How long do giardia survive in carpet?

Giardia are extremely pesky and dangerous parasites that unnecessarily complicate the lives of our beloved pets. Once your pet is infected with this parasite, everything must be thoroughly cleaned—including your dog’s or cat’s favorite rug. But how long do Giardia actually survive in a rug, and more importantly, how can you remove them from the rug?

Contents

What are giardia?
How long do Giardia survive?
How can Giardia be killed?
Removing Giardia from the carpet
Hygiene Measures Against Giardia

Giardia are parasites that infect the small intestine of pets and humans. Giardia infections in dogs and cats are usually mild and do not affect their health. In some cases, however, Giardia infections can lead to serious illness in puppies and kittens. These illnesses include vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, dehydration, and death. Symptoms typically begin about 2 to 4 weeks after exposure and can last up to 8 weeks. In rare cases, Giardia infections can be fatal in humans.

Giardia cysts can survive for months in a warm, damp environment and remain infectious throughout that time. Carpets where dogs roll around are therefore the perfect environment for this pesky parasite—especially when dogs roll around on the carpet after a rainy walk.

Giardia die off after a few days at temperatures above 25°C or in conditions of extreme dryness and frost below -4°C. Unfortunately, disinfectants are ineffective against them. Giardia are surprisingly resistant to common household cleaners. They even survive in wastewater treatment plants, where they can only be filtered out using special filters. Only a handful of disinfectants have ever been approved for household use. The vast majority of products on the market aren’t really designed for pets at all. They’re more suitable for veterinary clinics and animal shelters.

There are only two ways to completely remove Giardia from the carpet:

1. Wash the pet rugs at a high temperature—that is, at over 65 °C—in the washing machine, and then let them dry completely (use a hair dryer if necessary).
2. If the carpet doesn't fit in the washing machine, you can also send it to a professional carpet cleaning service. However, it's important to check beforehand whether the carpet will be cleaned at temperatures higher than 65 °C.
3. If, for any reason, the carpet cannot be washed at high temperatures, the only option is to dispose of it with the household trash.

You can find more tips in our article on cleaning carpets.

Clean all surfaces contaminated with feces using hot water (> 60 °C) and dry them thoroughly afterward. Clean food and water bowls every day with boiling water or on the hot-wash cycle in the dishwasher. Wash all blankets and pillows in hot water at over 65 °C.

Wash dogs (and cats) thoroughly with plenty of appropriate shampoo.