Evaluation of four treatments of canine giardiasis

Canine giardiasis is an intestinal parasitic infection due to Giardia intestinals which may infect humans.(13). No drug is registered for the treatment of canine giardiasis. However, several treatments are suggested in the literature. The present work deals with four of these drugs, that were tested in 30 young Beagles (5 groups of 6 housed in kennels) Three coproscopies - using zinc sulfate kysts concentration technique - and 2 ELISA tests were carried out on 3 consecutive days to check the infection. Dogs were considered positive if at least one of these 5 examinations was positive. Five fecal examinations and ELISA tests were carried out on each dog during the 18 days following the treatment (each day, a dog is considered as infected if at least one of the two techniques gives a positive result). Metronidazole (25 mg/kg q.24h x 5 days) appears to be more effective than fenbendazole (50 mg/kg q.24h x 3 days). Otherwise, oxfendazole (11.3 mg/kg q.24h x 3 days) or febantel (15mg/kg q.24h x 3 days) used at the recommended dosage for anthelmintic activity do not seem to be efficient. One must also emphasize the importance of hygienic to be associated with the treatment so as to avoid reinfection.