Hey guys. I’ve had cats all my life, lived on a ranch in my teens and I’ve never heard of Giardia. Until now. This is hell. My dog was diagnosed and treated and recovered within 24 hours from diarrhea and vomiting…after he painted the walls in my bedroom and my bed. I was out of town and my son took him to the vet. I got home 36 hours later and finished sanitizing and steam cleaning everything. A day later the vet called with the test results. That same day my cat started having diarrhea. This was a Friday after the vet was closed when they told me what it was…she told me to bring a fecal sample Monday. By 10 pm that night it was HORRIBLE spraying diarrhea. I couldn’t wait till Monday to off to urgent care. They give me prescription and off I go. That was 10 days ago. The cat has been quarantined in the bathroom because he is basically leaking poop. He doesn’t have gas anymore and appears to feel happier. The runs went from yellow and watery to brown and gelatinous - it no longer smells at all. He just finished meds. He did medronidazole and panacur. He is on probiotics and pro pectalin. He’s still eating and drinking. I’ve bathed him 4 times. He’s so good about it. Washed and sanitized everything he touches daily. Change and sanitize litter or floor/room when he poops. The rest of the house has been treated repeatedly because I’m freaking out. I even added bleach to the professional carpet cleaner I purchased to clean with. Gallons of bleach and peroxide spray and containers of Clorox wipes later…I don’t know when to stop?! What if his diarrhea doesn’t stop. How long do I need to bleach everything multiple times daily. I’m not sleeping properly because I wake up thinking of what to clean or what I may have missed/ forgotten. He cleans his little raw bottom when he’s leaking. Is he reinfecting himself? I don’t know what to do to stop panicking. I think he caught this from my daughters rescue (he was dewormed etc. no symptoms and brought home from college) I suspect my cat has had it for a little while before it got really bad. I’m afraid my house is a breeding ground for it. I don’t think there is a surface I have not sanitized but I’m still not sure I got it all. I even bought a black light to help me find spots I couldn’t see. Please give me advice. Reassure me. If your cat was this sick - when did it stop? Help!!!
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Giardia! Help!
- Thread starter sudsy
- Start Date
Hello, and welcome to you!
I think the black light, and the fact that he's feeling better are good things. Has the vet given any indication of what they think regarding a timeline for him?
There might be helpful information here if you haven't seen this already;
Giardia And Giardiasis In Cats [Steps to Handle This Pesky Parasite] - TheCatSite
I think the black light, and the fact that he's feeling better are good things. Has the vet given any indication of what they think regarding a timeline for him?
There might be helpful information here if you haven't seen this already;
Giardia And Giardiasis In Cats [Steps to Handle This Pesky Parasite] - TheCatSite
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
He has a follow up on Tuesday. My vet was very noncommittal about timeline and just wanted to run more tests that I have already done. So I’m going to a new vet on Tuesday. My vet didn’t even recommend the sanitizing or cleaning- that was all from online research and paranoia… thanks for the link I’ll check it out. Although I have a feeling given how much time I’ve already spend online this week researching -it may not help ease my concerns.
giardia is not that easy to deal with, as you have already discovered 
. And often it takes more than one round of medication. And it very well may be possible he is reinfecting himself by licking his bottom after he poops. If you can catch him right after he goes, wipe his back end down quickly before he licks himself. And even wiping off the bottom of his paws could be good if he'll allow it.
So far it sounds like you are doing a good job of cleaning. Once you have cleaned every place a cat could have gotten, and now that said cat is in seclusion, you should be ok to just clean that bathroom daily and be safe (in my opinion) Of course, YOU go in and out of the bathroom, so you need to take precautions not to spread it yourself by washing your hands thoroughly after being in there. And if you cuddle with him, etc. then I would go so far as to either wear something over clothing (like mechanics wear) or have a change of clothes waiting right outside the door. That's just me. I don't think I've ever read that, but I'm extra precautious on things like that. Same with shoes or socks.
Hoping the new Vet gives you better info that the last one!
. And often it takes more than one round of medication. And it very well may be possible he is reinfecting himself by licking his bottom after he poops. If you can catch him right after he goes, wipe his back end down quickly before he licks himself. And even wiping off the bottom of his paws could be good if he'll allow it. So far it sounds like you are doing a good job of cleaning. Once you have cleaned every place a cat could have gotten, and now that said cat is in seclusion, you should be ok to just clean that bathroom daily and be safe (in my opinion) Of course, YOU go in and out of the bathroom, so you need to take precautions not to spread it yourself by washing your hands thoroughly after being in there. And if you cuddle with him, etc. then I would go so far as to either wear something over clothing (like mechanics wear) or have a change of clothes waiting right outside the door. That's just me. I don't think I've ever read that, but I'm extra precautious on things like that. Same with shoes or socks.
Hoping the new Vet gives you better info that the last one!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
So, yes I have shoes I wear in and out of that room only and they go on a rubber mat that is bleached daily. I change my clothes instantly. The problem with wiping his bum is that it is literally leaking all day from the diarrhea- so it’s impossible to catch it all. It’s all day. I change his bedding and the litter completely daily. I bath him. Wash his feet. Disinfectant the room. But he’s leaving tiny amounts of poop all day long. At what point does the medicine make it so that he’s not shedding cysts? I can’t seem to find information that will answer that. The poor cat. This is brutal. I don’t think I’ll ever have another pet after this. Truly it is so upsetting.
