just got back from the vet....*giardia*

my new suggie has giardia and is on medicine every 12 hrs for 7 days then she goes back in 1 week for a recheck.

I'm so sorry. I've never dealt with Giardia but I've read and have heard that it's pretty nasty to deal with.

Did you get your new glider from a petstore or large breeder? How long have you had her?

Here's to a speedy recovery for her!

Oh no...Tara. Glad you got her to the vet and she is getting treated. Big prayers coming your way for her to get better real soon. What were the symptoms?

Anna

I didn't get her from neither...I got her from a member on here where her pet gliders had her. Sophie was very stressed and angry on Saturday when I picked her up...that vet believes this is what triggered it and that's why she's biting me and will draw blood she doesn't feel good.

I'm sorry ..... Do you have other gliders?
You will want to make sure that you wash everything. Pouches, toys, cages, dishes etc., giardia is contagious.

Added: I just read your signature that you do have another glider. I would suggest that you take Cooper in to be checked out as well. They will need to be kept in separate cages until the problem has cleared. Before you put them back together they also should be checked again to make sure it has cleared.

Sophie's stool didn't look right...it was very watery. I took Cooper with us to the vet and his fecal was clear and I'm just suppose to watch him and if any changes I'm suppose to call the vet ASAP to have him treated. They are in separate cages and the vet believes that is why he's ok because he's not had contact with her fecal matter. I wash my hands after I've handled her before I handle him. Plus, I didn't know this but people can catch this...so me washing my hands is a good thing.
We caught it early since she's still eating good and playing.

People get it,too, so don't forget to wash your hands. I hope Sophie is feeling better soon!

I just got Sophie last Saturday so they are in separate cages...no intros yet.
Cooper went with me to the vet today also and he got checked...he's clear

Just because the little boy did not test postive for giardia does not necessarily mean that he does not have it. Giardia often does not show up in the first or even first few fecals.

Do the gliders play in the same area? are the cages nearby? or you wear the same thing (pouch/shirt/etc.) when playing or bonding with them?

I have dealt with giardia with my gliders and it can be a pain to get rid of. I had two cages of gliders that did not ever come in contact with each other - but did play in the same area. In one cage - only 2 of the four showed signs of giardia (one being a little joey who passed away). In the other cage - the other two also showed signs but never tested positive. All of my gliders were treated.

If you just got your little girl - I would suspect that she had the giardia already in her system and then the stress of a new home allowed the parasite to flourish. Giardia though can come from many sources. When mine got it - they had been living with me for a year, got water from bottled water, and all of their fruits were washed and frozen...but somehow something must have slipped passed me.

Be sure to keep everything sanitized. I bleached all toys, cages, bowls/water bottles, etc. in a hot water and bleach solution. I personally erred on the side of caution and cleaned everything every day and changed out pouches every day.

What meds did the vet prescribe?

Often flagy is prescibed. Be sure to watch for any neurological problems (dizziness, bobbing of the head, etc.) or jaundicing of the skin that could signal trouble. Also - be sure to push a lot of fluids with meds and it can be quite hard on their systems. I also offer yogurt daily. SOmetimes the gliders will not eat as much - so you will need to carefully monitor her food intake and weight to be sure she is eating.

My vet used a flagy and panacur combination to treat...and more than one treatment may be needed to ensure that the giardia is completely gotten rid of. I had to do 3 rounds of treatments with my gliders.

they should be brought in for a fecal to re-test after meds have stopped - and I personally took fecal samples in every couple of weeks for the next few months. Giardia is not shed in every stool - so it can be difficult to get a positive fecal even if it is present in their system.


I can check the board for old posts of when I went through giardia with my gliders and post links if needed.

If you have any questions - ask and I'll try to answer what I can.

What are the symptoms of Giardia in gliders?

I haven't started playtime with Sophie yet. They are in separate cages but in the same area...open floor plan house. So, they don't share anything...no toys or pouches.
The medicine is metronidazole. Sophie had a lot of them in her stool...wasn't hard to spot - the vet showed me thru the microscope.
This was my worst fear come true.

I caught it because her stool didn't look right and it started going to the diarrhea stage. Thank goodness she's eating, drinking and is still active.
The vet says gliders can vomit from it so it can get bad and that people can catch it also.

Symptoms can really range.

But what I have noticed is: loose stools, diahrea, golden colored stools, weight loss, loss of appetite, vomiting, lethargy, etc.

Giardia can be tricky because those symptoms can trigger a lot of different thoughts on what is ailing the glider - and to make matters worse, giardia does not show up in every fecal.

I know with my gliders, it took me about a month before I got a final diagnosis - and during that time my sickest glider took a bad turn for the worse and I am lucky to have her.

Wow! Makes me wanna go home and douse everything with bleach! So, Giardia is best avoided by hygiene? Washing fruits and veggies well and disinfecting bowls, toys, perches etc.? What causes Giardia? Is this a bacteria, virus, parasite? for your patience with all my questions!

Metronidazole is the same thing as flagyl.

If she was as over-run with giardia as it seems - I would personally talk to the vet about multiple treatments.

Good luck

Giardia can lay dormant in a glider for up to 6 months and can manifest its symptoms when your glider gets stressed. If it were me I would not put your sick glider in the same room with your other gliders until you know for sure that the parasite is gone and your glider is cured. Be sure to wash the sick gliders dishes first at night and then bleach your area where you clean and feed your gliders before washing and feeding the rest of your gliders, as for me I would even consider keeping rubber glives by the sick gliders cage and using them when dealing with that glider until all is well. lol but maybe Im just a little anal about sick gliders and passing things around.

I just contacted the person I got Sophie from and she's upset about her being sick. She was vet checked before I got her. She said if she had any idea she was sick she would have kept her until she was well.
It's no one's fault...the important thing is that she is getting treatment.

I know it is very unlikely but cats and dogs and definitely people can get giardia too. Cats and dogs get pretty sick but it's usually not horrible and from what I understand about when gliders get it's bad but when people get it lots of times they end up in the ER for dehydration. Make sure you wash your hands and clothes whatever you think may have come in contact in any way with your infected little one. Good luck, giardia is a gross little parasite.

Tara, just wanted to post and let you know how sorry I am you are having to deal with this! Now that I have seen the name of the problem in writing, I recognize it. I have no idea how something like that could begun at my house! I am taking fecals on everyone in on tuesday if not before. How is sophie? You just don't know how worried I am about you two. This is a horrible first experience at selling a joey! I just can't see how my sweet baby could have giardia

please keep me updated, you are so sweet to call. you are such a good mom, taking her in at the first sign of trouble. I wish the circumstances could be better, but I could not have asked for you to have handled it better. When I get the results in from my gang, I will be sure to let you know what I find. So we can both get some resolution here...

If I can do ANYTHING AT ALL to help, please let me know. I want to help you with this! I can mail you any supplies you need to keep her healthy.

Tell sophie I love her, and to get well soon for you and I both! It is killing me, thinking of her being sick. And I know you have to be worried out of your mind. Please post on here or email me tomorrow and let me know how she is. And again, thank you for taking such good care of her. You are a wonderful person, tara. talk to you soon...

Hey Liz ~
Just finished cleaning all of Sophie's stuff and her cage completely. I gave her 2nd dose of medicine and she didn't want to take it she kept pushing the syringe away...crazy girl! I finally got it down her. I've been spending some time with her tonight...and she's wanting to socialize with me now. I love her so much and my little Cooper too. She's in her cage playing right now...ringing the bells. I'm so worried but at least got it in the beginning stage so I'm hoping the medicine will work quickly.
Please let me know how your gang is doing when you get the results. I'll let you know about Sophie's recheck next Thursday after we get home. I'll be taking Cooper again too...just to make sure. I'm just so paranoid right now. I will keep you updated.

talk to you soon