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How to disinfect your home if your dog has giardia

Giardia is a tiny parasite that causes very watery, often explosive, diarrhoea. Not only is it unpleasant for your dog, but it can be tricky to get rid of too! Re-infection is common, meaning that proper disinfection of your home (alongside treatment) is essential. Let’s take a look at the best way to disinfect your home if your dog has giardia.

What is giardia?

Giardia is a tiny single-celled intestinal parasite (a microscopic protozoan) which causes diarrhoea in both animals and people. In fact, it is a common cause of ‘traveller’s diarrhoea’ in humans, and is found all over the world.

The main symptom of giardia in dogs is nasty, smelly and watery diarrhoea. The diarrhoea may be intermittent, so it seems to improve but then comes back. Other possible symptoms include mucous in the stool, excess gas (flatulence), reduced appetite, sickness, and weight loss.

How does giardia spread?

Giardia cysts can survive in the environment for months, during which time they are infective. Dogs become infected by eating these giardia cysts. Infected particles of poo may be in the environment, in water, in food or on infected dogs. Your dog can therefore become infected if they drink contaminated water, eat stool from an infected animal, eat contaminated soil, or groom themselves after contact with any of these.

It’s important to note that giardia can survive in the environment for months, so the poo particles may not be present any more, but the giardia cysts remain. Giardia is also a zoonosis, meaning that humans can catch it from dogs (and vice versa). These two things together mean that hygiene and proper disinfection are crucial when your dog has giardia. Otherwise, you and your dog are at risk of future infection.

How is giardia treated?

The main treatment for giardia is a medication called fenbendazole, which is a common deworming medication. Sometimes dogs may also need a course of antibiotics called metronidazole, although this is not usually necessary.

Other treatments will be aimed at improving the symptoms and making your dog feel better, while allowing the guts to heal. This is called ‘supportive treatment’, and will depend on the severity of the clinical signs. Your vet may suggest a special diet and/or probiotics, which support digestive health and help to resolve the diarrhoea.

If your dog is very old, very young, or has severe symptoms, they may need to be hospitalised for treatment. This could include a fluid drip (intravenous fluid therapy) alongside injectable medications to help them feel better.

How do I clean my house if my dog has giardia?

Since giardia can survive for so long in the environment, cleaning and disinfecting is an important part of the treatment. Otherwise your dog may keep re-infecting themselves (and potentially you!). It’s important to wear gloves and / or wash your hands thoroughly after touching poo, or areas which may be contaminated. If you are immunocompromised or pregnant, it’s safest to ask someone else to do the cleaning.

Here’s how to disinfect your home if your dog has giardia:

Clean all surfaces (floors, furniture, dog crates etc.) with soapy water or an appropriate household cleaner, then rinse thoroughly. This is to physically remove any dirt and poo particles. Cleaning before disinfecting allows the disinfectant to work properly.

Disinfect all surfaces. Bleach at appropriate dilutions will kill giardia, but may not be safe to use on all surfaces, and you would need to keep your pet away from areas you are disinfecting. A safer option would be to use a quaternary ammonium compound. Always choose a disinfectant that is safe for pets.

Clean and disinfect your dog’s items every day during their treatment, and for a few days after. This includes bowls, toys and collars. This will help to prevent re-infection. Naturally, it’s important to use a disinfectant that is effective against giardia, but is also safe for pets.

Wash your pet’s bedding in the washing machine every day during treatment and regularly afterwards. If you have a tumble drier, dry the bedding on a high heat for a minimum of 30 minutes. If you don’t have a drier, drying outside under direct sunlight is the next best thing.

Wash any cushion covers, blankets and your own bedding in the same way.

Give your dog a bath with dog shampoo regularly, and particularly on the first and last days of treatment. This will help to remove any poo particles or giardia cysts.

Unfortunately, lawns are harder to address! Make sure you pick up stools fully and quickly, and dispose of them safely. You can rinse the area with water after, but will have to rely on direct sunlight (or freezing temperatures) to dry out the giardia cysts.

Luckily, giardia is not usually serious. The symptoms may be more severe if your dog is very old, very young, or immune-compromised. The main problem is preventing repeat infection after treatment, which is where effective cleaning and disinfecting the environment comes in! If you have any concerns about your dog, contact your vet for advice.

This article was written by Sarah-Jane Molier BVM&S BSc MRCVS