sigh Another trip to the vet

"Marina"
Miranda started vomiting on Saturday. On Sunday, she ate a little, but
then she vomited again, and it continued even after her tummy was empty.
When I got home from work on Monday, I saw she'd been sick here and there
during the day, though she hadn't eaten anything. So I called the vet and
got an appointment for today (Tuesday).

Long story short, she tested positive for giardia. She spent a few hours
at the vet's being rehydrated. Now she's home again. The good news is, she
went straight for her food when she got out of the carrier, and she looks
much perkier than she has the past few days. She ate a few pieces of
boiled chicken.

The bad news is, I have to give both cats worming pills every day for the
next ten days. Mir also got something for nausea and a probiotic and
Pepcid for her tummy. After five days, I have to clean everything the cats
have touched with hot water and/or clorite.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

Oh dear, I know what it like to have a hurky kitty,
Mosey harks up kibble if he eats it.
Purrs lovingly sent from our home to yours.
Love
Kyla
and Clowder

Jack Campin - bogus address wrote:

"Kelly Greene" wrote:

"Marina" wrote:

Long story short, she tested positive for giardia. [...]

Oh no! Is she an indoor cat? This is mostly an infection
of indoor/outdoor cats. Also, be careful since YOU or others in
the home can contract it.

It's water-borne - it's endemic in the St Petersburg water supply,
which is not that far from where Marina is; is it common in the
water in southern Finland?

Wouldn't both cities have water-treatment facilities that would deal
with this?

--
The heck with top and bottom -- I want relationships with strangeness
and charm.

On 16 Dec 2009 01:17:08 GMT, wrote:

Wouldn't both cities have water-treatment facilities that would deal
with this?

Surface water isn't treated at all. That's where a cat that's been
outdoors can pick it up. In my area Giardia is common in wildlife and
livestock.

Bud

Jack Campin - bogus address wrote:

It's water-borne - it's endemic in the St Petersburg water supply,
which is not that far from where Marina is; is it common in the
water in southern Finland?

Not as far as I know. The vet said I might have tracked it in on my
shoes. Our water supply is not connected with the St Petersburg water
supply in any way, so I don't see how it would travel that way.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

wrote:
Wouldn't both cities have water-treatment facilities that would deal
with this?


St Petersburg didn't use to have one, but they're supposed to have one
now. It's just that most households are not connected to it.

Helsinki does have water-treatment facilities. They were actually
renovated a couple of years ago. We get our water from Lake Päijänne inland.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

Gandalf wrote:

Giardia is a water borne parasite; my guess would be that she picked it
up on the island, when she went missing last summer.

It's strange that it took this long for it to show up.

Apparently, a healthy immune system can suppress the parasite, but Mir
has been feeling poorly lately, so she developed the infection.

You may be right about the island (Deb suggested the same on Facebook).

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

wrote:
Marina wrote:

Miranda started vomiting on Saturday. On Sunday, she ate a little, but
then she vomited again, and it continued even after her tummy was empty.
When I got home from work on Monday, I saw she'd been sick here and
there during the day, though she hadn't eaten anything. So I called the
vet and got an appointment for today (Tuesday).

Long story short, she tested positive for giardia. She spent a few hours
at the vet's being rehydrated. Now she's home again. The good news is,
she went straight for her food when she got out of the carrier, and she
looks much perkier than she has the past few days. She ate a few pieces
of boiled chicken.

The bad news is, I have to give both cats worming pills every day for
the next ten days. Mir also got something for nausea and a probiotic and
Pepcid for her tummy. After five days, I have to clean everything the
cats have touched with hot water and/or clorite.

Oh, poor Mir! And poor *you*! That does not sound at all fun to deal
with, especially the part about having to "clean everything the cats
have touched" - how can you know that? You might as well spray your
entire apartment with hot water. (I assume clorite is bleach?)

Don't they usually give flagyl for giardia? That's a very, very
potent antibiotic. I've known some people who had to take that stuff
for a giardia infection. It wipes your whole gut clean of any fauna.
Probiotics are a good thing!

How on earth did she get it??

According to the fact sheet the vet gave me, up to 50% of all cats carry
the cysts that develop into the parasite. Most of them just never
develop the infection, because a healthy immune system will suppress it.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

"Jack Campin - bogus address" wrote in message
...
"Kelly Greene" wrote:
"Marina" wrote:
Miranda started vomiting on Saturday. [...]
Long story short, she tested positive for giardia. [...]
Oh no! Is she an indoor cat? This is mostly an infection
of indoor/outdoor cats. Also, be careful since YOU or others in
the home can contract it.

It's water-borne - it's endemic in the St Petersburg water supply,
which is not that far from where Marina is; is it common in the
water in southern Finland?

I don't know. I live in the midsouth in the USA. We have it here in streams,
lakes and ponds.

On 15 Dec, 13:00, Marina wrote:
Miranda started vomiting on Saturday. On Sunday, she ate a little, but
then she vomited again, and it continued even after her tummy was empty.
When I got home from work on Monday, I saw she'd been sick here and
there during the day, though she hadn't eaten anything. So I called the
vet and got an appointment for today (Tuesday).

Long story short, she tested positive for giardia. She spent a few hours
at the vet's being rehydrated. Now she's home again. The good news is,
she went straight for her food when she got out of the carrier, and she
looks much perkier than she has the past few days. She ate a few pieces
of boiled chicken.

The bad news is, I have to give both cats worming pills every day for
the next ten days. Mir also got something for nausea and a probiotic and
Pepcid for her tummy. After five days, I have to clean everything the
cats have touched with hot water and/or clorite.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

As others have said, it's good to have a diagnosis and treatment. I
hope that you and the other cats don't catch it, it's not a pleasant
thing to catch.

Jeanette

NettieCat" wrote in message
...
On 15 Dec, 13:00, Marina wrote:
Miranda started vomiting on Saturday. On Sunday, she ate a little, but
then she vomited again, and it continued even after her tummy was empty.
When I got home from work on Monday, I saw she'd been sick here and
there during the day, though she hadn't eaten anything. So I called the
vet and got an appointment for today (Tuesday).

Long story short, she tested positive for giardia. She spent a few hours
at the vet's being rehydrated. Now she's home again. The good news is,
she went straight for her food when she got out of the carrier, and she
looks much perkier than she has the past few days. She ate a few pieces
of boiled chicken.

The bad news is, I have to give both cats worming pills every day for
the next ten days. Mir also got something for nausea and a probiotic and
Pepcid for her tummy. After five days, I have to clean everything the
cats have touched with hot water and/or clorite.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

As others have said, it's good to have a diagnosis and treatment. I
hope that you and the other cats don't catch it, it's not a pleasant
thing to catch.

Jeanette

No, it isn't. I got it once on a camping trip.

Joy