Giardia Coccidia In Kittens

Coccidiosis is a parasitic type of infection caused by the coccidia parasite.

Giardia coccidia in kittens. Have your vet check your kitten out as soon as you suspect giardia. We typically prescribe a sulfa type antibiotic for coccidian isosporan infections in puppies and kittens. Giardia and coccidia are single cell intestinal parasites that produce similar symptoms. These pets may require hospitalization for fluid therapy.

While albon sulfadimethoxine is the only fda approved drug the recommended dosing schedule is to administer it for 5 21 days which can be costly both monetarily and in staff time. They went to the vet on sat. Giardia cysts are excreted shed in the feces of an infected cat then picked up when ingested by other cats sharing litter boxes. Rarely does giardia itself cause diarrhea or gi signs so severe that it requires more treatment.

We do recommend ponazuril as the preferred treatment of coccidia in kittens in a shelter. Trimethoprim sulfa has also been used successfully but it is typically very unpalatable and the dosing schedule your veterinarian uses 10 days is longer than would be needed for treatment with ponazuril. Symptoms of coccidiosis appear almost two weeks after the initial infection. Boarding kennels pet stores and animal shelters are prominent sources of both parasites.

In kittens coccidiosis infection can cause watery and bloody diarrhea vomiting pain and dehydration followed by rapid weight loss. They both had started throwing up and having watery loose stool. My problem is how rapidly they ve deteriorated. This makes it almost impossible for pet owners to differentiate between the two.

The most common parasite to cause coccidiosis in cats is isospora felis. It most commonly causes watery mucus based diarrhea in animals. Coccidia is a nasty little single celled organism that causes mucousy diarrhea in kittens and can be treated with the prescription drug ponazuril. Giardia is another protozoan infection resulting in soft frothy greasy diarrhea which can be treated with panacur.

The giardia make their way to the small intestines of cats where they can cause a wide range of symptoms. Because kittens can be quickly affected by diarrhea and vomiting it is very important to have your little fur ball examined by a veterinarian immediately if any diarrhea and vomiting symptoms occur. Coccidia however can cause severe dehydration in puppies and kittens due to the tremendous water loss and sloughing of intestinal cells. There are also.

Giardiasis is the name given to the infection. If left untreated coccidiosis in symptomatic kittens can lead to death. Kittens become weakened by the diarrhea caused by giardia making them susceptible to more serious diseases. Tuxedo had a fever and dot was in the high normal range.

Veterinary attention is needed to ease symptoms and rid the cat of the parasitic infestation. Kittens who are infected with coccidiosis are contagious and can infect the rest of the litter. You ll need to take your pup to the vet for tests to get an accurate diagnosis and the required treatment as the treatment for giardia is different than that for coccidia. Coccidia are a group of single celled parasites called protozoa.

Two of our stray kittens have been diagnosed with giardia and coccidia. Your vet will most. If it is not treated over time it can cause damage to the lining of a cat s intestinal tract. Giardia wouldn t necessarily threaten the life of a healthy adult cat but in kittens and immunocompromised adult cats it can be devastating.

He did a fecal for worms and i didn t think to ask for.