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Giardia re-check

post #1 of 11
1/31/11 at 1:33pm
Thread Starter 
I have 2 prepaid poop jars from the vet to bring back samples to recheck for giardia. The label says "Please return a fecal sample for recheck on or around 2-7-11. The fecal sample needs to be fresh, within 2-3 hours of your pet having the bowel movement."

Well, now, how am I going to manage that? I used to scoop once a day with just Genever, but since we got Dorothy, I scoop at least 3 times a day. I know at least Dorothy poops mainly at night. Sometimes Genever too. So... even if I stayed up all night to get a fresh one, I still wouldn't be able to bring it to the vet til the morning, and who knows what time they get it to the lab, right? Even if I would happen to catch one in the daytime right after she goes, do I have to make 2 trips the the vet, bringing each sample as soon as I get it? Can I just save one til I have 2? Refrigerate it? No? And assuming I wouldn't be able to get one right after one cat goes, how in the world would I know whose is whose?
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post #2 of 11
1/31/11 at 1:55pm
My vet said no refrigerating for giardia, and within 24 hours is ok.
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post #3 of 11
1/31/11 at 2:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carolina View Post
My vet said no refrigerating for giardia, and within 24 hours is ok.
And I'm not sure you need to worry about whose is whose - if either of them still have it, don't you need to treat both of them anyway?
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post #4 of 11
1/31/11 at 3:19pm
Thread Starter 
OK, I figured it should be ok if it was older than 2-3 hours, but I wanted to ask opinions here.. thanks for the reply! And Laurie- you're right, I forgot, BF had mentioned that too, that if one has it, we'll have to treat both cats again anyway.

Thanks!
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post #5 of 11
1/31/11 at 3:28pm
No more runs?

That's really the biggest tell-tale that their systems have it under control.
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post #6 of 11
1/31/11 at 4:05pm
Thread Starter 
I don't think so. Dorothy's poos were actually not too runny, just soft, not very cow pat-y, if that makes sense. And very stinky. 2 nights ago there was definitely a stinky poo in the middle of the night, so... I don't know. Could it still be getting out of her system? Maybe? Hopefully? Sigh. If it's still stinky by the time next week rolls around, I may just call the vet and see what they think. I'd rather have to treat them again and then bring in the samples, rather than pay for yet another round of fecal checks. They're not cheap!
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post #7 of 11
1/31/11 at 5:52pm
Definitely not cheap, those fecals! And Giardia is a shot in the dark kind of thing anyway, from what I have learned. My vet said that 2 weeks with solid poos is going to be your absolute best way to knowing if the giardia is gone. I would monitor the litter box as you have been and if poos are not solid for the next whole week, then I would take the soft poos in for a re-check.

By the way..and as an aside...I HATE GIARDIA. Have I mentioned that lately? If not, let me take the opportunity to say that NOW!
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post #8 of 11
1/31/11 at 6:31pm
Thread Starter 
Aww, I know. You've really been through the ringer with the G-word! (Not to be confused with the ever-awesome G-cat! )

I am trying to remember how it went with Genever when she had giardia when we got her 2 years ago.. We gave her the metro pills for 10 days, not the 3-day Panacur like this time. I can't remember when her poo started to be normal- tootsie roll and not stinky, whether it was during the treatment or right after the treatment, or a week later or what. So I am just really really hoping this panacur worked. My situation is not nearly as bad as yours ever was. But I still would like no more giardia in the house!
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post #9 of 11
2/2/11 at 10:50am
Thread Starter 
Sorry to bring this up again... but I have to ask.

Today is Wednesday, and Dorothy had her last Panacur dose on Friday, 5 days ago. She's still got stinky poos, and they're soft, but formed. Not a runny cowpat. I know this because I was scooping the boxes, and she went in the one I just scooped, while I was scooping the other. Is this right?

Luckily, Genever is still having nice normal hard poos. So far. (knock on wood)

Should I call the vet and see what they think? Like I said, I really don't want to pay for the fecal re-check, find out it's positive still, then pay for more meds and then pay for ANOTHER fecal recheck. I'd rather just get more meds now if we need them, and just pay for one recheck afterwards.

Any thoughts?
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post #10 of 11
2/2/11 at 10:55am
I'd call the vet. Perhaps she needs another round. Also, it could be the food and it may be too rich for her system. Did you change her food when she came to live with you?
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post #11 of 11
2/2/11 at 12:43pm
Thread Starter 
I've just been feeding her what I feed Genever, which is NB Duck & Pea dry, and a variety of NB and Wellness cans. The SPCA said she'd been eating various food, whatever was donated. I'm sure lower quality. Maybe you're right though... I hadn't thought about our food being too rich.

I think I definitely want to give the vet a call before bringing in a suspected giardia-poop. Sigh.
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