ESK Scoop: Coccidia

On February 24, 2016, one dog belonging to a valued customer here at ESK had contracted Coccidia, intestinal parasites that get passed through a dog's stool and can cause watery, sometimes bloody diarrhea. Understandably, this has caused concern amongst our other valued customers, and so we're here to shed some light on the situation.

 Oocysts that make up Coccidia Isopora

The ins and outs

Oocysts, which make up the Coccidia parasite, are passed in stool, and are not visible to the naked eye. When a dog consumes an Oocyst, whether through direct contact with the feces or another small animal/insect that consumed the feces, within 3 to 11 days, the dog will show symptoms such as watery and/or bloody diarrhea.

Oocy-a later

If you fear that your dog has contracted Coccidia, consult your veterinarian and have them run a fecal test to be sure. If they test positive, your vet should supply you with one of several different treatment options. Coccidostats stop the oocysts from reproducing so the white blood cells can catch up and fight back, while ponazuril and toltrazuril kill the parasites altogether. With proper treatment, the Coccidia disease should run its course in one to two weeks.

Coccidia? In my dog?

It's more likely than you think. Coccidia is a disease that is actually common in environments where animals are housed together, such as shelters, rescues, and kennels. It is rare for a dog of normal health to actually die from the disease, and should only be a major concern in older or smaller animals. At Emerald Street Kennels, we take note of any dog going home with a disease such as this, and do our fair share of disinfecting and sanitizing any areas that dog may have set foot in. We also normally pick up any and all feces as soon as it's dropped, and if a dog does consume some, we take note of it immediately. 

We hope to seeing our friend back in good health once again, and look forward to see you soon!

(Source)