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Nym has giardia!

Gesundheit

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Here's the wiki account, so nobody has to go looking for it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardia I had no idea it was so communicable, granted I knew little to nothing about it before, and I had little reason to be concerned about it.

In many ways, I'm annoyed. I'm annoyed with myself for having not dealt with this sooner. All of Nym's problems could very likely be linked back to this. This may have been affecting her for over a year! All of the problems started after I watched a friend's "outdoor cat". I feel like a horrible person for this.

In some ways, I'm relieved. This explains a lot, and I'm glad that we have some answers.

Has anyone else had to deal with this?
 

andreanar

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My cats had giardia like symptoms, their test was negative but we treated them anyway. They went on metronidazole and forti-flora, special diet and the total cleaning everything for weeks.
Don't be too hard on yourself. As you said, at least you now know and can treat it.
 

Catzzzmeow

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Yes...we dealt with it. It is much more common than people think. Often the testing shows negative the first time so people deal with smell loose poop, fpoop foot, poop tail and think all along their babies have sensitive tummies. Don't feel horrible, you just didn't know. We too went for a long time as we were dealing with other issues first. We have 4 cats so medicated all four, cleaning surfaces with anti bac continuously and we scrubbed the litter boxes with bleach and after meds we replaced the boxes. Stay vigilant.


patti
 

Yoda mom

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I have not dealt with .. I wanted to send well wishes to Nym and thank you for the informative link..
{{hugs}}
 

Hairless Blessing

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I haven't never had to deal with this neither, I too am glad you found out.
So, now you can treat your baby. It's not your fault, don't beat yourself up.
 

Gesundheit

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I kept worrying that it was the food that was bothering her, and that I was poisoning her by selecting the wrong kind. It would go away, and then it seemed to come back when I changed something. The disconcerting part is that, if one cat has it, the other cats have it, too. Smidget is fine, but we live with another couple with cats of their own, and I think one of the others is showing symptoms in temperament. Fun times.
 

Gesundheit

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:( giardia sucks. Every cat should be treated close to Nym should be treated. Ugh
That's the first thing the vet told me. There's no point in treating just one cat for it since, more likely than not, all of the cats are infected.
 

admin

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Here's the wiki account, so nobody has to go looking for it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardia I had no idea it was so communicable, granted I knew little to nothing about it before, and I had little reason to be concerned about it.

In many ways, I'm annoyed. I'm annoyed with myself for having not dealt with this sooner. All of Nym's problems could very likely be linked back to this. This may have been affecting her for over a year! All of the problems started after I watched a friend's "outdoor cat". I feel like a horrible person for this.

In some ways, I'm relieved. This explains a lot, and I'm glad that we have some answers.

Has anyone else had to deal with this?
Here is a great thread we have here on the Lair about Giardia and how to deal with it - http://sphynxlair.com/community/threads/sphynx-cat-with-diarrhea-giardia.3610/
 

Gesundheit

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Gesundheit

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Smidget just hopped up on my lap, and she stinks. She hasn't been bloody or runny, but the treatment might put a stop to this!
 

MyJezebel

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Yes, I've been where you are. Jezebel was the carrier/infected, but we had to treat both cats. Besides giving the medication, you also have to be very diligent with cleaning the litter box and disinfecting it with Clorox so you can beat it and prevent reinfection once you clear it up. Hang in there.
 

Candys

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I have been through this. Come to find out it was an allergy to gluten in the cat food.
 

Gesundheit

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Thank you all for your kindness and support! My hands are scratched, scarred, and bruised from treating 5 cats, but we're moving along. One of them has started having trouble with his morning dose, so I've called the vet to see what we can do to make up for it, if we need to. I'll let you know what I find out.

Yesterday was cleaning day, so everything is fresh. I might have gone a little overboard, but where my babies are concerned, there's no such thing as over-kill.
 

Ollie

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Oliver had Giardia, ( and cryptosporidium) seemed to clear up after 2 rounds of antibiotics, each specific for the parasite. I cleaned but really focus on the litterbox area as that is where it is spread, oh and any water bowls the cats might share- clean them well daily. I hope all the kitties are getting treated, and all the litterboxes disinfected every few days. Sucks in the beginning. Giving meds stinks. Hope everyone has a speedy recovery.
 

Gesundheit

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I never followed up! Two weeks after the completion of their medication, the cats were tested (via Nym samples) and declared giardia-free! This didn't stop Nym peeing outside the litterbox (see this thread), so I finally gave prozac a try. She had one accident a couple days after we started the meds, but that's a few weeks ago, now, and she hasn't had an accident since. She isn't even interested in the carpet, anymore. I'm hopeful.
 
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