Is Safe Gard safe for pregnant bitches? - Page 1

I have a bitch in whelp, about six weeks along, who has come up with a terrible case of diarrhea, along with two of my other dogs. They've had it a couple of days. I'm suspecting giardia because we've had outbreaks of it before and all the signs are the same. It's been very wet and hot here the last week or so also, which has seemed to bring it about in the past. My question is, is Safe Gard safe for the pregnant dog? Some have told me yes, other have said they wouldn't give a pregnant bitch any medication, unless absolutley necessary. What should I do?

ask the vet - if it isnt' written on the package that it's safe for pregnant dogs or animals - don't give it.  There are other things to treat diarrhea with - pumpkin paste maybe - treating giardea may be more tricky but your vet would know what is safe for her and what isn't.   Make sure she's drinking a lot - put water in her food to make sure she's getting hydrated if she has diarrhea.

molly

I agree .. there are very few things I'd give a pregnant  bitch but one thing that works really well for diarrhea is Fast Balance GI.. it's a pasty sort of brownish really crappy looking stuff in a syringe like dispenser... my girl had some diarrhea about a week before her due date.... this and the rice and yogurt and bland stuff did the trick..

I think I was just feeding too much.....

It works though 

I would be very careful what I give a pregnant GSD female, irregardless of whether or not the packaging says its ok or not. It seems to me GSDs in whelp are very sensitive, and even tho it says 'safe' doesn't exactly mean it won't affect your unborn litter.

Canned pumpkin is a good stomach soother (the kind WITHOUT the added spices). Cooked rice is also. You can make a mixture of both with some chicken broth for flavor and feed it for a day or two and not only does it help with runny poo, it also has detoxifying abilities for the system. It wouldn't hurt your other GSDs to give them some, too, if they have the runs also.

Will these thing help Giardia though? Last time I had a giardia problem I had to treat with Safe Gard for five days to clear it up. I tried canned pumpkin and yogurt in the beginning, thinking they just had upset stomachs, but it didn't help much, so a trip to the vet confirmed giardia. My vet has told me that Safe Gard is safe for pregnant bitches, but others have told me that even though it says safe, they wouldn't give it. I just thought some of the experienced breeders on here might have opinions on whether or not I should use it for her or not. Thank you very much for all your responses!

Yes, Safe Guard is safe for pregnant bitches.   I have used it, and a friend treated giardia successfully in her pregnant bitch with it.  Follow your vet's advice.

Thank you DiGsd!

My vet told me to use    Albon on one of my bitches that got diahrea about the 6th week   but she didnt have Giardia,,,,He didnt tell me to use Safeguard.....and told me under no circumstances use  Flagyll or Metrodiazole.

 Take in a stool sample    ASAP !  Then you wont have to speculate and miss treat or worse loose a litter of puppy's to save a few dollars on a fecal test.

Just a thought