# Giardia; Metronidazole/Flagyl & Panacur & Appetite Loss



## poodledowd

Hi all -

I have looked through all of the other threads and could not find a similar story so thought I'd post it here - I am hoping someone can offer advice or at least some stress relief as my husband and I are dealing with new parent anxieties.

We have a 15-week-old standard poodle puppy who has contracted giardia. We went to the vet and he was prescribed metronidazole and panacur, which it seems is a standard prescription.

He has never had a problem with food - very food motivated for training, not a picky eater, etc. We used his Fromm puppy kibble as a treat for his first weeks, even, and only upgraded once our trainer repeatedly suggested it. 

He now has no appetite. We have read that this is a side effect of the metronidazole, which our vet allowed us to stop giving him when this appetite loss first expressed itself on Friday, but now it is Monday. We have spent up to 3 hours each day this past weekend just trying to get him to eat his panacur, which has to be stirred into food. :argh:

When does a dog typically regain his appetite/taste in food? Will he return to his normal, spunky self? Will he regain his energy? His focus? 

He has taken a major step back in training because he has no interest in food and just wants to nap. A week ago he was excitedly learning to ring a bell, now he's barely interested in doing basic recall work. 

He has also started losing teeth - could that be part of it?

[To address from the start, we have mixed panacur with: Abady whole ground rabbit; sliced deli turkey and cheddar; fresh grated pecorino cheese; Stella & Chewy rabbit, duck, or beef; Party Animal kickin chicken; Party Animal duck; peanut butter; Hundur's Crunch dried fish skin crushed up; and hot dogs all in an effort to coax him to eat.]

THANK YOU :Cry:


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## poodlecrazy#1

I would definitely stop mixing the medicine in his food and give it directly by mouth. My special needs girl always got her medicine in a treat, she figured it out and now she will never take a treat from my hand no matter how much she wants it. He might be relating the food with the medicine and not wanting to eat it because if that. I'd also talk with your vet and see if maybe a repeat fecal or something else can be done. Giardia could be making his tummy upset and painful. Does he still have diarrhea or did he ever? Where is he in his treatment, like last day, 2nd day? I would also try to get him back on the metronidazole if at all possible. It's been years since I've seen giardia cured by just using panacur. It's a hard one to get rid nowadays.


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## Poodlebeguiled

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. I would recommend you take your vet's advice. He's the doctor. Good luck. It should pass eventually. I've heard it can take some time.


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## Coco86

Our Sadie had Giardia when we adopted her from the shelter. We had a poop sample tested at our vet when we took her in for a checkup just to make sure she was healthy. She was put on panacur, and so were our other twompoodles as a precaution. She made a full recovery. Good luck I'm sure he will be okay.


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## MollyMuiMa

The Panacur (Fenbendazole) comes in a liquid form and is easier to give.... you use a syringe ( W/ no needle!)...... put in the cheek at the back of the mouth.........Ask your vet about it! 
My dogs in the past could always smell or taste medicine in their food so I found it a faster and more effective to give all medicines directly, not in their food!


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## bigpoodleperson

I too was going to suggest asking your vet for the liquid Panacur instead. His tummy is probably upset from the giardia and the medications. Ask your vet for some Hills A/d food. It is a prescription canned food that is Very flavorful and high in calories. Warmed up, it will get pretty much Any dog (or cat) to eat! Get a few cans of that to entice him to eat and get back on the road to recovery.


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## Verve

How did you know he had giardia? Did he have diarrhea and vomiting? I ask to try and separate giardia issues from the treatment issues. I agree with BPP that something bland yet tasty might agree with him more, e.g., homemade chicken and rice, or chicken and rice canned dog food, or the I/D that the vet will probably sell. 

If you have the panacur granules, you could almost certainly turn it into a liquid by mixing it with something like chicken broth, and then syringing it into him if he won't drink it.


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## Mfmst

You have gotten good advice on getting the medicine in him without tainting his food. Hope he feels better soon. I worried so much when Buck wouldn't eat, very briefly, as a puppy. I was assured by PF that no dog will starve when there is food available.


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## Viking Queen

I have had to take metronidazole and it tastes horrible. A very strong metalic taste which gets into your system and makes EVERYTHING you eat taste horrible. This even lasts for a few days after you stop taking it.

My previous pooodle pup, Iris had giardia when I got her and we had a terrible time getting rid of it with metronidazole. After 2 1/2 months I switched Vets and the new vet suggested panacur. In three days the giardia was gone. According to the vet the Panacur paste does not taste great either. You have a couple of choices for administering Panacur easier than the paste.

Go to Petsmart or any other petstore which carries Safeguard wormer granuals. They come in a little box with three packets of granuals, one for each day's dose. There are different color boxes and they are packaged by the pound weight of your dog. I helped a friend dose his little dog. We took a wad of liverwurst smashed the granuals into the liverwurst, mixed it up and the dog just chomped it down. Few dogs will turn down liverwurst.

The other alternative is go to a feed store or Tractor Supply Store and buy Safeguard Goat wormer 10% suspension.

Here is the info on that.....I pulled it off a breeder's web site.

My friend Tom had 3 dogs and I had my one dog, we bought a bottle and shared it to worm them. It was inexpensive this way. We just used a little syringe to squirt the liquid into their mouths. We did have yhe vet's approval to treat them this way.

Here is that info. From the breeder's site

1 ml per every 5 lbs each day for 3 days
APPLICATION PUPPIES: For best results, treat puppies at 6, 8 & 10 weeks of age. Dose for three (3) consecutive days – See Puppy Deworming Dosage Chart Below.

GIARDIA TREATMENT: 3 days
Safeguard® removes and controls a broad spectrum of stomach and intestinal worms. Safeguard Goat Dewormer Suspension 10% (100 mg/mL) has Fenbendazole as its active ingredient and can also be used to worm dogs. It is useful against the most common canine intestinal worms including whipworms, hookworms, roundworms and tapeworms.

THE SAFEGUARD FOR GOAT IS THE SAME MEDICINE USED FOR DOGS… just at a much lower price and a different dosage then the one made for dogs.

Fenbendazole and Giardia
Safeguard (Fenbendazole) is even effective at fighting giardia. I use it regularly when worming my own four dogs and I know many multiple dog households, rescues and shelters that use it as well because it is much more economical than Fenbendazole wormers marketed for dogs such as Panacur C.

Treatment of Giardia infections in dogs and cats:
Fenbendazole Safe-Guard or Panacur*** 22.5 to 25 mg/lb once daily 3 days

Fenbendazole (e.g., Panacur® or Drontal-Plus®) now appears to be the drug of choice. Used in dogs and cats at 50 mg/kg for 3 days, SOME BREEDERS SAY 5 DAYS BUT VET MEDICAL JOURNAL SAYS 3 DAYS. fenbendazole has been shown to be completely effective in eliminating experimental Giardia infections, and with only mild vomiting/diarrhea as potential side effects.

GREAT INFO ABOUT TEATING GIARDIA CLICK HERE
DOSAGE AND DIRECTIONS FOR DOGS:
Shake bottle well and then measuring with an oral medication syringe give 1 mL (equal to 1 cc or ¼ teaspoon) per each 5 lbs. of your dog’s weight mixed with a small amount of moist dog food (to make sure the dog consumes it all). Repeat this dose for three days in a row for worms.

For giardia, repeat dose for 5-10 days in a row.

Here is a picture of the goat wormer bottle. Remember, three days to dose a puppy...5-10 days to dose an adult dog.


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## BorderKelpie

We go through quite a bit of Safe-guard here (goats, sheep, dogs) I found a little trick. Sprinkle a little Tang powder in the liquid, it helps with the taste and keeps the to-be-treated critters from being so difficult to catch when they see me coming with the dosing syringe. Even puppies like the Tang flavoring.


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## lily cd re

Teething could be a part of the loss of appetite along with the flagyl. I have given flagyl to both of my poodles on various occasions. Javelin still ate and Lily seemed a bit anorexic afterwards.

I hope this all straightens itself out sooner than later.


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## snow0160

There are so many good advice on this thread. I hope your little buddy feels better soon!


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## poodledowd

*Thank you all!*

I am so glad I took the time to post, you all have had such great advice, thank you! Not to mention, knowing other people have gone through something that is causing you stress can help alleviate some of the acute anxious feelings.

We took the advice of dissolving the panacur in liquid and administering it via a child's medicine syringe and it was so much better.

Better still, this morning he woke up in good spirits and seemingly excited to eat - not much, but even seeing him have an interest in food has helped me feel better. 

Thank you all for your advice :angel:


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## Viking Queen

BorderKelpie said:


> We go through quite a bit of Safe-guard here (goats, sheep, dogs) I found a little trick. Sprinkle a little Tang powder in the liquid, it helps with the taste and keeps the to-be-treated critters from being so difficult to catch when they see me coming with the dosing syringe. Even puppies like the Tang flavoring.


Oooh, GREAT idea! Thanks


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## Boats

This is a very interesting post, having received a late call last night that our 12 week old tested positive for Giardia. Having know people how have contracted it (beaver fever as it's know here). I am very concerned. We will be picking up his meds shortly and the info supplied here will make the treatment significantly easier with less stress for both us and him.


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## Rose n Poos

Just before their first birthday my boys somehow picked up giardia. They were already slightly off their food and weren't doing great at the other end either. 

I researched and almost didn't go with the vet's recommendation for the flagyl. She presented her case and I saw it was sound so flagyl it was for a 10 day course. 

Beyond whatever upset or pickiness they were going thru, coincidentally or due to, they didn't go anymore off their feed at all.


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## Mufar42

Seems this thread has come alive..lol....flagyl is a great medication and really helps with the diarrhea pretty quick. Our new puppy had coccidia, many of the same symptoms as giardia. We always give our pets medicine by mouth, liquid or pill, just pop it in, rub their next and its down the hatch. This lil shih tzu went completely off food. For a bit grown chicken n rice boiled then he even turned his nose up to that, so scramble eggs it was. that worked. And gradually added in the chicken n rice little by little until he was eating again. Once he started feeling better his appetite slowly came back and we started adding his kibble back in till he was back on it.


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