Why do I need to bathe my dog before & after fenbendazole for giardia?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The risk of contracting Giardia from your dog is pretty slim, but elderly, very young, or immunocompromised individuals are at a higher risk. If Kiddo is fully vaccinated, fully treated with an anti-parasitic agent, and house trained, it should not be a concern for Kiddo to reinfect herself. You do not need to steam/bleach/etc your home continuously after treatment. I am happy to answer any other questions you may have and wish you luck with your puppy!

Hi there! Usually dogs that are infected with giardia can be tested after treatment to make sure they aren't still shedding the organism. You can always request the client retest after the completion of treatment, which is usually done anyway to make sure the organism is gone. Giardia can be hard to get rid of, so a lot of vets will do this. There is a client handout about giardia that I really like that I will paste below. It also gives you instructions as to how to eradicate the organism in the environment. A way to play it safe would be for you to have this dog be your last appointment of the day and then disinfect if that works with your schedule. Otherwise, I think a negative retest would be sufficient when the dog is finished with the treatment plan from its vet. Here is the client handout with some great information for you! https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952529

I am sorry to hear about your issue! I would also recommend bathing your cats, as the spores can cling to the fur and cause reinfection, especially with cats grooming themselves. Also washing any of their bedding. You can read more about Giardia and treatment at https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&species=All&id=4952529

Hello, it can be challenging to rid giardiasis from a household especially when multiple dogs are affected. The best recommendation would be to treat all 3 dogs, at the same time, until you have 2 negative fecal samples. You should retest the fecals 10 days after initiating treatment for giardiasis and 10 days in-between testings. However, the most important part of this is to reduce environmental contamination, because as though you may successfully rid your dogs of giardia, they can become re-infected at any point. Treating the environment means you have to pick up their stools immediately after they defecate and you must wash the areas where they defecate with water and bleach. Most infections occur via a fecal to oral transmission. So at some point your puppy may have been exposed to giardia, then came to your house and started shedding the giardia onto your environment exposing your other dogs as well. Please wear gloves and wash your hands after cleaning as giardia can also infect humans. Best of luck and hope this helps.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Luna. I recommend having her stool tested again to ensure the infection is resolved before taking her to public places. Be sure to clean your yard thoroughly to avoid reinfection. I hope this information helps!

Unfortunately as long as Athena is shedding Giardia she could become reinfected through contact with her stool. You should try to clean up as best you can every time she defecates and bathe or wipe her hind end well. If you can’t clean up her stool to restrict access she may need to wear a basket muzzle when she goes outdoors:

This is a great question! Yes, you should clean up the feces from the yard and dispose of it properly to help reduce spread of parasites. Feces left in the yard can lead to spread of microscopic parasites or parasite eggs that can infect other animals and sometimes people. Make sure you practice proper hygiene and wash your hands after handling feces to help keep yourself and your dogs safe.