The most important areas are floors, sleeping places, food bowls, litter boxes and other places your pet touches every day.
Normal cleaning alone is not enough to deal with the cysts that are left. So you should disinfect suitable contact surfaces on purpose, with a disinfectant whose label lists Giardia cysts.
With the ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® disinfection products you can support the disinfection of surfaces in your home with pets.
Here you can read which areas you should disinfect, which products are suitable and how long you should keep up the hygiene steps.
Giardia in the home: why is disinfection so important?
Giardia are tiny gut parasites that you can only see with a microscope. In dogs and cats they can cause problems such as diarrhoea, bloating or stomach pain.
Infected animals pass so-called Giardia cysts in their faeces. These tough resting forms can spread through the home on paws, fur, objects and surfaces.
In a damp environment, Giardia cysts can stay infectious for several months.
If your pet takes up the cysts through its mouth again, it can get infected again, even during or after the veterinary treatment.
This is why the veterinary treatment and steady disinfection of your home belong together.
Removing faeces and visible dirt lowers the amount of material that may be infectious. But cleaning alone does not deal with all the cysts that are left.
So on suitable surfaces, it is important to disinfect afterwards with a suitable product.
Acute Giardia: which areas should you disinfect first?
If your pet has been diagnosed with Giardia, start the hygiene steps as early as you can.
First, focus on the areas your pet uses every day or that may have faeces on them.
1. Remove faeces straight away
Giardia cysts leave the body in faeces and are infectious straight away.
So remove faeces as soon as you can, both in your home and outside.
Use a poo bag or disposable gloves, and put the faeces in a closed bag in the general waste.
Then wash your hands well.
2. Disinfect food and water bowls
Food and water bowls are some of the most important contact surfaces in a home with pets.
For heat-resistant bowls you can use boiling water or a suitable dishwasher at more than 65 °C.
To disinfect suitable bowl surfaces, you can use the ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Hygiene Spray as the manufacturer instructs.
First remove food leftovers and visible dirt. Keep to the required contact time, and rinse the bowls well with clean water before you use them again.
Do not forget the bowl mat and the floor under it.
3. Disinfect the litter box and the area around it
For cats, the litter box is one of the most important hygiene areas.
Remove faeces straight away and clean the tray well every day.
After that, you can disinfect suitable plastic surfaces with the ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Hygiene Spray.
Also include the litter scoop, the floor next to the box and, if needed, the wall in your disinfection routine.
Only use the disinfected surfaces again as the product information allows.
4. Keep sleeping places, baskets and blankets hygienic
Dog beds, cat baskets, blankets and cushions are in contact with your pet very often.
Wash suitable fabrics at 65 °C or more if possible, as long as the care label allows this temperature.
To disinfect plastic baskets and other suitable hard surfaces, you can use the ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Hygiene Spray.
Be extra careful with fabrics. The spray contains active chlorine, so before you use it, check on a hidden spot that the material and the colour are not affected.
5. Disinfect floors and walkways
Floors are some of the largest contact surfaces in a home with pets. Every day your pet walks between its sleeping place, food bowl, litter box and the door.
This is where the ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Floor Concentrate comes in.
The disinfectant concentrate is meant for suitable floors that can be mopped, and it fits easily into your regular disinfection routine.
These areas matter most:
- the area around the food bowl
- walkways between the sleeping place and the door
- the floor around the litter box
- entrance areas and door sills
- places where your pet often spends time
When you use it, pay attention to the correct dose, the required contact time and the notes on which materials can take it.
6. Disinfect scratching posts, toys and transport boxes
Things your pet uses regularly should also be part of your disinfection routine.
Heat-resistant toys can go in boiling water or in a suitable dishwasher at a high enough temperature.
For suitable hard surfaces of scratching posts, transport boxes and other pet accessories, you can use the ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Hygiene Spray.
Be extra careful with plush, sisal and other absorbent materials, because you cannot be sure that the product gets all the way in and disinfects them completely.
If needed, also think of removable seat covers or blankets in the car.
ViPiBaX® Giardien EX®: which disinfectants are suitable for your home?
ViPiBaX offers different disinfection products for targeted surface hygiene in a home with pets.
ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Hygiene Spray 500 ml
The ready-to-use disinfectant spray is meant for suitable surfaces around pets.
You can use it, for example, on baskets, transport boxes, plastic surfaces, suitable bowl surfaces and other pet accessories that can take it.
How to use the Hygiene Spray:
- Remove coarse dirt and any faeces.
- Spray the suitable surface completely, so that it is wet enough.
- Keep to the contact time on the product label.
- Follow the notes on wiping, rinsing and drying.
Use the spray as it is: ready to use and not diluted.
Important: the Hygiene Spray contains active chlorine. On fabrics, sensitive woods and metals, first test on a hidden spot that the material can take it.
ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Floor Concentrate
The Floor Concentrate adds to the Hygiene Spray when you disinfect larger suitable floor areas.
It is especially practical if you want to disinfect walkways, bowl areas or the floor around your pet's sleeping place regularly.
How to use the Floor Concentrate:
- Remove coarse dirt and visible faeces.
- Following the stated dose, add 100 ml of Floor Concentrate to 5 litres of lukewarm water.
- Do not add any other products or additives.
- Wet the suitable floor areas evenly with the solution.
- Keep to the required contact time and follow the other notes on the current product label.
On sensitive floors such as wood, pay special attention to whether the material can take it, and only mop as wet as the floor manufacturer allows.
ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Complete Hygiene Set
If you want to disinfect several areas of your home regularly, the ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Complete Hygiene Set is a practical combination.
The set contains:
- ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Hygiene Spray
- ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Refill Pack 2.5 l
- ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Floor Concentrate 2.5 l
With it, you can include both smaller contact surfaces and larger suitable floor areas in your disinfection routine.
Use biocides safely. Always read the label and product information before use.
How often and for how long should you disinfect when your pet has Giardia?
A steady disinfection routine is especially important during the acute infection. But you do not need to clean all furniture and rooms every day.
While your pet has acute diarrhoea, remove faeces straight away, clean bowls and the litter box hygienically every day, and disinfect heavily used lying places and walkways regularly. Wash dirty blankets and covers soon, at a suitable temperature.
When the diarrhoea has stopped, this does not automatically mean that no more Giardia cysts are being passed. So keep up your hygiene steps for now.
As a guide for a steady hygiene routine, you can use up to four weeks after the start of the veterinary treatment. But how long it really takes depends on how your pet's case goes.
So agree with your vet how long you should keep up the extra disinfection steps.
Which areas do you not need to disinfect when your pet has Giardia?
When your pet has Giardia, targeted surface disinfection is important. But this does not mean that you have to disinfect your whole home every day.
Focus on areas your pet touches directly and on places that faeces may have reached.
Less important are, for example, rooms your pet does not go into, or high surfaces that dirt cannot reach.
Using too much disinfectant does not help either. What counts is the correct dose, wetting suitable surfaces completely and keeping to the required contact time.
Important: the ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Hygiene Spray and Floor Concentrate are meant for disinfecting surfaces. Never use them directly on your pet's fur, skin or paws.
Giardia in a home with several pets: what should you keep in mind?
If several dogs or cats live together, a steady disinfection routine is especially important.
Animals without visible signs can also pass Giardia cysts.
So disinfect suitable shared contact surfaces with special care. These include sleeping places, bowl areas, walkways and other surfaces your pets use often.
Talk to your vet about whether your other pets should be tested.
Frequently asked questions about disinfection when your pet has Giardia
Do I have to disinfect my whole home when my pet has Giardia?
No. The most important areas are those your pet touches directly and surfaces that may have faeces on them. These include sleeping places, floors, food bowls, litter boxes and transport boxes.
Which disinfectants help against Giardia in the home?
For targeted surface disinfection, use products whose label covers Giardia cysts for the intended use.
The ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® product range includes a ready-to-use Hygiene Spray and a Floor Concentrate for suitable floors.
For both products, follow what the current label says about the organisms covered, the dose and the contact time.
Can I use ViPiBaX on laminate?
The Floor Concentrate is meant for suitable floors that can be mopped. For laminate, first check whether the material can take it and read the floor manufacturer's care notes.
Avoid standing water and only mop as the material allows.
What should I do if the diarrhoea comes back after the veterinary treatment?
Contact your vet again. Diarrhoea that comes back can have different causes and should be checked.
Also check your disinfection routine, and keep cleaning the suitable contact surfaces your pet uses often.
Summary: targeted disinfection when your pet has Giardia
When your pet has Giardia, it is important to deal with possible sources of infection in your home in a targeted way. Normal cleaning alone does not deal with all the Giardia cysts that are left.
With the ViPiBaX® Giardien EX® Hygiene Spray, the Floor Concentrate and the Complete Hygiene Set, you have products for targeted surface disinfection in a home with pets.
Together with the veterinary treatment, removing faeces straight away and a steady disinfection routine, you can lower the risk of things getting contaminated again.
