hi all, took alfie bac kto vets for his 2nd.b12 injection and to my sorrow he has lost
more weight and whilst i said i wouldn't go back to kibble i'm putting him back on it,
this time i'm going to try chappie complete. however today i got waggs chicken and
veg. can i justput him straight on the kibble or must i build up slowly andis waggs ok.
all i wantismy boy to get better andput some weight on.
thanks all

Sorry to hear Alfie has lost more weight :cry:

Apart from a blood test has your vet tested anything else i.e. stool samples?

Does he have no other symptoms apart from weight loss & deficiency in B12?

I found this article which I found interesting & havent heard of before?

Giardia are single celled protozoan organisms that live and thrive in the small intestine of dogs and cats. Infection caused by Giardia is known as ‘Giardiasis’. Although the parasite is prevalent in all parts of the world, many facts about the disease, including the life cycle of Giardia is unknown. Veterinarians have not agreed on how to treat the disease but they do agree that though the infection of Giardia is common, the disease is rare.

Giardia in Dogs

A dog becomes infected by eating the cyst form of Giardia. The cyst opens in the small intestine and releases an active form of the parasite known as the trophozoites, which have flagella (hair like structures) that can move back and forward allowing the parasite to move around. These trophozoites attach themselves to the wall of the small intestine and reproduce by dividing into two. As time passes, the Giardia continues to multiply and slowly develop a wall around itself forming a cyst. Giardia cysts are passed in the feces of the dogs that contaminate the environment, water and infect other dogs and humans.

Symptoms of Giardia

The trophozoites that continue to multiply at an alarming rate begin to interfere with the absorption of food, nutrients damaging the intestinal lining and interfering with the digestion. The feces become light colored, greasy, smelly and soft and in some cases the dog suffers from diarrhea that can be acute, chronic or intermittent. This occurs around the time when the cysts are shed. The animal will lose weight but the diet will remain constant. Additional symptoms include irritation of the large intestine which leads to straining and mucus in the feces. Increase in the eosinophil count and mild anemia is also seen.

Diagnosing Giardia

Giardiasis is a very difficult disease to diagnose because the protozoa are very small and are not passed in every stool. Tests have to be conducted on serial samples (one stool sample everyday for three consecutive days) to detect the organism.

To detect the active form of the organism, a small amount of stool is mixed with water on a microscope slide and examined under high magnification. As these parasites have flagella, they can be seen moving around the slide. These are commonly seen is loose stools. Cysts can be found in stools that are firm. Special solutions are used to separate the stool and the cyst.

A special diagnostic test using the ELISA technology became available in 2004. A small fecal sample is used and the results are obtained in 8 minutes. These tests are considered to be more adequate when compared to a fecal examination.

Treating Giardiasis

Several treatments are available for Giardiasis, but some of them have not been approved by FDA for use in dogs. Antiparasitic drugs like Fenbendazole and Metronidazole can help control giardia and kill intestinal worms. However, these drugs can cause physical defects in a growing embryo and should not be given to pregnant animals. Hence, ensure that you consult the animal doctor before administering any drugs to your dog.

Prevent Giardiasis

Once a dog passes the cyst in its stool, the cyst can survive for several weeks in wet and cold environments. Hence, lawns, parks, kennels and other areas where there is a possibility of finding dog feces can be a source of infection for the dog. Keeping your dog away from these places can be a very difficult task.

If you hear about cases of Giardiasis in your neighborhood, then you can take preventive measures and give them a course of anti parasitic medicines. Ensure that the kennel is clean and remove any organic matter that is present in and around the kennel. Further, cysts can stick to the fur and skin of the animals. Make sure the dog is bathed and cleaned thoroughly with a mild shampoo. Lastly, it is very important to remember that dogs can transfer the Giardia infection to humans. Ensure complete personal hygiene and wash yourself well after you clean the kennel. Use of gloves and boots is recommended.

I hope that this article has provided you with sufficient information to understand Giardia and its infection in dogs. If you suspect the disease in your pet, contact your veterinary doctor immediately.

Is there a reason your taking him off raw & back onto kibble? Is it to try to put on more weight?

If its to put on weight & he's ok on raw just add plenty of carbohydrates like pasta, rice, potatoes....especially potatoes will help with weight gain +veg

If you really want to move him back to kibble then I would introduce slowly over a couple of days

hi at the moment there is a lot going on with my health, have done all youv'e suggested,
so now i don't feel up to any stress, no i'm not taking anything away from my boy but
i'll see how this goes then take it from there and will still give him raw as a treat some
times. sorry if this is negative

Awwww Maggie , sorry to hear Alfie not well ... How old is Alfie ?

I put Lucas on raw , he didnt like it , so changed it back to kibble .. I feed him burns ... I think Chappie is a good wholesome food ....

Try keeping him on the same food .

hi pam, as far as we know he's approx. 18mths. alfie loves raw, but saying that alfie loves food. i'm
off to esk to see if they sell chappie if not i'll get it on line. the vet is quite happy with chappie and
isle of wight jayne said ages ago if i was going to give kibble make it chappie, mind you that was for
max. what the vet was looking at is £50. bag there is no way, however much i love the lickle shite
that i could afford that.
wish they could survive on love as i have oodles and oodles of that as has everyone else

Bless ya Maggie , I can see them dogs are spoilt , Ive bought Chappie at £12.99 a bag when it was on offer that was 15kg , a bargain !

thanks guys or should i say gals, i'm blubbering now darn morphine lol

hi all, just to let you know been back to vets and my boy is just over 24kg. he wouldn't keep
still little beggar but at least he's gaining again. one more injection, then that's it for a while.