Diarrhea - Dog drank pond water

[Bedazzle]

Starting off by saying my dog is going to the vet this evening, I’m just posting here to see if I might have a giant vet bill in my future

Two nights ago I took my dog running around a very large man made pond. She’s been there before, played in the water, drank a few gulps. Tons of dogs play there daily, fishing, wildlife, etc. No issues previously. On said night, I allowed her to play in the water every time I lapped the pond (1.2 mi around) until we reached 4.5 miles. She gulped water down each time.

Eats dinner as normal that night, I also give her the heartworm pill that she is due with a little bit of PB.

Early yesterday morning she had the most massive sloppy diarrhea pile on the bathroom floor (thank you, thank you for going to the bathroom tile!). I took her outside and she had straight water fly out of her butt instead of anything solid. She would not eat breakfast.

All day yesterday BF kept an eye on her, but still straight water diarrhea, lethargic, not drinking water, no appetite for dog food. When I got home from work in the evening I made boiled chicken and rice for her which she happily ate a cup of and then she returned to her perky self wanting to play with toys. Still liquid diarrhea.

This morning she is lethargic again, although still interested in whats going on around her. I decided not to feed her. Still liquid diarrhea. Has not touched water in 24 hours. Dehydration test between her shoulder blades is normal. Jowls are normal colored and slightly drier than normal. Eyes normal.

She is vaccinated for everything under the sun including lepto and parvo. Any ideas what could be going on?

[S1969]

Giardia? (“Beaver fever”). Very treatable; not exactly sure how vet will test for it but it’s pretty common.

[Horsegal984]

Giardia. And if her gums aren’t nice and moist I’d try to bump up that vet appt, no water in and straight liquid poop for 24 hours is a recipe for dehydration. By the time the skin between the shoulders tents the animal is pretty severly dehydrated. Dry gums happens sooner and is worrisome.

[Marla_100]

Yep sounds like Giardia and agree vet asap.

[Bedazzle]

Thanks all. I had guessed Giardia but wanted a second opinion. Bf had major surgery on his arm last week and while he can supervise her, he can’t drive her to the vet. I’ll get her there as soon as I get off work.

[tarheelmd07]

Another vote for Giardia - went through a bout with it last year with a very similar story…took dog running on trails along the creek, dog jumped in to splash around and drank a bunch of creek water after the run, and, well, you can picture what the result was about 24 hours later. Ended up with a vet visit where they gave her some fluids, a course of metronidazole, and slowly switching from chicken and rice back to her regular food. In the grand scheme of vet visits, it wasn’t a super-expensive one.

[JanM]

Be careful, because humans can get Giardia, and have the same rotten symptoms.

[Zu_Zu]

Jingles & AO ~ worrisome but treatable ~ fluids to rehydrate ~

Jingles & AO for your dog ~

worrisome but treatable ~

fluids to support and rehydrate ~

((Hugs)) ~ glad you’re being proactive with vet visit ASAP ~

[Horsegal984]

Oh, and to answer your original question, the vet visit shouldn’t be too expensive unless she’s really dehydrated and they need to keep her on IV fluids to rehydrate. Metronidazole (Flagyl) is pretty cheap and the fecal check usually isn’t too bad either. Fluids to rehydrate (either under the skin or IV) will probably be the priciest part as the shortages have raised prices. So probably $100-$150 around here without hospitalization.

[clint]

A pond in this area had blue green algae, and several dogs died as a result of drinking from said ponds. Blue green algae is very toxic, so I suspect your dog doesn’t have it, since it has been two days.

[hoopoe]

I agree with toxic bloom ( algae )

giardia would take longer to produce signs

[Bedazzle]

Well, the vet said it was not Giardia, the test said so. No other parasites were found. They suggested xrays for a blockage, but nothing about her is presenting as a blockage to me so I will wait to see what happens in a few days. The prescribed metronidazole for ten days, so hopefully that will clear whatever this is up. I still think its Giardia.

[LauraKY]

Giardia tests aren’t 100% reliable, so odds are you’re right.

[S1969]

I imagine that there are lots of possibilities that never hit the radar to test for - and go away on their own. For what it’s worth, my dogs play in the swamp and in deep, stagnant puddles every day and have never gotten giardia or anything else, although my dog did have similar symptoms as yours and I didn’t find out until days later that the kids saw him eating a rotting deer carcass. So…it might not have anything to do with the pond specifically, but could be something she encountered near the pond.

Keep an eye on her, for sure…but I also would not be afraid to let her go in ponds in the future. Most of the time they do not get sick.

[Canaqua]

[QUOTE=clint;8205235]
A pond in this area had blue green algae, and several dogs died as a result of drinking from said ponds. Blue green algae is very toxic, so I suspect your dog doesn’t have it, since it has been two days.[/QUOTE]

Yes, the lake we lived on until a couple of years ago had a toxic algae bloom the last summer we lived there. It was awful, trying to keep our swimming dogs out of it for nearly two months :(. That said, it usually shows up later in the summer here, after a longer period of hot weather, it’s still early for that and, yes, after two days, and the dog still alive, it’s unlikely. The scariest kind causes neuro symptoms too.

You can Google for pictures of it, it’s pretty hideous, nearly unnatural looking. My teen panics every time the dog gets into water with algae, though most algae is harmless.

Personally, I think our town should ban fertilizer within a certain radius of our several ponds/lakes…it’s too dangerous to risk those algae blooms, it can cause some serious problems for people too. We planted (do at out new house too) clover in lieu of using chemical fertilizers that might cause runoff into the lake, but plenty of people apply fertiziler to lawns on the lake shore :(.

[S1969]

[QUOTE=Canaqua;8205463]
Personally, I think our town should ban fertilizer within a certain radius of our several ponds/lakes…it’s too dangerous to risk those algae blooms, it can cause some serious problems for people too. We planted (do at out new house too) clover in lieu of using chemical fertilizers that might cause runoff into the lake, but plenty of people apply fertiziler to lawns on the lake shore :(.[/QUOTE]

Yes! We used to live in a city neighborhood with a small lake (basically a pond) and park at the end of the street (at the bottom of the hill). People used to exclaim “oh, this lake was so beautiful when we were kids…but now it’s always full of algae. Gotta run…lawn care guys are on their way…bye!” Argh! :mad:

[hoopoe]

Around here it is almost a given that a very large lake in the middle of Seattle will have a toxic bloom every year. Several lakes and ponds have already closed due to blooms

Giardia takes several days for the cysts to become the attached adult form.

Metronidazol is the treatment of choice for all diarrheas of unknown origin. There is some believe that the giardia itself is more common than not and it is the immune over reaction which triggers the signs.

OP if your dog shows any sign of neurologic dysfunction you need to return to your emergency vet.

http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/blue-green-algae/

[csaper58]

Clostridial enterotoxicosis? Dogs can pick up several kinds of clostridium bacteria from water.

Flagyl (metronidezole) is the usual treatment.

[SquishTheBunny]

Could be anything from a bacterial gastroenteritis to something more sinister. The drink fRom the pond could be a red herring. Get hydration checked and get her on an anti-diarrhea and antibiotic. Start treating for the obvious (bacterial enteritis). If she doesn’t eat or feel better by tomorrow I would investigate further with ultrasound and maybe bump up the supportive care. Jingles for a speedy recovery!

[Bedazzle]

She hasn’t pooped today but she is 99% back to her normal self. She gulps down her chicken & rice, is relentlessly wanting to play, and is back to full energy. So far, so good.