Dear Donna Capps Takenaka: I want to express my regret your dog has contracted Giardia. But I must explain that as a volunteer the people who do this job are there to raise funds for the continuation of the park. The buckets were placed in the park some time ago, and it is the park user’s responsibility to make sure the buckets are clean and filled. It is also the park user’s responsibility to pick up the fecal matter that their dog leaves; bags are available for that purpose. Unfortunately, there are dog owners that do not pick up after their dogs and if we see this, it is up to us to point it out to the owner. It is the dog owner’s responsibility to help keep the park clean. You accuse the park of causing the sickness in your dog but I believe your dog could have contacted this problem in other ways and other places (see the description and causes of Giardia below). I understand that you are upset and angry that your dog is sick but I find that your accusation that the volunteer’s and the park are to blame irresponsible. He may well have come into contact at the park but, I do not believe you know for sure where your dog was infected. My little dog became sick with the kennel cough and I feel it could have been at the park but there again it very well could have been from another source. I posted it on this page to inform people of the possibility and not to make a judgment on the park. I was not trying to scare people from coming to the park but just to inform them so that they are alerted to a possible problem. I am sorry that you feel the need to never use or support this dog park in the future. I hope that you will realize that issues arise that are not totally controllable and will reconsider you position. The following is what I found out about Giardia: Giardiasis is an extremely common infection caused by the intestinal protozoa giardia that affects the digestive system of humans and many animals including dogs and cats worldwide. Dogs become infected by ingesting the giardia cysts. How can dogs come in contact with the cysts? One way is from the environment. For example, if a dog drinks contaminated water with infected animal feces in which the cyst form of giardia resides, the dog will become infected. Sources of contaminated water include ponds, streams, puddles, etc. Giardia cysts may also exist in soil and grass where an infected animal has gone to the bathroom. Giardia cysts are extremely hardy - they can survive for weeks in the environment provided that it is damp and not too hot. A dog can also swallow or ingest giardia cysts by coming into contact with another dog that is infected with giardia. Once a giardia cyst is ingested by a dog, it makes its way to the dogs small intestine, where it opens up and releases the active form of the parasite which attaches itself to the intestinal wall and begins to reproduce by cell division. Then it will encyst itself once again and is passed outside via the dogs feces. People can be infected by Giardia as well. Animals tend to be more resistant to it than humans are. However, if an animal does not have a strong immune system, it cannot fight off the infection and will fall victim to the parasites as well. As in all cases of infections, the severity of the illness depends on the overall health of the host. In North America, infection of Giardia in dogs has been reported at about 8%, with much higher levels in puppies (36% to 50%). Animals in shelters and kennels run a much higher risk of Giardiasis - up to 100%. Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Giardia in Dogs. Symptoms & Diagnosis Treatment & Remedies Symptoms of Infection Dogs with Giardia infestations sometimes show no symptoms at all. If they do, symptoms usually show up after 7-10 days of ingestion. Dogs who are more likely to show signs and symptoms are puppies, old dogs, those who have other intestinal parasites such as worms, and those who have compromised immune systems. Symptoms of giardia are varied but, generally speaking, the symptoms are most commonly associated with digestive disorders, such as: acute or chronic diarrhea; nausea and vomiting; dehydration; weight loss; abnormal stools (pale, greasy-looking, covered in mucus, bloody, bad odor). Dogs with giardia may have acute diarrhea for several days, which in serious cases, can cause dehydration. On the other hand, the diarrhea may wax and wane and become a chronic issue, making it all the more difficult to deal with and diagnose. - See more at: natural-dog-health-remedies/giardia-in-dogs
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 18:06:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015