Giardia behaves a lot like Cocci and is often mis-diagnosed. Giardia is very contagious... from dog to cat to human to horse and so on... a preventative for Giardia is "safeguard" or "panacur". The testing for Giardia normally takes repeated fecal exams by specialists to determine if it really is Giardia or not. It is a waterborne parasite found in ponds, swimming pools and in the backyard. Causes gastrointestinal problems. Clinical signs of giardia include weight loss, inability to gain weight appropriately during growth, diarrhea, vomiting, lack of appetite, abdominal pain, and greasy appearing stools. (We have never had Giardia on our homestead, the information is posted here for your general information... if we did I would be sick, my family would be sick, my vet would be sick to the point someone would end up in the hospital).