Spook & Allie have Coccidia ....

[horsepoor21]

Just got back from the vet , they gave me some medicine for them ( actually made for horses . LMAO ) 10 cc's , twice a day for three days . Now .... vet says humans can catch it and as I mentioned earlier my daughter has PICA ... Does anyone know how to tell if my kids have got it ? And if so , do I take them to their pediatrician to get wormed ? LOL That sounds so funny  How do I keep my other two dogs and the family from getting it ? I'm banning these two dogs to the backyard to potty , is there any way I can spray bleach or something where they go potty ? I have no idea what I'm dealing with here , please help ! Thankyou so much !
-Amy

[mama23+pyrs2]

Hi there, I looked up a little about it because my dogs were treated for it about 3 weeks ago. I think the only way humans can get it is through contact with the feces and I imagine any other dog can easily contract it because my vet only took a sample from one of my dogs and told me if one had it, they both would. Mine were treated 2x a day for 5 days, but with a much smaller amount as they are puppies.

I'm sure someone else can fill you in on all the details but from what I understand it's extrememly common for them to get, basically a bacteria that is present and flares up under stress, food changes, etc. I have no idea what symptoms would present in children, but I know diarrhea goes along with it in dogs. Neither us nor our kids had any weird things going on so I assumed we're all fine, and I haven't worried about it.

Good luck getting rid of it!

[mama23+pyrs2]

Here's a link about it, eww

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1622&articleid=727

The last line says "The coccidia species of dogs and cats do not infect humans."

[Brownis15]

Yeah Albon is usually given for coccidia, twice the regular dose on the first day and then regular for 5 to 7 days after, at first the coccidia will "blossom" and their poop will sometimes look worse before it gets better, there maybe a little blood, but it goes away! (In school for vet teching, so a real nerd on this stuff)

[horsepoor21]

He gave us horse/cow meds instead of dog meds since my pups are larger and the dog meds were super expensive he said . I'll have to look and see what it is for sure ,I forget . He did say that we could get it though .... Am I thinking of another parasite that starts with a "c" ? Is there another ?

[mama23+pyrs2]

My pups were treated with Metronidazole 250mgs, and I have a feeling it didn't get rid of it.

[mama23+pyrs2]

Coccidia are protozoan parasites that live in the cells of the intestinal lining. Dogs usually become infected with coccidia by encountering the stool of other infected dogs. Such stool usually contains oocysts or immature coccidia. These cysts mature and if another dog ingests these cysts the new dog becomes infected. Symptoms of coccidia are usually diarrhea, dehydration, and vomiting. If your dog has/had coccidia you will also want to disinfect your home with a diluted bleach solution to kill any cysts that may still be present in the environment. You can also help stop the spread of coccidia by keeping a clean yard and removing any fecal material in the yard promptly. Such cysts can survive in the environment and keep re-infecting your dogs for a long time to come. The most common coccidia does not affect people. However there are some rare forms of coccidia which can infect humans, but these are rare.

Yeah that sucks, I should have been more diligent with picking up the yard during this time but I had no idea, wonderful.

[mama23+pyrs2]

My pups were treated with Metronidazole 250mgs, and I have a feeling it didn't get rid of it.

The metronidazole (Flagyl) should help with the booty blowouts.  If its not clearing up, I would ask the vet if you should try the Albon or even combine the albon with the metronidazole (Flagyl).

It is also possible that the pups came with the coccidia.  Its common in puppies and can lay dorment until the pups have a slight change (new home) in environment.  Then the pups would start showing signs of being infected.  Not your fault at all.

Yeah I read that the incubation period is 13 days so I'm 99% sure it came with them. I got them back to good bowels finally and then Yiska had a day of some vomiting and some muscousy stool and I thought oh no. Then the next day all looked fine, it sure keeps me guessing!