Diagnosis of Giardia in Dogs
Identification of Symptoms
Though the symptoms of Giardiasis are not specific to this condition, it is still very important for a dog owner to identify and document any visible health-related symptoms that appear. These symptoms should be brought to a veterinarian's attention, so to help in forming a positive diagnosis.
Elimination of other Diseases
Gastrointestinal symptoms are the most common visible symptom to accompany an infection of the Giardia parasite in a dog, though are not only unique to this medical condition. Since vomiting and diarrhea are also symptoms of several other conditions, a veterinarian may first try to eliminate diseases such as Salmonella.
ELISA
The term ELISA is short for "Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay" , and is a test run by some veterinary facilities. This diagnostic procedure is a biochemical technique that is used to detect if there are any antibodies or antigens present in a dog's fecal sample. In the case of the Giardia parasite, this technique is sometimes useful for forming a positive diagnosis. However, this procedure is not definitive in relation to Giardiasis, and may not be entirely accurate.
Visual Examination of Fecal Sample
Since the Giardia parasite does not long survive outside of the body, it is very important that a fresh stool sample be examined for diagnostic procedures.In most cases, a veterinarian will request three different stool samples, taken at two-day intervals. Though the Giardia cysts are not visible to the naked eye, they are usually able to be clearly identified under a microscope. A fecal sample will be thoroughly examined for Giardia cysts, which are usually detected 90% of the time after three samples (50-70% of the time from one examination).
In some cases, a Trichrome stain is used in order to more clearly detect any parasites or cysts that are present.
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