Thank you very much for the information Belinda! I've archived it,
hopefully I'll never need it.
N
Belinda wrote:
OK apparently the drotal wasn't for Kisa but MeMe for giardia, this is
what I found on treatment for giardia, Joey has had this and did not
get drontal for that, he got pancuer. This is written by a vet, Dr Mike:
http://www.vetinfo4cats.com/cgiardia.html
The recommendations for eliminating giardia from a multiple cat
household are somewhat forbidding. It is considered to be best to
treat all the cats with fenbendazole (Panacur Rx) at 50mg/kg once a
day for 3 days. Then move the cats to an area that has been cleaned
thoroughly and disinfected with quaternary ammonium disinfectant or
steam cleaned. Then steam clean or disinfect the part of the house
the cats were previously living in. Bathe all the cats, clipping long
haired cats if necessary to ensure removal of all fecal material from
their hair. It is supposed to be safe to disinfect cats with the
quaternary ammonium disinfectant (Barr et. al., May 1994 Compenium on
Continuing Education) but I have to admit that I wouldn't want to
recommend that to most of my clients. Put the cats back into the
original area several days after it is cleaned and allowed to dry
thoroughly. Administer fenbendazole again. Repeat the process until
the infection is permanently cleared from the household. If cats can
become re-exposed from a contaminated water source it may be
impossible to completely control giardia infection. You might want to
consider the vaccination for giardia in that circumstance (cuts down
on shedding, decreases diarrhea, doesn't prevent infection in most
cats) and/or routine use of fenbendazole on a schedule that seems
reasonable to you and your vet. Any new cats should be treated with
fenbendazole prior to their introduction into the household.
The briefer answer to your question is that if you clean the bowls
well then really air dry them thoroughly, they should not be a
contamination source. If you want to be extra careful, pour boiling
water in them, wash them in the dishwasher and/or use disinfectants
on them. Unless there is something really strange going on in your
water system, there should be no way that washing the bowls
contaminants the rest of the household water supply --- although it
theoretically might expose you to infection directly and the sink
could be contaminated and serve as a method of spreading the infection.
I hope this is helpful.
Mike Richards, DVM
4/6/2002
Here is a site that say's Drontal has been shown to be effective
against giardia as well as other drugs that work, but if it is causing
nausea and vomiting maybe something else would be better:
http://www.manhattancats.com/Articles/Giardia.html
*Overview*
Giardia is a protozoan parasite found all over the world. It can
affect humans, most types of domesticated mammals, and birds. The
parasite lives in the intestinal tract and causes damage to the
intestines. Giardia can affect either sex, and any breed, although
it is most commonly seen in young animals and animals confined
together in groups, such as in kennels, shelters, and pet stores.
Although most cases of human Giardia point to other sources of
infection (person-to-person contact, or by contaminated water),
animals do harbor strains of Giardia that are infective to humans,
and animal to human transmission is theoretically possible.
Diarrhea is the most common sign of infection. Some animals may
vomit in addition to the diarrhea. Weight loss may occur secondary
to the diarrhea. In many instances, a cat may be infected with
Giardia, but show no clinical signs at all.
There are several ways to diagnose Giardia infection. The most
common methods involve analysis of a fecal sample. Direct analysis
of a fecal sample may lead to a quick diagnosis. A fecal sample can
also be sent to a diagnostic laboratory for more sophisticated
immunology-based diagnostic tests.* *
*Treatment *
Several drugs have been used to treat Giardia infections.
Antiparasitic drugs are the mainstay of therapy, however, additional
measures, such as adding extra fiber to the diet, can help hasten
recovery.* *
Metrodinazole (Flagyl) has been used extensively to treat Giardia in
dogs and cats, as well as in people. This drug has reasonable
efficacy, and has an added advantage of being effective against other
protozoans and some bacteria that might also be contributing to the
diarrhea. Side effects involving the nervous system have been
reported in some animals, although this is uncommon. Fenbendazole
(Panacur) is a dewormer that kills common worms such as hookworms,
roundworms, and whipworms. When given at the normal deworming dose,
fenbendazole is also very effective in treating Giardia. This drug
is very safe and fairly inexpensive. Praziquantel/pyrantel/febantel
(Drontal Plus) is a combination dewormer that treats hookworms,
roundworms, whipworms and tapeworms. Recent studies show that it is
effective against Giardia as well.
