coccidia.. ergent cry... HELP

HELP... Ok this is a cry for help form the local ACS...

There is a outbreak of coccidia(Cocci) in the lastest 60 case.... It is killing pigs and costing hundreds to try and control. This desease i only ever seen in Puppies and kittens ..... It is horrific to watch the animal just gets so sick.

We are looking for ANYBODY that can shed light on this issue...... At the moment everybody is doing what they can however we NEED some straight answers about this condition.


the major one is ...

If you have a 100% healthy cavie can it contract the desease. We have been told Yes and then No and Yes and then No.........
Joey is fiorm the case and is showing no signs.. I have done So much reaserch over the net and called so many vets and Still no plane speaking.

so.
If you have any experiance or no anybody that does can you answer me this.

1. Can a 100% healthy cavy contract it if it has good immune system??
2. Can it be cured or is it for life?

Please any help is appriciated... We are Baycoxing all the animals but dont know if it actually kills it. 100% straight ammonia kills it but you cannot gicve that to the animal just the living area and Objects..

So PLEASE HELP.. It is desperate other wise me and many other families have to face the fact the animals need to be PTS and Joey is to special to me for that to happen HELP

you have done the right thing useing Baycox ,everytime i have seen it used it has worked

keep his cage very clean ,wash all feeding utensils and cage daily.
if you notice any runny smelly poops try adding sulphadimidine 2% in drinking water for 7-10 days.

i have only ever seen young animals with it although older stressed animals are prone to it aswell .

thanks that is what we thought....

wow ive never heard of it..... is it a viral or bacterial thing???

Ummm it is a parasite that lives in the intestinal wall..

It travels via fecal matter.

If a Mother dog was carrying it then the pups would be in close contact to the fecal matter they would pick up the eggs.
Due to the low immune system young animals have they cannot fight off the symptoms however a adult dog can be 100% healthy looking till it gets over stressed or looses condition and the symptoms can be bought on.

it causes ecsessive diareah(sp), dehydration, and in some cases internal damage. If cought early i am told it can be fixed.

If you google it there is HEAPS of info about it....

i just want to know if the animal is ALWAYS a carrier or if after treatment they are 100% cured......

is it the same as parvo????

Do you worm your piggies with Ivomec??? Thats what I use. You use the sheep one. It needs to be prescribed from vet. They weigh the piggie then tell you how much to use. They give it to you in a syringe and you put it on the back of their neck. I Know it cover mites and worms.

Yep they get wormed with the stuff.... Ummm parvo is a viral condition i am pretty sure that can be transferreed through thte air.

Where as Cocci..... is passed via contact with fecal matter more of a parasite

e.g. parvo your dog can pick up from a walk..
e.g. Cocci if you touch the animals droppings you carry the eggs then the animal licks you it then carries the eggs and they burrow intot he intestine.

Or atleat that is what am lead to belive.... anybody else?

oh ok its just ive never herd of it!!!!!!!

Found this online hope this helps... LouiseThere are many different species of coccidia but for dogs and cats, the
most common infections are with coccidia of the genus Isospora (pictured here).
The information presented here pertains to Isospora species



WHAT ON EARTH ARE COCCIDIA?

Coccidia are single celled organisms that infect the intestine. They are microscopic parasites detectable on routine fecal tests in the same way that worms are, but coccidia are not worms and are not susceptible to deworming medications. They are also not visible to the naked eye. Coccidia infection causes a watery diarrhea that is sometimes bloody and can be a life-threatening problem to an especially young or small pet.

WHERE DO COCCIDIA COME FROM?

Oocysts (pronounced o'o-sists), like those shown above, are passed in stool. In the outside world, the oocysts begin to mature or sporulate. After they have adequately matured, they become infective to any host (dog or cat) that accidentally swallows them.

To be more precise, coccidia come from fecal-contaminated ground. They are swallowed when a pet grooms/licks the dirt off itself. In some cases, sporulated oocysts are swallowed by mice and the host is infected when it eats the mouse. Coccidia infection is especially common in young animals housed in groups (in shelters, rescue areas, kennels, etc.) This is a common parasite and is not necessarily a sign of poor husbandry.

WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE THE HOST?

The sporulated oocyst breaks open and releases eight sporozoites. These sporozoites each finds an intestinal cell and begins to reproduce inside it. Ultimately, the cell is so full of what are at this stage called merozoites that it bursts, releasing the merozoites that seek out their own intestinal cells and the process begins again. It is important to note how thousands of intestinal cells can become infected and destroyed as a result of accidentally swallowing a single oocyst.

As the intestinal cells are destroyed in larger and larger numbers, intestinal function is disrupted and a bloody, watery diarrhea results. The fluid loss can be dangerously dehydrating to a young or small pet.

HOW ARE COCCIDIA DETECTED?

A routine fecal test is a good idea for any new puppy or kitten whether there are signs of diarrhea or not as youngsters are commonly parasitized. This sort of test is also a good idea for any patient with diarrhea and is recommended at least once a year for healthy dogs and cats as a screening test. The above photograph shows coccidia oocysts seen under the microscope in a fecal sample. Coccidia are microscopic and a test such as this is necessary to rule them in. It should be noted that small numbers of coccidia can be hard to detect so just because a fecal sample tests negative, this does not mean that the pet is not infected. Sometimes several fecal tests are performed, especially in a young pet with a refractory diarrhea; parasites may not be evident until later in the course of the condition.

HOW IS COCCIDIA TREATED?

The most common medicines used against coccidia are called coccidiostats. They inhibit coccidial reproduction. Once the numbers stop expanding, it is easier for the patient’s immune system to catch up and wipe the infection out. This also means, though, that the time it takes to clear the infection depends on how many coccidia organisms there are to start with and how strong the patient’s immune system is. A typical treatment course lasts about a week or two, but it is important to realize that the medication should be given until the diarrhea resolves plus an extra couple of days. Medication should be given for at least 5 days total. Sometimes courses as long as a month are needed. In dogs and cats, sulfa-based antibiotics are the most commonly used coccidiostats.

The use of sulfa drugs in pregnancy can cause birth defects. Sulfa drug use can also lead to false positive test results for urine glucose.

There is another medication that is worth mentioning and that is Ponazuril, a large animal product. This medication is actually able to curtail a coccidial infection in five doses or less and has been used in thousands of shelter puppies and kittens with no adverse effects. This product would seem to be superior to the usual sulfa drugs, but the problem that keeps it from becoming a mainstream treatment is the fact that it is available only as a paste for horses and must be diluted down to create an appropriate small animal formula. The large volumes of product yielded are not cost effective if only occasional patients are treated for this parasite. Ponazuril is thus most commonly used in kennels, catteries, and animal shelters though one may be pleasantly surprised to find it in stock at one's regular veterinary office.

CAN PEOPLE OR OTHER PETS BECOME INFECTED?

While there are species of coccidia that can infect people (Toxoplasma and Cryptosporidium, for example), the Isospora species of dogs and cats are not infective to people. Other pets may become infected from exposure to infected fecal matter but it is important to note that this is usually an infection of the young (i.e. the immature immune system tends to let the coccidia infection reach large numbers whereas the mature immune system probably will not.) In most cases, the infected new puppy or kitten does not infect the resident adult animal.



Page last updated: 9/6/08
 

kool thanks mini i new someone was bound to post some info hehehe thats y i didnt go searching my self

Thanks.. Mini i have not read that.....

So does this mean most adult animals can fight off the parasite them selves??? I hope so other wise every animal in our house has to be treated and tested... Although i dont think dogs and guinea piogs carry the smae straine from what the vet said.

I have never had the problem so I don't know to be honest. Call your vet and see what he says. He would be more in the know than me. 

That is my issuse i have called 4 maybe 5 vets and others have called more every vet gives you a different answer.. GRRRR..

I have decided to treat all our pets regardless better to be safe than sorry i supose.