# cocci treatment for multiple species



## dwbonfire (Mar 8, 2012)

i had no idea where to put this since its for multiple species. one of my pups started with vommiting and loose stools. i was dreading parvo, but that test was neg. her fecal showed LOTS of coccidia. she is on albon i believe, left the bottle in the truck ill check the name later. and i suspect its from eating the poultry poo and goat and sheep and cow poo too. right now we are doing a lot of fencing around here, so unfortunetly everyone is in close contact and have been for some time now. soon we will have this fixed.
so the pup obviously got the cocci from eating the droppings, which means everyone else has it too. so the vet gave me corrid to worm everyone (2 goats, sheep, and my calf). i believe in only worming when necessary, and i know many of you check for pink eyelids and gums and whatnot, but i have no idea what to compare to.
what i gather is that all flocks of birds and herds of goats etc have some worm load and that is ok. so should i even worry to worm them if they are all acting fine and having normal stools? i dont want to wait until they are sickly from it either and then its too late..
also, once my fencing situation is done, they will be roaming the pastures with the horses, and the yard they are using now will be just for the dogs and people. i was told the cocci will live in the environment for a year, is there anything i can spray or put on my yard to get rid of the worm eggs? i hate for the dogs to continue getting it since you all know how long those little goat pellets hang around for! and its not easy to keep the dogs from snacking on them


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## 20kidsonhill (Mar 8, 2012)

As far as I know coccidiosis is species specific. another words, Goats don't get the same cocci that chickens have, ect......

If you need to treat the chickens and the goats really needs to be determined by you and your farm vet. IN the spring we treat our entire herd 5 days on and 4 weeks off, for coccidiosis. for normally at least 3 treatments. 


We use corid and treat in the drinking water. 

Although this year, I am using sulfa-dimethoxine in the water.


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## dwbonfire (Mar 8, 2012)

20kidsonhill said:
			
		

> As far as I know coccidiosis is species specific. another words, Goats don't get the same cocci that chickens have, ect......
> 
> If you need to treat the chickens and the goats really needs to be determined by you and your farm vet. IN the spring we treat our entire herd 5 days on and 4 weeks off, for coccidiosis. for normally at least 3 treatments.
> 
> ...


hmm, if its species specific howcome the pup picked it up from eating the droppings? i know shes eaten both the chicken and the goats dropping, and cows too lol so i have no idea which she got it from, or if everyone has it. im never going to be able to make sure she doesnt eat ANY manure, thats impossible around here so i worry she will just continue getting it if the other animals still have cocci eggs in thier manure.

any reason you are changing meds?


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## currycomb (Mar 8, 2012)

all animals carry some coccidia. it only causes a problem when it has a growth in population. if eating manure was a cause, all my dogs would be dead. i agree something caused the problem, possibly the poo eating, possibly something else?


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## redtailgal (Mar 8, 2012)

DW.....Coccidia is a common issue with pups, even those that arent poop eaters.  Puppy wouldnt get it from the livestock.

Things that make a pup more likely to have a run-in with coccidia:

dirty food and water bowls.....if they are not clean enough for you to eat out of, they are not clean enough for a puppy.

Dirty crates/kennels and outside area

stress

other worms weakening the system

certain medications will cause coccidia to thrive

a puppy that eats IT OWN poop is more likely to have an outbreak.

puppies that are fed a strictly wet food diet have more probs with coccidia.

and of course,

sometimes its just a freak of nature.  It just happens.

If you provide a clean environment for the pup, you have done your job.  Follow your vets advice, give the meds.  I'd offer a little yogurt once a day for about a week (about a tablespoon or so, but I dont really measure, just a good glop)  

I've met you, and seen your critters.  They are well cared for and clean, so I KNOW this is not your fault.  I seriously doubt that you have a barnyard full of diseased critters!

And um, I need some pics of *our* calf!  lol  I'll bet she is ginormous!


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## dwbonfire (Mar 8, 2012)

i have seen her eat, or try before i stop her, her own poop. the breeder wormed her twice before i got her, so i dont think she came with it. the vet told me that the other dogs here (all right around 2 yrs old) would be more resistant to it so i didnt need to treat them unless i started seeing problems. he said since shes so young its a common puppy worm, but she probably got it from the goat and chicken poop. so is it more likely she just picked it up somehow and didnt get it from eating the manure of infected animals?

all the dogs i have had over the years eat manure, and i have never had problems. it has been a long long time since i had a puppy this young tho. he said until she gets a little older to keep her on a leash if i dont have an area that theres no manure she can get at to eat. like i said, everyone is in one yard right now until we get the fencing squared away so its impossible to keep her from eating it unless i just leash walk her :/

she hasnt had any stressful events, and shes not been on any meds. i bleach down our garage floor where the dogs tread in and out about every other day, and wash down the trays in the crates. she has her own bowl inside the house where she eats right now. i just wish i knew the origin of where she picked it up so i can treat correctly and so she wont get it again. what kind of yogurt can i give her? any specific kind?

i spent a hefty amount of money on the corrid for everyone, they gave me 5 days of treatment for the cow, goats and sheep. should i not give it?
also, i have a bottle of sulmet for the chickens, should i worm them all or not bother? im just kind of stumped because i hate to worm if i dont need to, but i hate not to and wait for signs since with chickens and goats its usually a heavy load or too late by the time you see signs..

HMMM.

RTG did you see the pics i had posted not too long ago of the calf in that thread? i need to get some more recent ones, she is big but i feel like she should be bigger! she goes out and eats onion grass and then comes up for kisses and has awful onion breath  really gross lol.


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## redtailgal (Mar 8, 2012)

Alot of dog and cat vets have the opinion that manure eaters get theri Coccidia from the livestock.  If that was truly the case, my dogs would have constant squirts.  

No I missed the thread with the pics of the calf.    I'll try to find it tomrorow.

Any yogurt with active culture in it.  I usually buy the "aids' digestion" brand. (sorry cant think of it right now) But the container is all about how it helps the tummy, and it does.  I eat it when my tummy hurts.

As for the rest of your critter, You need to do what you think is best.  I wont worm anything that isnt showing symptoms.  If you are really worried about it, take a fecal sample in from a couple of your livestock and see if you need to worm.  Otherwise, I'd keep those meds on the shelf, in case you need them later.


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## dwbonfire (Mar 8, 2012)

ok i think i will do just that. i'd like to find a course on FAMACHA (doing some reading on it now) so i can get a chart and learn to check the animals regularly. i'd also like to get a microscope like yours! and do my own fecal tests to keep tabs whats going on around here.

thanks for all your help and advice, i dont know what i would do without this site and everyones knowledge, id be so lost lol.


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## redtailgal (Mar 8, 2012)

Try your local ag extension office for the famacha.


I dont remember how long it took you to get to my house, but if you cant find it in your area, I'll check with a buddy of mine to see when the next one is here, if you want.


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## Cricket (Mar 9, 2012)

What's 'famacha'?  dwbonfire, I just had to treat my 2 yr old English Shepherd for Cocci.  She also had tapeworm.  The last fecal test she had a year ago she had no worms at all.  I wondered if having tapeworm may have given the cocci a boost.  She is raw fed and I wash their bowls after they eat.  It is species specific--I think the dog form is Iaspora?  She also had bird cocci show up from eating chicken poop--those eggs would show up as they pass through, but don't stay in their system.  My other dog, who is immune compromised, had intestinal flukes--very rare.  Here in VT we had an incredibly wet summer and can't help thinking that may have had something to do with it.  I can't figure out where they would have come up with these!

My dogs have always eaten manure, but haven't had one that eats their own yet.  I've heard putting pineapple juice in their food can discourage that.  My vet strongly recommended that I don't 'let' my dogs eat any manure--they're not following the rec.!

Can home microscopes pick up and distinguish between the kinds of cocci?


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## ShadyAcres (Mar 9, 2012)

When I worked for the vet what I remember about cocci differences in species was that the size was different.  If I remember correctly, cat was larger than dog and livestock was smaller.  

I have heard quite contradicting opinions on different subjects between vets.  They dont always know everything, sometimes it is only an educated opinion.  Our vets said that cocci was breed specific.  If it was picked up by eating manure of another species it did no harm and eventually passed on through.  

Typically puppy infestations came from where the pup originated from, such as the breeder.  Pound puppies and pups picked up alongside of the road also often had it.  Stress was a factor.   Infected pup coming from a reputable breeder does not always mean that they were negligent, they may not know if those buying pups dont tell them about the infestations.   Basic wormers do not affect cocci.  

Adult  whether dog or livestock  can have them but usually have the resources to keep at bay.  Young animals can easily succumb and die from it.  Puppies and kittens usually are caught in time and treatment works well and quick.  Lambs and kids die fast, sometimes before you realize whats going on.  Dont remember much about it being a problem in calves and foals?  

My opinion, treat the pup.  Gather a few samples of stoosl from the other species you have and have checked at vet.  Periodic sampling of stools is usually cheaper than treating randomly.  Keep the corrid and sulmet if positive or in case of a future outbreak.


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