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Is my puppy's hair loss related to giardia and chronic diarrhea?
Updated on September 23, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Shiba Inu | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 20 days old | 10 lbs
Hello! I have an 11 week of Shiba Inu male. He has had giardia since he came home at 7 weeks. He has been through 2 rounds of medication, and at this point is still having diarrhea and a bright red ring in his anus when he poops. Now he is shedding and I am worried about the patches that have formed. I've attached photos. Is this related to the giardia / normal?
1 Answer
Most Helpful Answer
Answered By Dr. Elizabeth
Veterinarian
Published on June 8, 2020
I hate to hear that poor Milo is having all these issues.
I don't think the hair loss is related to giardia unless his nutrition is being compromised. This also does not look like normal shedding.
I recommend to have Milo examined by the veterinarian. The most common reasons for his coat to look like this are fleas, skin mites or allergies. All of these conditions are treated differently but you must know what is the problem first.
Regarding the giardia. Most pets will respond to a combination of metronidazole and fenbendazole. Some pets may also need probiotics and a special, bland prescription diet for 2 weeks or long. This will all hopefully allow the inflammation in the intestines to fade away. There are some pets who may need special medication to treat resistant giardia. Giardia shoudl be rechecked using an antigen test 4-6 weeks after treatment. If Milo is negative, then there is something causing the diarrhea. He may need additional fecal tests to look for less common parasites or abnormal bacteria. This should all be done at a laboratory. Sometimes the pancreas may have issues with the enzymes which can cause chronic loose stool.
If he still tests positive for giardia, further treatment will be needed. Remember that environmental clean up is also needed. Here is some additional information:
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/giardia-in-dogs
Work with your veterinarian to figure out the cause of these issues. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
I don't think the hair loss is related to giardia unless his nutrition is being compromised. This also does not look like normal shedding.
I recommend to have Milo examined by the veterinarian. The most common reasons for his coat to look like this are fleas, skin mites or allergies. All of these conditions are treated differently but you must know what is the problem first.
Regarding the giardia. Most pets will respond to a combination of metronidazole and fenbendazole. Some pets may also need probiotics and a special, bland prescription diet for 2 weeks or long. This will all hopefully allow the inflammation in the intestines to fade away. There are some pets who may need special medication to treat resistant giardia. Giardia shoudl be rechecked using an antigen test 4-6 weeks after treatment. If Milo is negative, then there is something causing the diarrhea. He may need additional fecal tests to look for less common parasites or abnormal bacteria. This should all be done at a laboratory. Sometimes the pancreas may have issues with the enzymes which can cause chronic loose stool.
If he still tests positive for giardia, further treatment will be needed. Remember that environmental clean up is also needed. Here is some additional information:
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/giardia-in-dogs
Work with your veterinarian to figure out the cause of these issues. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful