whimmus
Active member
I've got a chin, Flubber, who I received as a rescue months ago severely underweight and with severe diarrhea. I took to vet and the vet suspected coccidia and we began a series of meds over a span of many weeks. During, a fecal test found evidence of the aforementioned bug, but not heavy and I was told this can occur naturally without symptoms.
I was also told that Giardia is hard to detect with our local circumstances, requiring a decent quantity of fresh poops. The prob is all samples are shipped to a lab out of city. Making things even more complicated, Flubber is the least-poopiest chin I have. He often has a full run out of cage and doesn't poop. So getting samples at the vet was difficult. As such, Giardia has not been ruled out, but my vet is skeptical.
Meanwhile, Flubber slowly gained weight while his poos went from solid to sloppy and back in a regular basis. We tried Baytril, Septra and Panacur. Later, we tried Flagyl at my request. The cycle of soft/solid poops never seemed to match up with rounds of meds, either.
During the last couple months, and starting prior to the Flagyl, his poos are more solid than smooshy. He'll go weeks with solid and then have a week of smooshy poos that stick on his shelves. They are smelly, but not nearly as much as when he was younger.
I've noticed if I give hay (timothy or alfalfa), he eats it with enthusiasm but it invariably makes his poos mushier.
Given the drugs we've tried and his continued weight gain and solid appetite, I'm wondering if this is a bug or perhaps an internal defect/deficiency? Can anyone offer any insight?
Is Giardia strictly full-force and with solid symptoms like mushy poos and lack of appetite? Or can it be a lingering thing with on-and-off mushy poos and an otherwise healthy appetite?
Thanks in advance.
I was also told that Giardia is hard to detect with our local circumstances, requiring a decent quantity of fresh poops. The prob is all samples are shipped to a lab out of city. Making things even more complicated, Flubber is the least-poopiest chin I have. He often has a full run out of cage and doesn't poop. So getting samples at the vet was difficult. As such, Giardia has not been ruled out, but my vet is skeptical.
Meanwhile, Flubber slowly gained weight while his poos went from solid to sloppy and back in a regular basis. We tried Baytril, Septra and Panacur. Later, we tried Flagyl at my request. The cycle of soft/solid poops never seemed to match up with rounds of meds, either.
During the last couple months, and starting prior to the Flagyl, his poos are more solid than smooshy. He'll go weeks with solid and then have a week of smooshy poos that stick on his shelves. They are smelly, but not nearly as much as when he was younger.
I've noticed if I give hay (timothy or alfalfa), he eats it with enthusiasm but it invariably makes his poos mushier.
Given the drugs we've tried and his continued weight gain and solid appetite, I'm wondering if this is a bug or perhaps an internal defect/deficiency? Can anyone offer any insight?
Is Giardia strictly full-force and with solid symptoms like mushy poos and lack of appetite? Or can it be a lingering thing with on-and-off mushy poos and an otherwise healthy appetite?
Thanks in advance.
