Coccidia
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Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.
Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.
Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.
Coccidia in mom and sensitive period puppies
Q: What can a breeder do to lessen possible coccidia issues in a litter (other than bubble them until 10 weeks)? I had a healthy litter, whelped naturally by a wonderful Mom, all healthy & hearty THEN ... at 7 weeks a pup has horrible diarrhea, within 24 hours her condition morphed into lethargy. Trip to Emerg vet where she was rehydrated. Fecal sample next morning at my regular vet showed coccidia - by that time two more pups had the poops with a horrible smell. As expected, the entire litter got it, was treated, and in 3.5 days or so all were pretty much back to their wonderful selves. What can I do in the future to keep this from happening - I have breeder friends who have lost pups when it happens earlier in their lives.
A: Coccidia has been the bane of my existence since I moved into our new home 7yrs ago. You are absolutely right, once you know what it smells like you will never ever forget it!! I have started using CocciGuard from Revival with all of my breeding girls, and it has worked well. I follow the directions from Dr. Bramlage, DVM of Revival, which is to start with a cup of CocciGuard for every 10lbs of food for the first 30 days, then cut back to ½ cup of CocciGuard for every 10lbs of food after that. It means you will have to weigh out your food to find out exactly how much 1 cup weighs, and then do the math. It helps me to break down the cup into teaspoons, there are 48 teaspoons in a cup and 160 ounces in 10lbs. So 4.8 teaspoons are used in every 16oz of food. You can break it down further from there, if your meal is only 8oz of food then you would sprinkle 2.4 teaspoons over the food for each meal. Reducing to half that amount of CocciGuard after 30 days.
Should coccidia break out before you get your girls onto this program, I suggest working with your Veterinarian to identify a treatment protocol. In my experience Ponazuril has worked well for my puppies and Mom if there is an outbreak. Not all veterinarians are aware of the use of Ponazuril, so inquiring about options is good. Ponazuril is a coccidiacide which kills the protozoa causing the issue. I have put a link to Shelter Medicine that you can share with your Vet as well. https://www.uwsheltermedicine.com/library/resources/diluting-marquis-paste
Note: Coccidia is an opportunistic infection. To decrease risk, maintain a clean housing environment and minimize stress in your bitch and pups.
CocciGuard for mom and puppies
Q: How do you use Cocciguard with your mom & puppies? Can you tell me a dosage for this? Do you just sprinkle it in their food?
What are your thoughts on using Interceptor Plus in puppies at age 6 weeks per the label?
A: I use the Cocciguard granules/powder that you can purchase at Revival. It is dosed based on the weight of the food you feed each meal. 1 cup per 10lbs of food until you get the coccidia under control, generally after 30 days, then cut back to ½ cup per 10lbs of food as a maintenance. Doing this has let me avoid having to use Ponazuril, or Toltrazuril in an off-label use as Baycox (toltrazuril brand name) is not currently sold in the USA. I mix the Cocciguard into each meal using the ratio I mentioned above. Revival has a good video in their learning and education center made by Dr. Bramlage, DVM on this topic. https://www.revivalanimal.com/pet-health/managing-parasites-in-dogs-4/learning-center
I do not start my puppies on monthly worming/heartworm medicine until they are 8wks old. I have used Heartguard Plus for my dogs. You need to make sure you are working with your vet on this; depending on the breed there may be some MDR1 sensitivities you need to work with. Additionally, in September of 2018 the FDA in the USA issued a warning that the following flea and tick medicines have caused adverse effects in dogs including muscle tremors, ataxia, and seizures:
- Bravecto (Fluralaner) tablets
- Bravecto (Fluralaner) topical solution
- Nexgard (afoxalaner) tablets
- Simparica (sarolaner) and Simparica Trio (solaner/moxidectin/pryrantal) tablets
I bring this up not to say that you should not use them, but to know that there is a possibility that your dog may have an adverse reaction and what you should be watching for. These products are all in the isooxazoline class of compounds and products in this category now must include this information in their labels. Additionally, Credelio (Lotilaner) tablets and Revolution Plus (Selamectin and Sarolaner ) topical solutions, have recently had this warning added to their labels. As if this were not enough, you also need to remember that Spinosad products like Trifexis and Comfortis should never be given to dogs who are epileptic or prone to seizures. This is why it is so important to work closely with your Veterinarian.
Additional Resources
