
Washtenaw Veterinary Hospital
February 2017
Focus on: Giardia
Giardia is a very common intestinal parasite that dogs, cats, and even humans can get from contaminated water. This is a tricky parasite because nearly half of giardia positive dogs do not show signs of infection and some animals will have waxing and waning signs. Giardia is passed through the environment in a cyst, which opens and causes disease once it's in the host's intestines. The cysts are hardy and can survive in the environment for quite a while.
Clinical signs of giardia can range from subclinical (no signs) to watery diarrhea. Other common symptoms are loose stool, vomiting, decreased appetite, and abdominal pain. Giardia does not usually cause bloody diarrhea but it is possible. Chronic giardia infections can also lead to weight loss.
Giardia is diagnosed using fecal samples. Treatment includes a course of deworming medication given at two separate intervals as well as any additional treatment for gastrointestinal upset. If you suspect your pet has giardia, please bring a fecal sample with you to your appointment for testing.
We also recommend having a fecal sample checked once a year since some parasites, including giardia, can be carried without causing illness. We are also offering a $5 discount off the cost of the fecal test if you bring the sample with you to your pet's next annual exam!
Feline Behavior Part 1 - Understanding their Natural Behavior
Cats are complicated creatures that can be difficult to understand. Their behavior is often confusing or frustrating to us, but taking time to learn about their natural tendencies can shed light on why your kitties act the way they do. Here are a few fun feline facts:
1. Cats are solitary survivors. They can happily coexist with other cats in their social group, however, they do not depend on social contact for survival as humans do. And just because two cats live in the same house does not mean they are in the same social group. The cats must choose their own social group and cannot be forced into one.
2. Avoidance is their preferred defense strategy. Confrontation could lead to injury and since cats do not naturally depend on others to survive, their instinct is to avoid conflict. So they are the ultimate control freaks about their environment and access to secluded areas are positive attributes.
3. Cats don't have the ability to "wait in line". They need immediate access to resources in their environment and will become stressed without them. The resources a cat needs are food, water, litter boxes, and safe resting areas.
If cats of different social groups are forced to share resources, if your cat's routine is changed, or if something is altered in your cat's environment, they will use pheromone signals to communicate. Cats leave pheromone signals from their cheeks, head, tail, between their toes, and in urine and feces and different signals mean different things. To avoid conflict, they will leave chemical signals behind so other cats can get the message without having to make physical contact. Humans usually don't understand the messages so things like urine marking and clawing the furniture make us angry instead of sympathetic.
Part 2 of the feline behavior series will focus on some of these common but undesirable behaviors and provide tips to make your house a more desirable and less stressful place for your cat.
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About Us
Email: info@wvhcares.com
Website: www.washtenawveterinaryhospital.com
Location: 2729 Packard Road, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
Phone: (734) 971-5800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Washtenaw-Veterinary-Hospital-1607321092883276/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Twitter: @Washtenaw_Vet