Giardia is a single-celled protozoan that spreads through feces, the most common infection occurs when washing turkeys when the oocyst ends up in the cat's intestines through the mouth. Even 10 oocysts cause infection, which means that it is a highly contagious pathogen. Most typically, giardia causes diarrhea especially in young cats, older ones can be completely asymptomatic. Some cats may also experience more serious symptoms, such as abdominal pain, vomiting, weight loss and loss of appetite. 

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Unfortunately, there is no single medication that is 100% effective for treating giardia, but fenbendazole (trade name Axilur) and Metronidazole (intestinal antibiotic) have generally given good results. In severe cases, it may be necessary to use a combination treatment with both drugs. In addition, the fur should be washed with a shampoo containing chlorhexide (brand name e.g. Hexocil, Malaseb would be more reliable, but it is sometimes difficult to get) at least twice; in the middle stages and at the end of the medication. 

Keeping the environment clean is very important so that the cat does not get another infection, giardia can live in fabrics for years and is a very persistent and persistent pathogen. Extensive cleaning and washing of the home is done in the middle stages of the treatment, and after washing, the fabrics should be put in the cupboard to wait for the end of the treatment. Old litter boxes and shovels should be discarded and replaced with disposable ones for the duration of the treatment. Food containers should be washed carefully at 60 degrees and all surfaces should be washed with chlorite or a steam cleaner, as giardia does not tolerate heat. It is important to wash and clean all the places the cat has access to and can touch. If washing is not successful, and the item cannot withstand chlorine or is difficult to chlorinate, it is possible to sauna the items (e.g. climbing frame). The temperature in the sauna must be over 60 degrees and the sauna session must last at least an hour. 

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Control stool is examined 1-3 days after stopping the medication and three weeks after stopping the medication to check that the treatment has really worked. The sample is examined using the IFAT method, where stool is collected in a jar on 3 consecutive days and formalin is added to the jar each time in the ratio of 1 spoon of stool and 3 teaspoons of 10% formalin and sent for examinationto the Food Agency. other methods give a more sensitive false positive answer.
Sometimes treatment and cleaning have to be repeated several times before the parasite gets rid of it. 

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