Giardia and Frozen Raw Dog Food

by Ed
(NYC, NY., USA)

Reader Question: Can dog's get giardia from raw dog food?

I have been feeding my dog a commercial brand of frozen raw venison. Could he get giardia from it?

He was just diagnosed with giardia and he does not drink water from unknown sources. My other dogs seem to be unaffected.

Suggestions from our Vet on Giardia and Dog food

Hi Ed,

I do not think that commercial frozen raw food is a likely source of Giardia for your dog. Giardia is a tricky parasite. Some dogs carry it in their GI tracts for a very long time before they develop symptoms if they ever do, so your dog may have been exposed quite a while ago.

And drinking from questionable water sources is not the only risk factor. Being housed in cramped quarters (e.g., some breeding facilities, kennels, doggy daycares, or shelters) is another big one.

I suspect your dog’s Giardia infection is more likely due to one (or both) of these explanations rather than from eating a contaminated raw food.

Best of luck,

Jennifer Coates, DVM