Treating Giardia in Dogs
/27 Comments/in French Bulldog Stuff /by frogdogzYears ago, I bought an adorable little pied bitch. She arrived safe and sound, but she brought some extra friends with her – Giardia protozoans.
- Being sure to examine a direct smear of the fecal sample (in hope of finding swimming trophs).
- Floating the sample in zinc sulfate, a solution that has been found superior in getting Giardia cysts to float.
- Staining the sample with some sort of iodine under the microscope to make the Giardia show up easier.
Like most breeders, I routinely worm my puppies, using the standard protocol of worming them every 2 weeks, starting at 3 weeks old. I now use a broad spectrum wormer which treats Giardia in addition to intestinal worms.
The brand we us is called Safeguard, and you can get it from almost any farm supply place in the USA. I get it from my veterinarian, since she makes it up into a suspension for me.
Safe-Guard Canine Dewormer will treat Roundworms, Hookworms, Whipworms, and Tapeworms.
But the active ingredient, Fenbendazole, is approved in Europe for treatment of Giardia.
From the this site:
Fenbendazole (50 mg/kg SID for 3 to 5 days) is effective in eliminating Giardia infection in dogs. Fenbendazole is approved for Giardia treatment in dogs in Europe, and available experimental evidence suggests that it is more effective than metronidazole in treating Giardia in dogs.
From the sounds of it, fendendazole is not only available at lower cost, and over the counter, but it is considered safer and more effective in giardia treatment and precention:
Metronidazole is the most commonly used extra-label therapy; however, efficacies as low as 50% to 60% are reported. Safety concerns also limit the use of metronidazole in dogs and cats.
More on fenbendazole based anti parasitics here:
http://www.veterina rypartner. com/Content. plx?P=A&A=1596
More on fenbendazole and giardiasis on the Veterinary Information Network: http://www.vin. com/VINDBPub/ SearchPB/ Proceedings/ PR05000/PR00425. htm
Excerpt:
Fenbendazole (Panacur), well known for its effectiveness against a variety of intestinal parasites, also appears to be very effective against Giardia. In a controlled trial at Cornell 6/6 dogs were effectively treated. The same dose that is used to treat roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and the tapeworm Taenia pisiformis (22 mg/lb orally once daily for 3 consecutive days) is used to treat Giardia. If the infection is not cleared on this regimen, a longer course of therapy is used (5 to 7 days). Fenbendazole has a proven track record for being very safe and is thought to not have any teratogenic effects. Fenbendazole is therefore the drug of choice for treatment of Giardia in pregnant animals.
Ironically, it’s also the treatment of choice (in conjunction with amoxicillin) for those pesky clostridium perfrigens, the weird little pest that made my last litter so sick. If I’d just wormed them a week earlier with the exact drug I normally use anyways, I could have saved almost $600 in vet bills and lab test fees. Figures!!
Thurber and Foote – Great Writing, from Great Dog Fanciers
/in Daily Life /by frogdogzI have been remiss! In the recent Pet Connection blog on best beloved animal stories of all times, I forgot to mention one of my absolute favorite dog writers, John Taintor Foote, a fact I was reminded of when I picked up my dog eared copy of “Dumb Bell of Brookfield” yesterday afternoon.
Born in 1881, Taintor Foote was something of a renaissance man – an author, a screenwriter and a playwright, he had a particular interest in the so-called ‘sporting life’ – angling, hunting, horse racing and the great outdoors. His screenwriting credits were diverse, ranging from The Mark of Zorro to the Story of Seabiscuit.
I was introduced to Foote’s writing by my rather eccentric – and recently deceased uncle. He found me in his rather well stocked library one day, reading a copy of “The Water Babies” that hindsight tells me was likely a first or so edition. He walked up, removed the book from my hands, and placed it back on the shelf, and then replaced it with a volume he selected from another shelf. The book was “The Dumb-Bell of Brookfield” – not an original edition (that came out in 1917), but one published in 1922. Dumb-Bell is the story of an under sized pointer – over looked, and under valued by his owners (a couple with the rather hackneyed mannerisms of “Mervyn Lloyd and Claudette Colbert”, in the words of Foote’s son, Timothy Foote , in the introduction to the re release of his father’s stories).
Years later, an article by Vicki Hearne mentioned some of Taintor Foote’s writing on Pit Bulls, and I immediately searched out a copy of the anthology of Taintor Foote’s dog stories. “Dumb Bell of Brookfield, Pocono Shot and Other Great Dog Stories” has some phenomenal writing about sporting dogs – even a neophyte like me can tell that – but for me, Foote shines when he’s writing about “Bulldogs” (‘Bulldogs’ of course, is used in the old sense of the world, as a vernacular for what we now call Pit Bull Terriers. To quote Thurber “An American Bull, none of your English fellows”). Foote’s most famous story, after Dumb Bell, is contained in this collection. “Trub’s Diary” is written from the view point of a troublesome white Bulldog, and is one of the funniest pieces of anthropomorphic writing ever done. Foote might have written human characters that are, by today’s standards, heavy handed, but his dogs still ring true today.
Pick up the collection of Foote’s dog stories, or grab one for the sporting fan or Pit Bull lover on your list who’s hard to buy for. Oh, and fans of great horse writing will be instantly enamored of “Hoofbeats“, his collected horse stories. His tales of track life are as evocative today as they were at the beginning of last century, although the vernacular used can be difficult to get used to (and the racial slang hard to swallow).
I mentioned Thurber above, and no mention of great dog writing is complete without Thurber’s name prominent on the list. I suppose that, today, he’s better known for his downtrodden men and haughty women than he is for his dogs, but the “Thurber dog”, as it was known, was once an instantly recognizable icon. Shaggy, nondescript and not prone to the pitfalls of his people, the Thurber dog was a symbol of sanity in Thurber’s chaotic world.
Thurber’s dog stories recall some of the beloved dogs of his childhood, including the stories of Rex, the decidedly non English Bulldog. Rex, who found enjoyment in dragging home items like wardrobes, once engaged in a dog fight that lasted ‘most of the day’. Thurber reminisces about this event with nostalgia, even fondness. Thurber’s “Rex, Portrait of a Dog”, remains one of my personal favorite stories of all time, of all genres, and possibly the best story even written in homage of Pit Bulls.
Thurber seemed to relish dogs that others would describe as ‘difficult’. His story about Muggs (The Dog That Bit People), affectionately tells of his family’s irascible Airedale Terrier – a dog that did, quite literally, bite people with clock work regularity. Thurber’s encounters with Muggs, seen through the lens of nostalgia, become affectionate and humorous, but he makes it clear that Rex was a danger to almost everyone around him, and his mother’s eulogy for Rex, Cave Canem, was tellingly apt.
Also in this collection is Thurber’s bitterly humorous “Lo, the Gentle Bloodhound” – his response to the ‘dangerous dog’ hysteria his time was plagued with. Hard to believe today, but in Thurber’s time, Bloodhounds were regarded as savage man killers – a left over from their days as slave tracking dogs. It’s easy to laugh about anyone regarding the mope faced Bloodhound as a threat, but consider that, in Thurber’s day, the Pit Bull was America’s classic family pet – a sort of turn of the century Golden Retriever or Lab. Thurber regarded fear of Bloodhounds to be as ludicrous as fear of moths, or bunny rabbits, but I have no doubt he’d have regarded fear of his beloved Bulldogs as even more ridiculous.
“Thurber’s Dogs” seems to be sadly out of print. As an alternative, pick up the (possibly even better) “Dog Department“, which contains not only the stories from “Thurber’s Dogs”, but also previously unpublished work. Thurber and his wife bred and showed Scottish Terriers and Standard Poodles, and his writing on them, and on dog shows, will stand the test of time as some of the best ever published. If Thurber begins to beguile you, move on to “The Thurber Carnival“, which replicates some of the work from the “Dog Department“, but also includes many of his best short stories (including Walter Mitty) and a selection of his best cartoons (Thurber dogs included).
Wayne Pacelle's "Aunt" Says Nephew is a Fraud
/21 Comments/in Daily Life /by frogdogzThe following was posted in response to an article in the Baltimore Sun Newspaper. The article, which lauded the ‘fine work’ of HSUS president Wayne Pacelle, contained several reminisces by Pacelle of the lessons learned and great accomplishments of the HSUS during Hurrican Katrina, and the Michael Vick case.
Someone writing as Pacelle’s ‘Aunt Harriet*’ took umbrage with the article, and wrote this fine, scathing rebuttal (note: added links and images are mine):
Aug 17, 2008
Interesting piece of fiction. However, it is time for a reality check. I am Wayne’s Aunt. You can call me Harriet.
I am really surprised that Wayne Pacelle, my nephew, would re-visit Michael Vick or Hurricane Katrina.
Let’s examine his request for “special donations” for Michael Vick’s dogs. And, before we do that, first you must understand that at no time … that means NEVER for the animal rights’ faithful … were these dogs in the care, custody, and control of the HSUS. They wanted these dogs dead. That was recommended by the HSUS to be their fate. HSUS had “no business” telling anyone what to do with these dogs once they were no longer considered as evidentiary.
Pacelle hires criminals. Case in point is John “JP” Goodwin, the HSUS “dog fighting expert.” What exactly are his qualifications you might ask? What was Wayne hoping to find on the resumes of prospective candidates for this position… DOMESTIC TERRORIST perhaps? The FBI has Goodwin higher up the food chain than Al Qaida!
Goodwin is a high school dropout who set fires. When he couldn’t sit down in an intelligent fashion to get his point of view expressed in any other manner, he simply set another fire. Would you like to see his photograph in his ANIMAL LIBERATION FRONT t-shirt?
In a telephone conversation that I had with HSUS office last August, I asked about the credentials and qualifications for JP Goodwin. This was the quote I vividly recall from that conversation …“Are we to judge people by their past actions? We have many people working here from PETA & ALF!!”
Good God! Pass the collection plate and tell me how to apply. I actually have a few degrees that Wayne might consider useful. Oh, let me re-think that. He would have a serious problem with me. My brain is NOT pre-programmed to the Tower of (Pacelle) Babel. I am not fast tracking to buy his baloney. He can’t sell it to me. Since I was never a PETA-trained “operative”, he wouldn’t be able to flip my switch and hardwire me to his way of thinking.
Pacelle, my nephew, is an AR zealot at the controls of a cash-generating machine. No less. No more. His agenda is so clear that it is transparent. Irwin, the former Prez, was an “ordained minister.” Boy, that sure came in handy when he appealed from the animals rights’ pulpit to SEND MONEY, SEND MONEY, SEND MONEY.
Every time there is a fire, flood, or crisis in the United States, you can bet your last dollar that Wayne Pacelle and his “volunteers” will be there for a photo opportunity and, within hours, he will be pleading for more money.
Pacelle knows his ship is taking on water. His days of rhetoric spewing are numbered. There are too many eyes watching him … and … following the money!
Let’s ask it once again — Why is anyone still giving money to the HSUS?
Note: we have no idea if the author is actually Wayne’s aunt, although I do find it telling that he’s not yet spoken out to take issue with the claim of authorship.