is not enough, it will not kill giardia, unless it is a high dose (25 mg/kg), and even so it is only about 65% effective - I would highly recommend going back and asking for 10 days of treatment; you are risking having to treat her again in the future - yes, 5-7 days of treatment will kill intestinal tract bacteria, however Giardia is a protozoa, NOT a bacteria... You need 10 days.
Quite frankly, I am starting to doubt this vet if she said it is a bacteria and offered you 5 days of treatment...