Question concerning coccidosis?

Question

I am aware it is common in any stress related situation. I have also had a puppy die from it,
HELLO TYKE-----you stated it was "A VERY simple,easily treated parasite!!!"
What should I have done...Please don't blast me. This is a very real concern for me. I often ship my puppies and any help will be appreciated and used.

It was a puppy I had shipped, a 4 hour (total w/layover) flight. Puppy was 14 weeks old. Vet checked at about 72 hours after arrival, with coccidia.
I paid the bill, pup was fine within 1 day.
Is there a pre-treatment?

I did not have coccidia among any of the litter mates.

Shipping is a very necessary option for me.

Yes it was a mess, I loaded all 8 puppies up (3 seperate litters) plus 6 adults and 4 retired couch potatoes and off to the vet we went. Once a week, for 3 weeks we were back at the vets. Only the 2 puppies (1 died, 1 recovered fine) ever showed any sign of the problem.
My vet concluded it was "possibily" the environment the puppies went into.

My vet DID NOT say the puppy I shipped had coccidia, he stated he found NO sign of it among my dogs or puppies.
The new owner stated HER VET said it was coccidia..
I did not know it takes 13 days to develope....I DO NOW!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Tyke, I rotate worming my pup with Strongid and Panicur.
My vet has started using something called Markquis It is supposed to be better than Albon.
I STILL have NOT had coccidia among my dogs or any of the others puppies I have shipped.

For torbaynew... (about my not being really clear, or something. Whatever....)
11 days after I shipped 2 puppies, new owner stated her vet said they had coccidia when she had them checked within 72 hour limit. She stated one got well within 1 day and one died. I requested vet bills---PAID bill for recovered puppy. Requested her vet contact my vet with autopsy report on pup that died--no autopsy done...offered to have my vet call her vet---nasty email wanting money for vet bill--restated have her vet call my vet--still waiting......DID NOT pay vet bill.
I just wanted a breeders advise from their experence. Prefer not to be blasted when I ask for guidance.

Answer 1

Well if you didnt know, you will now.
Coccidoiosis multiplys qiuckly, while (Like Tyke said, and I would not take his advice) the symtoms may be mild and often times unnoticed it can grow into highly virulent infections that are sometimes fatal. (I assume this is what happened to your puppy.)

It can be stress related (I.E. weather change, plane ride, new home or etc.) And i see that you do ship/fly your puppies.

Death may follow the acute disease either directly or from secondary diseases such as pneumonia, so shipping may worsen the cond.

Here are the steps you should take ASAP! Especially if you still have other puppies:
1. Separate the sick from the healthy
2. Treat sick animals with effective medications. (Will tell you later)
3. Medicate all the dogs in the kennel or home, as the other animals are likely infected too. (Make sure you do this.)

*Albon®, Bactrovet®, or Tribrissen® are a few meds you should use for treatments.

I assume you wish to keep it away and get rid of it all now so here is what you should do:
-treat all dogs with sulfadimethoxine for 10 days (Or vet prescribed meds.)
- disinfect kennel areas, etc, with quaternary ammonium disinfectants which are effective in inactivating coccidia oocysts
- bathe dogs with shampoo to remove all fecal matter, rinse with water
- rinse dogs with quaternary ammonium disinfectants, then water
- allow kennels to dry thoroughly for several days
- retreat with sulfadimethoxine for 7 days
- treat any new dogs with sulfadimethoxine (e.g. Albon) for 10 days even if they test negative for coccidia because it is so hard to detect in fecal tests

On personal experience, i would be very careful. My dogs have had it twice. It is painful to treat because of the process.

Good luck and i hope i helped!

For more information you can look at:
http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/beaglehealth_coccidiosis.htm
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1622&articleid=727

Good luck and sorry for your loss.
Thank you for taking this serious becuase it is!
Tierney

Answer 2

It is very simple to treat. It is caused by a protozoa. Stress can make it worse I guess....but that does not cause it. It is spread from one dog to another. Puppies and kittens are most at risk. Adult dogs and cats do not usually have bad symptoms and it therefore can go unnoticed. If you have had it in your home/environment....you should have ALL puppies checked before leaving. It is almost IMPOSSIBLE to clean from wood and porus surfaces. Generally the animals dies from dehydration from diarrhea. It is very easily treated with Albon. Generally, even heavily infected very young kittens respond in two days. It is clearly a bigger concern with very small breeds because they would have less reserves.
Personally, I would NEVER ship a puppy...especially a tiny breed, but if you are going to, the pup should have NO diarrhea and have had a fecal checked. TWICE.

The coccidia from that puppy came from YOUR home. It didn't get it anywhere else!!! It does not just crop up from nowhere!!!
Maybe you should have the dogs at your place checked.
You can treat all puppies with Albon.....if your vet agreed to give it to you. That should not be necessary!!! You need to find out who in your kennel is carrying it. Really, it comes from someplace. Usually, the bit ch. It can be in your soil. And if you have it and more puppies have it, shipping can be a big problem. I just cannot see where shipping tiny breed dogs is a good thing.

Have you talked to your vet about the whole thing?????? You really should. He can tell you what you can do to prevent it from happening again.

Even if you follow ALL the things below...you can STILL have it!!! It can be in the soil, and crates, and decking....ANY wood or porus surface!! It is not possible to disinfect all those things!! Wood is VERY hard to clean!!!! And chihuahuas poop in "more" places than bigger dogs do!! I know soooo many people with them and they all poop in the house more often than I would tolerate!! If you have wood floors, linoleum, carpet....all these things can harbor the cysts!!!!!!!

This is from the peteducation.com article listed by the poster below....
From exposure to the coccidia in feces to the onset of the illness is about 13 days. Most puppies who are ill from coccidia are, therefore, two weeks of age and older. Although most infections are the result of spread from the mother, this is not always the case. Any infected puppy or kitten is contagious to other puppies or kittens. In breeding facilities, shelters, animal hospitals, etc., it is wise to isolate those infected from those that are not.

See where it says 13 DAYS!!! It does NOT take 72 hours for the puppy to ingest coccidia and it to become detectable in the feces!!!!!!! That puppy HAD it when it got there!!!!!!! If your vet ACTAULLY said that the puppy could have come in contact with coccidia and tested positive for it ALL in 72 hours...GET A NEW VET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You really need to take this seriously and find out where it came from!!!

You said your vet concluded it COULD be from the environment it WENT to. That would mean that your vet thought the puppy got it from where it went to. That was not possible in 72 hours.
Either you are not being really clear, or something.
Whatever....the puppy shipped that tested positive for it 72 hours after arriving to the new home HAD it when it was shipped. If the other puppy that died was also from that litter....then it is someplace in your environment. Hopefully not waiting to rear its ugly head again next litter. I would not be breeding again until I got to the bottom of it!! Or shipping!!

Answer 3

It is simple to treat. It needs to be diagnosed by a vet and treated by a vet. Dogs/puppies that are kept in a clean enviornment and aren't taken to heavily populated dog areas aren't as prone to getting coccidia as those that aren't.