My eight-month-old Shih Tzu pup Ike who I adopted from a rescue was diagnosed with giardia and tapeworm. Could my four-year-old Shih Tzu Duffy catch giardia from him? He is on Panacur, and metronidazole for 10 days, and 2 Drontal tabs for worms.

Kim
Poughkeepsie NY

Giardia is a tough nut to crack. It supposedly causes diarrhea (and sometimes vomiting) in dogs and people.

The microscopic intestinal parasite is the subject of much debate among veterinarians. Some experts doubt that Giardia causes disease in dogs. Others feel that it is a dangerous pathogen that is potentially transmissible to humans. Just about the only thing everyone can agree upon is that Giardia is hard to eliminate from the intestines of dogs.

I feel that Colorado State University professor of veterinary medicine Dr. Michael Lappin put it best at a lecture several years ago. Giardia probably is a pathogen in dogs. But it is a weak pathogen.

Many dogs infested with Giardia show no symptoms (this is the origin of the debate over whether Giardia causes disease in dogs). When other conditions (such as worms, dietary indiscretion, or inflammatory bowel disease) cause the health of the intestinal tract to deteriorate, the Giardia “have a party” (to quote Dr. Lappin) and make the problem worse.

I therefore never panic over a diagnosis of Giardia. Duffy theoretically could catch Giardia from Ike. So could you (although again, the human health threat from canine Giardia is hotly debated). Practice good hygiene to reduce the risk of transmission. This boils down to picking up all of Ike’s feces immediately, and thoroughly washing your hands afterwards.

A combination of Panacur (fenbendazole) and metronidazole is the currently preferred treatment for Giardia. I wouldn’t treat Duffy unless he gets sick.

Finally, a warning about Giardia tests. As I already mentioned, Giardia frequently is found in the intestines of healthy dogs. Follow up testing of Ike is likely to show ongoing infestation. If Ike is not sick, have a serious heart-to-heart talk with your vet about this matter before you engage in round after round of treatment.

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Dr Barchas,

Salma

You started your question by mentioning that you’d already searched my website. That’s a surefire way to get your question to the head of the line.

Tapeworms are common and disgusting intestinal parasites of cats and dogs. However, they are not terribly pathogenic. This means that although they are bad for the health of their hosts, tapeworms rarely cause overt disease.

The most common tapeworm in cats (and dogs) is spread by fleas. The tapeworms are not directly contagious. As long as no fleas infest the cats in the house, the tapeworms should not spread. The key to controlling the problem is to use a good flea preventative in all of the cats who aren’t pregnant . . . and possibly the one who is (more on this below).

Prescription tapeworm treatments are generally pretty safe. So are high quality flea preventatives. However, it is best to avoid medications during pregnancy. In an ideal world, no cat would ever need medicine while pregnant. In your case, one must weigh the risks against the benefits.

The safe use of tapeworm medicines and flea preventatives during pregnancy has not been established. However, neither praziquantel (the most commonly prescribed tapeworm medicine) nor any high quality flea preventative is a documented teratogen (a compound known to affect fetal development). If you use the medicines, the kittens will probably be fine. This is especially true during the last trimester of pregnancy (the last 21 days), which is not that far off.

Try to keep your house flea-free. Use a high quality flea preventative on all of the non pregnant cats in the house. If I were in your situation, I would also apply the same sort of medicine to the pregnant cat. However, you must accept the very remote risk that flea preventatives could cause harm to the kittens.

Likewise, I would treat the pregnant cat for tapeworms. This may (but almost certainly won’t) lead to problems in the kittens. Tapeworms are only mildly pathogenic. But they are pathogenic.

I believe that the benefits of flea and tapeworm treatment outweigh the risks in your situation. But it is not an open-and-shut case.

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I recently adopted an eight pound nutered Maltese. He
was covered in fleas and recently even though he
is now flealess, he has begun licking his rear.
Suspecting tape worms, I took him to the vet
Saturday and he was injected with 56.8mg/ml
Droncit. There were no problems with the
injection however it’s now been over 24 hours and
he continues to lick his but. The vet told me
sometimes the shot has to be repeated, how long
should I wait before I decide if he needs another
shot and when should I see a stop in the licking?

Marilynn
Winchester, CA

Pets don’t have fingers. Therefore, they use their tongues and toes to scratch. When a pet licks any area of its body excessively, I take it as a sign that the area itches or tingles.

Two issues commonly cause pets to lick their rear ends in seemingly excessive manners.

Fleas are by far the most common cause of rear end licking in cats and dogs. Flea bites may stimulate pets’ immune systems. In the same way that pollen causes some peoples’ eyes to itch, flea bites cause many pets’ rear ends to itch. For some pets, a single flea bite may cause severe irritation on the back near the tail.

Impacted or irritated anal glands also may cause licking near the tail. The glands, located (as the name implies) adjacent to the anus, produce a foul smelling fluid that usually is deposited on feces. Any irregularity with the anal glands can cause pets to scoot their hind ends along the ground or lick their rears.

Less commonly, allergies to pollen, food, or any number of environmental agents and chemicals also may cause irritation of the skin near the hind end. In my experience, it is not common for tapeworms to cause excessive rear end licking.

Based upon what you have written, it is most likely that fleas are causing your dog’s behavior. I recommend a high quality flea preventative. The itching may persist for several weeks after your dog is free of fleas, because your dog’s immune system may react to the flea bites for quite some time after the fleas are gone.

Conveniently, eliminating fleas also will reduce the risk of tapeworms in your dog. The most common type of tapeworm is spread by fleas.

Photo: Maggie May’s rear end looks fine.

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