Puppy with coccidia

RE: Puppy with coccidia

Stephen Courtney — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 20:56:30 GMT

I'm not happy about leaving small puppies and kittens with diarrhoea to sort the coccidia out themselves - they are small and vulnerable, and the isospora are surely part of the problem at the very least. I only test faecal samples if diarrhoea isn't resolving with standard dietary approach/ panacur - so by definition if it is found, the pups aren't doing well and I always treat it - unless they are miraculously improving by the time the lab work gets back. Which hardly ever happens....

Septrin is easier than sulfatrim but they are otherwise identical

RE: Puppy with coccidia

Alistair Graham-Evans — Wed, 19 Feb 2020 22:54:56 GMT

We see high morbidity and severe intestinal damage caused by coccidia in N Queensland.

Baycox piglet suspension (Toltrazural) very effective for treatment ( and prevention by rescue charities)

RE: Puppy with coccidia

Thomas Johnson — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 15:07:19 GMT

[quote userid="7002" url="~/001/veterinary-clinical/small-animal/medicine/f/discussions/28900/puppy-with-coccidia/219606"]Sulfatrim is licensed for rabbits, this might be the cascade option. Have used Septrin oral suspension too.[/quote]

I have used Sulfatrim successfully in puppies with coccidia.

RE: Puppy with coccidia

Anthony Dennison — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 10:48:02 GMT

[quote userid="3585" url="~/001/veterinary-clinical/small-animal/medicine/f/discussions/28900/puppy-with-coccidia/219616"]You don’t need to send faeces to the lab, it is easy to pick it up on an in house faecal wet smear, no flotation needed. In young puppies (and kittens), BIOP < 2 weeks, presenting with GIT signs I will always do a parvo snap, giardia snap and a fecal wet smear. It is my experience that 90% of the time you will get a positive for one or more of these pathogens. [/quote]

It's probably bad medicine, but I sometimes don't even do this. If it's a young puppy with intermittent diarrhoea, it's Giardia or Coccidia until proven otherwise. 7 days of 50mg/kg fenbendazole with a probiotic, then go from there.

RE: Puppy with coccidia

Glen McIntosh — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 06:06:02 GMT

Septrin liquid is probably the easiest to use in puppies.

I think it is a significant finding in puppies 3 months or younger and I always treat it, even if there are other demonstrable comorbidities diseases such as parvo etc.

I have had many cases in young puppies that are quite sick with git signs, fever and hypoglycaemia that have had everything else excluded, but coccidia seen on faecal wet smear, that get better immediately with treatment with a trimethoprim/sulpha.

You don’t need to send faeces to the lab, it is easy to pick it up on an in house faecal wet smear, no flotation needed. In young puppies (and kittens), BIOP < 2 weeks, presenting with GIT signs I will always do a parvo snap, giardia snap and a fecal wet smear. It is my experience that 90% of the time you will get a positive for one or more of these pathogens.

Probably the coccidiosis will resolve spontaneously with time, and they are unlikely to die from it, but in my opinion at least, I don’t think that means that we shouldn’t treat it if we can. I have a strong impression that treatment shortens the duration of the disease in very young puppies.

If I found coccidia in an older dog (> 6 months) then I would agree that it is almost certainly incidental. But if I do any investigations at all for an initial consultation for diarrhoea in an older dog, I generally only check for giardia.

RE: Puppy with coccidia

Michael Woodhouse — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 19:16:35 GMT

Agree incidental but TMPS tablets available via the human route if you want to treat.

RE: Puppy with coccidia

Sara Ramsey — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 19:16:08 GMT

Sulfatrim is licensed for rabbits, this might be the cascade option. Have used Septrin oral suspension too.

RE: Puppy with coccidia

Richard Carter — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 18:50:54 GMT

our favourite start for puppy diarrhoea would be panacur at giardia dose (50mg/kg sid) for 5 days, low dose preds (0.15-0.2mg/kg bid) to get the IBD and tenesmus under control, bland diet and see what happens when normal digestion returns

Think coccidiosis in dogs incidental opportunistic

RE: Puppy with coccidia

Iain Richards — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 18:15:06 GMT

I'm sure we've talked about this before, but I can't recall the answer.

Are these coccidia a) pathogenic and b) present in sufficient numbers to be causing the diarrhoea? Most cocci are incidental findings but are more common in younger animals prior to an immune response.

This is certainly the case in farm animals and looking at the number of species found in SA gut, I'm guessing its the same.

So I wouldn't treat (as indeed you suggest!)

RE: Puppy with coccidia

Richard Kirby — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 17:55:37 GMT

Hi,

I know the tablets were discontinued a few years ago but we have always been able to obtain the liquid formulation for various uses. Usually Co-trimoxazole, or septrin I think.

I know some of these infections are either self limiting or coincidental findings but I have found in the past treating these cases has worked well.

Richard