Giardia and now 3 years old, 12.4 lbs

It's been a while since our last update, but no news is usually good news.  We now have experience with Giardia that we want to share with those having similar symptoms. Giardia is an intestinal infection caused by the parasite Giardia.

https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_multi_giardiasis

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2016/02/10/excessive-licking-surfaces-dogs.aspx

The most common cause of Giardia is from the ingestion of infected fecal material.  A symptom of Giardia is diarrhea.  It took us 2 months, before confirming that Mochi was positive for Giardia.  Mochi had intermittent, cyclical diarrhea.  It's the first time she would wine in the middle of the night wanting to go out and then have explosive diarrhea.  Fortunately, it wasn't everyday, just intermittent, complicating the diagnosis.  At first, it was diarrhea, soft, mucinous, poop about 3 times a week.  We thought she ingested something bad at the park and this would resolve itself in a few days.  There was no blood in the stool, no loss of appetite, no weight loss and no dehydration.  After 3 weeks, it was time to see the vet.  Vet prescribed ProGut Plus probiotic and we collected 3 poop samples for her 1st fecal test. Test was negative for any parasites.  Now, we were thinking it was food intolerance
and started an elimination diet to figure out what protein was causing diarrhea.

After a month, we insisted on another fecal test and began collecting poop samples again.  This time, the test was positive for Giardia and immediately started on a 7 day course of Metronidazole 50mg.  Almost, immediately, her poop was solid.  We read that Giardia could return since the parasite is in the house or yard, but fortunately, Mochi hasn't had diarrhea for 4 months.

We observed that Mochi started to excessively lick the floors during this period of Giardia.  This was not normal for her, but we didn't think much of it.  But articles online have said that "excessive licking of surfaces" (ELS) can be due to a GI disorder.  But unfortunately, Mochi has not stopped this habit.

We have also tried slippery elm powder supplement for diarrhea, but there was no significant improvement.  No surprise since the cause was Giardia.

We also now regularly add a probiotic, and other supplements to Mochi's raw food. 

Thanks for reading, we hope this helps someone in the future.

Mochi is 2 years old. 13.2 lbs. On Raw diet.

March 9, 2018.  Hi everypawdy!  Mochi is 2+ years young and ~13.2 lbs.  1 lbs overweight! 

Mochi is another year older.  Time flies!  Mochi is doing well and there hasn't been much to post.  I mostly Instagram pics so follow me if you are interested.

Mochi has switched from Origen kibble to a raw food diet from Bold Raw https://boldraw.com.  We've been incrementally improving the food (and treats) that Mochi has been eating as we continue to become more knowledgeable about dogs. Visit Dr. Karen Becker's site to see the ranking of the food you feed your dog.  Balanced raw is at or near the top and dry dog food is near the middle to bottom.  We also like the single ingredient dried treats, ie. liver, hearts, lung, tendon, sardines, etc. 

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/11/08/best-to-worst-pet-food-types.aspx

While feeding raw, we also switched Mochi to two feedings a day from three.  She still feels that she should get a third meal :)  So far, Mochi should lose a pound to get her back to her ideal weight of 12 lbs.  We are adjusting her beef intake since the beef variety of Bold Raw has a much higher calorie count than Turkey.  I think this is the reason she's been gaining weight.

You may ask, what has been the difference now that Mochi has switched to eating raw?

1) She loves the raw food.  In the past, she didn't like to eat the kibble and we would often add a meal mixer or something to make the food more attractive.  With Origin, she was ok, as long as we weren't over-feeding.  Now with the raw food, she would devour it in 30 seconds.  No problems.  No need to add anything and no need to mix any water into the kibble.

2) poop is a bit less.  We find the poop is smaller so the volume is less.  Also, less soft stool so far.

3) That's about it, skin and hair are still silky soft. 

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Another flea and tick free year.  We didn't use any flea treatment this year and we didn't have any problems.  We just used a home-made Apple Cider Vinegar spray, not sure if it did anything. But we were ready to just bathe her if we had a problem rather than apply any chemicals.

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Annual vet check-up complete

Mochi visited the vet for her annual check-up.  We do an annual blood and urine test and she is generally fine.  Looks like her protein levels are higher than normal and that's probably because of the raw diet and/her dehydration at time of her test.  Fecal test was also negative for parasites.

I am peeved about Mochi's urine test.  They "needled" her for urine without first consulting me.  I could have collected urine as I did last year, but no, they had to use a needle and charge me.  Make sure you tell your vet, don't do anything without permission.