For Spaniels with Giardia, bland but nutritious food is what you need to switch to. This easy-to-digest and highly recommended feed for Spaniel puppy with Giardia allows their weak intestines to heal appropriately, thereby reducing the risks of running into watery faeces lying on your floor or carpet every couple of hours.
Giardia in a Spaniel puppy is a nasty intestinal illness that weakens the pups and leaves them with a compromised digestive system. Typically caused by a parasite of the same name, the illness not only makes your adorable pooch a ‘pooping machine’ but also has severe consequences on other organ systems. The disease, also known as Giardiasis, can easily escalate to severe issues, and hence if your pup has tummy issues for even more than two days, make sure to get him thoroughly checked by a professional vet. You will also be required to have them on a recommended feed for Spaniel puppy with Giardia until the case improves.
What is the best feed for a dog with Giardia?
For a Spaniel that has been diagnosed with Giardiasis, the best feed will be something bland with nil flavourings and additives, if possible. Although all dog feed comes with some preservatives to ensure their freshness for long, your pup will be needing extra care during this period. Always ask for professional advice before introducing anything to your already sick pup.
Boiled chicken with rice or mashed potato with tuna is tasty and doesn’t add to the pressure on their already weak intestinal walls. You can also administer a brew of rice, chicken broth, cottage cheese, and then add boiled chicken to make the bland diet a bit more delicious.
However, keeping your pooch’s favorite stack of treats away from them is also essential as this will deteriorate their condition and slow down the recovery. Treats are generally high in protein, and hence their breakdown will be a bit slower than the rest of the feed, risking another one of the runny episodes. So, the best feed for a dog with Giardia also means no treatos for the time being.
How often do you feed puppies with Giardia?
No matter if your Spaniel is going through its puppy adolescence or is a few weeks old, if they have Giardia, feeding them 3-4 times is highly necessary. And no, not fill their bowls upto the neck-type of feeding but small meals several times a day.
As the parasite wreaks complete havoc in their intestinal system, leading to weakened digestion, your pupper will need time to recover. This may vary anywhere between 15 days to 3 months, depending upon the severity of the illness. Thus, while your Spaniel might clean the plate, their body will almost instantly throw out the huge meal either through vomit or watery poop.
Even after complete revival, vets will still require pet owners to monitor and control their puppy’s diet strictly. This ensures that the parasite has been completely eradicated from their system with no traces of its recurrence.
How does Giardiasis occur in dogs?
Belonging to the protozoa class of parasites, the disease is often associated with contaminated soil, food and water, much similar to typhoid in our cases. Canned wet foods or dry food from unreliable brands are often the major contributors. The same also goes for any homemade dog food that has been left unattended for long.
However, when food is not the culprit, a healthy puppy also risks infection when they contact the faeces of infected animals or are kept in crowded surroundings. A healthy Spaniel will catch the parasite even through skin contact with an infected one. And hence, experts and vets often advise keeping appropriate kennel surroundings for breeders or homes with many woofers.
Immunosuppressive medicines are also a great threat to the suffering dog, as one of its side effects includes considerable depletion of our intestinal flora. This, in return, makes the canine’s body an easy target for the pesky disgusting small parasites who stay, feed, and keep on multiplying endlessly.
How does the parasite affect their intestines?
The parasite lays its eggs on the affected ground, which stay dormant until they are passed on to another unwary Spaniel. Upon reaching inside their bodies, the eggs hatch into small parasites sucking all nutritions from the pup’s body. So, as the intestinal walls get thinner, they can neither absorb nutrients from the food properly nor form a fine poop texture.
When kept ignored for long, their latching on to the intestinal walls leads to either mutilation or death of the cells, causing them to excrete everything they intake. This not only makes your floors dirty, but the pup in question becomes severely dehydrated and malnourished.
What are the symptoms of Giardia?
Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Mild or explosive diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Continual fever
- Weight loss
- Disinterest towards food
- Gastroenteritis issues
- Abdominal pain
- Smelly stools
- Abdominal bloating
- Dehydration
- Pale, soft stool with mucus
- Severe loss of energy
Giardia in Spaniel puppies is no joke for a reason. Although most pups show somewhat perturbing symptoms, others might stay asymptomatic unless the infection worsens even more. Such puppies may remain active, but that doesn’t mean their watery stool is nothing to worry about.
How is the treatment done?
The first stages of Giardia have no severe effect and hence might be treated on an outpatient basis. A vet will perform a thorough check-up, followed by medical tests to confirm the presence and severity of the issue. Afterwards, they will refer certain medicines or keep the pup on a bland diet until the stool consistency is back to normal.
But, for more severe profiles, like a dehydrated Spaniel, more professional measures are followed. It includes introducing oral medications that help tone down the gravity of the issue before further treatment procedures are applied. Next, based upon the vet’s choice and the pup’s need for emergency care, you might be required to leave your pup in the hospital for a few days. The same applies to vomiting Spaniels also.
Once they are stabilized, the most suitable feed for a dog with Giardia is introduced, including certain medications to keep the blasting episodes from recurring. They are also advised to be bathed daily using a vet recommended shampoo. This allows proper removal of any cysts or eggs that might have attached to your pup’s fur, acting as the constant breeding ground for the parasite.
Will my Spaniel need emergency care?
Your Spaniel pup will be in immediate need of emergency vet assistance if:
- They start puking blood along with undigested food
- Their stool starts smelling and has mucus
- The pup becomes highly dehydrated
- The pup is unable to walk, pant, and is having breathing issues
- The pup loses consciousness
- Is having severe epileptic episodes or is foaming at the mouth profusely
- Has blood in its stool
In the cases mentioned above, unfortunately, your pooch’s system has started to shut down slowly. Although the frequency of such symptoms is very rare, why take a risk with the lives of your lovely companions who love you from the bottom of their very hearts. Take your Spaniel immediately to a reliable veterinary professional or call emergency animal services before it’s too late.
What do I need to do to aid their recovery?
Watching your previously lively, happy woofer turn sad, depressed, and sick is heartbreaking, indeed. But, simply relying on your vet to pull out his magic wand and work magic is never sufficient. As your pet’s parent, you also need to do your best to eradicate the reappearance of such issues in their life. These include:
- Proper follow-up with the vet regarding treatment, feeding, and medication usage
- Disposition of faeces every time your sick puppy defecates, no matter if it’s inside the home or out in the yard; following with cleaning using vet recommended cleaners
- Thorough washing of hands before and after touching your puppy
- Eliminating any standing water at any corner of the house
- Cleaning of hard surfaces using bleach and water combination
- Steam-cleaning of carpets, dog beds, curtains, etc.
- Sticking to the recommended feed for Spaniel puppy with Giardia with no whatsoever
All puppies get sick at some point in their life. While some may be temporary, others might make one of the excruciatingly painful moments of both your and pupper’s life. However, with proper care and early diagnosis, your Spaniel will be able to have a much longer, healthier, and happy life.
Always remember, “The feeling of returning to a home with a happy, healthy dog is incomparable to any happiness in the world.” And so when it comes to making sure they are alright, there’s no postponing the work to tomorrow.
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