I found that they can GET it ... so it's possible they can pass it on.

More likely sources are mammals, especially aquatic ones like beavers and muskrats.

Here is a link that might be useful: Giardia in poultry

I think it is VERY possible...all it would take is a second's inattention to where you put your hands or whether you washed them before picking up something to eat. Yeah, I know it sounds gross, but that's how we get lots of icky things. :~) I think we got it from our dogs a few years back. Giardia is very common, found practically everywhere and water with ducks and/or geese in it should be prime territory for those nasty little protozoa.

Hi lazygardens and BrosaFarm.

Thank you so much for replying.

It does sound a little gross, but better safe than REALLY sorry.

First of all, I'm kind of obsessive about cleaning water containers and about hand washing. My mother raised cage birds for sale and chickens and she pounded it into me that we keep everything very clean. She used bleach in water containers when she changed the water. And she was a nurse, so she was probably hyper-aware. So this is how I do things too. I actually wash my own hands in hot water and soap PLUS bleach water if I've even touched a chicken or duck. So I am being careful with hand washing. But...I got very, very sick week before last and it lasted quite awhile. All the TERRIBLE symptoms were the same as Giardia, but I didn't know that yet. I got so dehydrated that my hubby took me to the doc. He sent me to the hospital as an outpatient. I had a litre and a half of saline plus other goodies pumped into me via IV. I felt pretty good for a quite a few days, but I'm starting to feel achy again along with upset stomach. head ache, no appetite, etc.
I had a follow up visit yesterday and he asked me again if I'd been anywhere there may have been contaminated water. I was thinking of camping and that sort of thing. So I said no, but then on the 17 mile drive home I had some time to think and it kind of dawned on me that I am with my ducks, chickens, dogs and cats a LOT and I have been splashed by ducky wading pool water many times on my face as well as the rest of me. Also, our outdoor water is irrigation water that comes from the mountain snow pack melting and it's stored in a huge reservoir until spring. It's not fit to drink, to say the least. I haul indoor water out to the chickens and ducks by the huge bucketful's each day. I've never thought about ME getting something from it though. We water the lawns and plants with it and I always get wet from it.
I've heard that you can get it very easily, even just get a drop or two and you'll get sick from it. But is that true? It sounds like you know about it BrosaFarm.
How do I treat my chickens and ducks and other animals if they have it? Is it through worming and other....? Guess I need some advice from the seasoned professionals here. I'll call my sis too. She knows about ducks.
I'll probably call the vet too.

Thanks again for your replies. I really do appreciate your replies. :)

Maggie chickenmama1

Maggie, just as you suspect, giardia can be contracted even if one is quite careful about hygiene. It really is very common; many mammals carry it and many streams, ponds, and lakes have it especially when the water is warm. It is known for people around here to contract it while swimming in lakes or ponds in the summer.

I think ducks and chickens carry it quite commonly and may or may not show signs of illness. I'm more familiar with symptoms in dogs and people (more experienced poultry keepers, weigh in here.) It sounds as if you're all too aware of the symptoms in people :~( but in dogs (folks, there just is NO way to say this politely, so here goes) the symptoms are large, very smelly stools with a slimy or mucousy coating....diarrhea sometimes but not always. Symptoms can be intermittent and it can be hard to find under a microscope, and the animals may not even seem sick (though it can be dangerous by causing diarrhea and dehydration and preventing the proper absorption of nutrients from the digestive tract.)

One common treatment both for dogs and people is Flagyl (generic name metronidazole) which also wipes out "good" bacteria and protozoa in the intestinal tract; treatment should be followed by several days of probiotic (some kind of acidophilus supplement or yogurt with active cultures) to repopulate the intestinal tract with good flora. Dogs can also be treated with Panacur, and there is a vaccine for giardia, but its use is controversial (and reinfection can recur when re-exposed.) Bleach kills giardia, but organic matter also renders bleach ineffective...so killing it completely in the soil, on gravel, or when there is fecal matter and water around (like in a ducky wading pool)is very difficult.

The good news is that if you keep doing what you're doing (being careful about cleanliness with your animals, washing your hands a lot, etc.) the chances that you'll get it again or very often are quite small. :~) Since you may have just suffered from the yucky stuff, that may not be all that comforting!

Debra

Did they also consider campylobacter? I THINK it is sometimes more serious but can also have similar symptoms. One of the things about giardia is its intermittent nature, the symptoms plague you and then disappear for a while, only to return.

Thanks so much for all the info! You really know your stuff. :)
I don't think they've considered campylobacter. I've never heard of it, so I'll do a google and see what I can find out.
Thanks so much. You've been very helpful. :)

My doc said 9 of 10 positive giardia cases come back as negative. My doctor put me right onto antibiotics after the test said I didn't have it. I had it for almost 3 months.
Make sure you tested for everything else too.

MountainMan.
Really? Hmmm.... Were you actively sick for the entire three months or did it seem to go away and then come back several times?
I've felt better and then worse again twice so far. One friend said he was sick for 3 weeks. Three months is a whole different thing. I'm not looking forward to that much time being sick. Everyone around here would starve or leave me. I'd really rather not have my chickens and ducks, dogs and cats pack up and leave for better care elsewhere. :)
Thanks for that info.

Maggie chickenmama

I sometimes wonder why I don't get sick from my animals, I certainly come in contact with lots of manure.

I'm careful about handwashing with soap after coming in from the barn, but during several desperate emergency situations (for example, the winter barn flood we had a few years back) I've basically been covered with manure and have even, er, injested some accidentally on occasion. Hasn't made me or hubby sick yet, I guess we're either lucky or stupid.

I have a Girardia problem and am sure it has been brought in via outside maybe from chickens but we also have mega wild birds. I can not find a Giardia med for treating the outside Giardia in the water or feed ??

I have a Girardia problem and am sure it has been brought in via outside maybe from chickens but we also have mega wild birds. I can not find a Giardia med for treating the outside Giardia in the water or feed ??