Giardia?

So my cats were having diarrhea and vomiting, and I took them to the vet Yesterday and the vet said it could be Giardia. Since we didn't have a poop sample (they can't poop if they're throwing it all up) she gave us some medicine, a probiotic, and Hill's I/D. Can Giardia be dormant for months? These cats get filtered water and are inside exclusively. Neither my boyfriend nor I have Giardia. I have my doubts that it's Giardia. They're so hungry all the time but we've only bee giving them little bits of food because of the vomiting and so they haven't pooped but once, and it seemed solid. They also haven't vomited at all and they just meow and meow for food. Do any of you have experience with this and suggestions? I'm not a huge fan of some of the ingredients in the I/D, but if it works...

That's definitely interesting and I totally think you're right to be concerned.  I don't think giardia lies dormant.  I think if a kitty's got it, they've got it since it affects the digestive tract.  Have you recently changed their food?  Could they have possibly gotten into anything like plants or cleaners at your home?  What have you been feeding them?
 

I would at least try the food the vet gave you to see if it helps.  They may not like it.  If they turn their noses up at it, try their regular food in a smaller serving than normal.  If they keep it down for a few hours, feed them again until they're back to normal.

stephanietx said:

I would at least try the food the vet gave you to see if it helps.  They may not like it.  If they turn their noses up at it, try their regular food in a smaller serving than normal.  If they keep it down for a few hours, feed them again until they're back to normal.

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They love the food. They love ALL food. I had been feeding them Tiki Cat and then I had switched to Innova Evo, and then switched them back to Tiki Cat after the diarrhea, but with the vomiting directly after eating, and Daisy had a bit of blood on her anus, I knew a vet visit was in order. I just am a bit confused. I guess it's possible they just have sensitive tummies and might need to just be on the I/D. We don't have any plants except Bamboo, but they can't get to it. They have gotten into trash and stuff previously but not recently.

S. Boulardii is supposed to work against giardia. I've read to use it with metronidazole. Maybe worth looking into.

That... doesn't really help. I've already been given medication and a probiotic. My real issue is that I don't think it's giardia at all.
 

If you don't think it's Giardia, I would wait for a poop sample and get a second opinion.

vball91 said:

If you don't think it's Giardia, I would wait for a poop sample and get a second opinion.

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Yeah, I'm going to see if they poop today (hopefully!) They've been eating so little that there's no waste. Once they poop, I'll take it in for the test. Giardia just doesn't seem to fit the bill.

Gah! Boyfriend just told me that when he took them they DID do a test and it was negative, but the vet said that giardia often gives false negatives. How true is this? Should I get a second test done?

I'm wondering if this whole thing was caused by overfeeding. I used to give them a whole can of tikicat in one sitting. Is that too much?

I don't think overfeeding is the problem. I don't see how that would cause both vomiting and diarrhea. Regurgitation from eating too much too fat, sure, but diarrhea suggests that something is going on in the digestive tract. Plus a can split between two cats is not an over large amount of food. That's 3oz each assuming you mean the large can of Tiki.

Yeah that's pretty much what I thought. What else could cause it, if the test for giardia is clean?
 

NullEntropy said:

That... doesn't really help. I've already been given medication and a probiotic. My real issue is that I don't think it's giardia at all.

 

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Which medication and probiotic? And yes, sometimes giardia tests give false negatives.

My cat has been on ID for about 6 months. It seems to help with her digestive issues.  Also not a fan of the ingredients but it seems to work.  

Panacur and Fortiflora
 

Fortiflora is not much of a probiotic. Panacur (fenbendazole) is a different drug than Flagyl (metronidazole), and the latter has become more commonly prescribed due to panacur's somewhat ineffectiveness.

You may also be facing IBD/IBS in which a GOOD probiotic might help. Also, what are they eating?

As I said before, Hill's I/D.
 

I have a kitty who cannot tolerate a totally grain-free diet.  It causes diarrhea.  He has to be on special food we get from the vet.  Perhaps you can ask your vet for a sample of something for a sensitive tummy to see if that will help.

Hm maybe I should just keep them on the I/D.

NullEntropy said:

As I said before, Hill's I/D.

 

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You mentioned Tiki Cat and Innova Evo too. I was wondering if there might be an intolerance to an ingredient, but it sounds like you already have your answer(s). Good luck to you.