It has been brought to our attention that local veterinarians have recently seen a rise in positive Giardia cases. Giardia is a simple one-celled parasitic species, not a worm, bacteria, or virus and is unusually not life threatening. Although we require a “negative” fecal (stool) exam annually pets may still come in contact with parasites from a variety of places, since these are microscopic organisms that are impossible to see.
As you may recall the cities of Corpus Christi and San Antonio, and some of the surrounding areas, were recently under a mandatory water boil due to the winter ice storm. This could have contributed to the contamination of many of our water sources. Dogs can become infected with Giardia by inadvertently consuming contaminated water or eating or sniffing the microscopic cysts from contaminated ground.
The health and safety of our guests is of the utmost importance, which is why at Barkaritaville Pet Resort we daily employ the most current and efficacious sanitation and disinfectant practices to prevent the spread of all pathogens.
If your pet is showing any signs such as soft stool to diarrhea often with a greenish tinge and/or blood we ask you to immediately take your pet to the veterinarian for diagnosis. If your pet is positive, we ask for the health and safety of all our guests to please keep your pet home and to complete the full course of treatment including a negative fecal test before returning.
Thank you for helping us keep the pets healthy!
Photo by Judi Neumeyer on Unsplash
