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                           What is Coccidiosis?


A common intestinal disease among dogs is coccidiosis. Coccidia are parasitic protozoan's (single celled organisms) found in the intestinal tract of many animals, including dogs. Coccidiosis causes severe losses of agricultural animals each year, especially calves and foul. It is highly contagious and extremely resistant to environmental stress and are difficult to completely remove from the environment. In dogs, the first symptoms are soft stools that contain yellowish mucous and have a characteristic sweet odor. The infected animal's eyes are often watery and the coat becomes dull and rough. As damage to the mucous lining of the intestines progresses, a secondary bacterial infection sets in and the stools begin to smell foul and often contain large amounts of mucous and blood. Symptoms are similar to the protozoan infection giardia, except that in giardia infections, the stools are light colored and have a "greasy" consistency. It is not uncommon for more than one species of parasitic protozoan to occur at the same time. Because Oocysts are shed intermittently, it can be very difficult to confirm protozoan infections by fecal examination.

A healthy dog may have been infected years before and never have shown any symptoms (asymptomatic carrier). They may occasionally shed very low numbers of oocysts in stools.

Coccidiosis is spread when an animal ingests infective Oocysts that are passed in the stools. Oocysts may be passed by animals with an active infection as well as carriers that show no clinical signs but continue to harbor infection.

There is a common misconception that coccidiosis is only a problem in filthy and crowded kennels. This is simply not the case. Certainly filth and overcrowding will accentuate any disease, but coccidiosis can become a problem in even the cleanest of kennels. It is best treated with the drug sulfadimethoxine (brand name Albon) prescribed by your veterinarian.
It is important to clean all fecal matter promptly and disinfect all kennel surfaces, bedding, and toys daily. Coccidia are not destroyed by Clorox and many other disinfectants. It has been shown that they are readily destroyed by Ammonia and ‘old fashioned' Lysol Concentrate.Use stainless steel, or glass food and water dishes. Change drinking water often and clean the food/water dishes with a mild Ammonia solution regularly.

Coccidiosis is a disease that will develop when other stress factors are present. For example, the highest incidence of coccidiosis is in the first 21 days after a dog has changed owners and moved to a new residence. If a normal animal carries oocysts, it is relatively easy for rapid development when the conditions are right – adverse weather, shipping, dog food changes, new owners, new residence, and other stresses are important

When I take your puppy to the vet at 8 weeks and he/she has Coccidiosis the puppy will have to stay with me for another week to be treated.