Giardia

3.5 month old kitten has had diarrhea since 5 days after I brought him home at 10 weeks of age. Took him to the vet & he tested positive for Giardia and was put on Panacur for 5 days but that didn't make any difference. Took him back & got tested again & he still had Giardia so was put on Panacur & Flagyl for 5 days & Strongid once every 10 days for 4 treatments. Diarrhea cleared up within 1 day but once Panacur & Flagyl were done diarrhea returned immediately. Still have 3 more treatments of Strongid to do. Got another 5 days worth of Panacur & Flagyl yesterday to see if that will get rid of it.

He is a Savannah F8 (with a Bengal father). Is it possible there is something else going on besides Giardia? I have no other cats & he is indoors only so am not sure how he got it in the first place. None of the other kittens/cats/dogs that he was living with have had any problems.

This has been so frustrating & I was so happy when his diarrhea stopped but basically had a complete breakdown yesterday when I noticed it had returned.

He has alot of energy & eats & drinks, but I did notice when his diarrhea stopped that he had ALOT more energy than usual! Once the diarrhea came back his energy dropped a bit.

So very sorry to hear the little one is having this problem - I guess your vet told you about a big concern of him getting dehydrated. (?)

What other measures, besides the meds, are you taking - like keeping his litter and litter pan clean?

Giardia is very difficult to treat, and from what I've read you have to be aggressive in treating it.

Here's one website link: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/giardia/

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Giardia is a microscopic parasite that causes the diarrheal illness known as giardiasis. Giardia (also known as Giardia intestinalis, Giardia lamblia, or Giardia duodenalis) is found on surfaces or in soil, food, or water that has been contaminated with feces (poop) from infected humans or animals.

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You probably need to protect yourself, too. (?)

Here's another link:
http://cats.about.com/od/gastrictrac.../p/giardia.htm

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How is Giardiasis Treated?:

Giardiasis is often treated with metronidazole (Flagyl), but there are several other oral medications available. According to Dr. Mike Richards, cats show more resistance than dogs to medication for giardiasis, so sometimes it takes several courses of treatment or a switch to another medication to effect a cure.

Scrupulous scooping, cleaning, and disinfecting of litter boxes will help prevent the spread of giardia to other cats. A 30:1 solution of chlorine bleach may be effective for litter boxes, and some catteries advocate steam cleaning of all surfaces where giardia cysts might be present.

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I hope that a member here, that has experience with this parasite, will see your thread and give you more help than I am able.

I'm just guessing here, but it looks like he got the parasite before you brought him home. If that's the case, maybe you should let those folks know they have problems. (?)

Another link - scroll down to see how to clean: http://www.peteducation.com/article....6+2241&aid=738
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Clean the Animals: Cysts can remain stuck to the haircoats of infected animals. So before moving the treated animals to the clean area, they should be shampooed and rinsed well. Especially concentrate on the perianal area.

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whew, this is a mean parasite.

Hang in there!