How to recognize and treat coccidiosis in a dog in time

What is coccidiosis?

Coccidia are pathogenic protozoa that live in the intestines of animals. Humans are also susceptible, but the disease is caused by coccidia of a different species. But the disease can be dangerous to humans if a dog “caught” the human variant. Such cases also happen.

Typically, coccidiosis affects puppies under six months of age and “oldies.” But the disease cannot be ruled out in adult dogs whose immune systems have been weakened by a serious infectious disease. Because of this, coccidiosis often occurs as a secondary pathology.

In dogs, the disease is caused by microorganisms of the genus Isospora. The two most frequently identified species are Isospora canis and I. ohioensis. They do not have any special differences; coccidiosis caused by these protozoa also proceeds in the same way. Note that with age, a dog develops natural resistance to the pathogen... But this only means that such an animal will always have coccidia in its intestines, which is why the dog will become their carrier for life. When old age comes and his immunity weakens, coccidia can again manifest themselves in all their glory. In general, this is exactly how it happens in practice.

How does pathology manifest in dogs?

The main symptom of this pathology is uncontrollable watery diarrhea. This condition requires immediate medical intervention.

Diarrhea is the main sign of pathology.

Diarrhea is most severe in young dogs under six months of age.

In them, coccidia often leads to a very severe form of diarrhea.

Main features

As coccidiosis progresses, the dog's body temperature rises.

The progression of coccidiosis is indicated by the following signs:

1. Increase in temperature.
2. Dehydration.
3. Lethargy.
4. Weakness.
5. Reducing body weight.
6. Decreased appetite.
7. Frequent urge to evacuate food.

Body temperature usually increases by 1.0–1.5 degrees . Depending on the stage of diarrhea, dehydration can be very severe.

Against the background of a sharp weakening of the immune system and rapid dehydration, animals begin to show signs of concomitant pathologies.

Features of the acute form

If the disease occurs in an acute form, the following signs are present:

• flatulence;
• vomit;
• muscle tremors;
• convulsions;
• blanching of mucous membranes.

Vomiting occurs in the acute form of the disease.

The animal's fur becomes dull and disheveled. The abdomen expands in volume. This is explained by both flatulence and liver enlargement.

Against this background, death can occur in small puppies.

Features of the chronic form

When coccidiosis becomes chronic, the following symptoms appear:

• dullness of the coat;
• periodic vomiting;
• alternating diarrhea with constipation;
• progressive exhaustion;
• development of dysbacteriosis.

In the chronic form of the disease, the dog's fur begins to fade.

The development of pathogenic microflora in the intestines is observed. Against the background of weakened immunity, helminthic infestation may progress.

Features of diarrhea

Diarrhea is mild and regular. It develops gradually, after which it becomes severe. Then it becomes watery, untamed, abundant. There are bloody impurities. This symptom usually appears 48 hours after the first signs of mild diarrhea occur.

Gradually the diarrhea becomes watery and frequent.

Lumps of undigested food are visible in the fecal matter. In addition to bloody impurities, foam is present, as well as a large amount of mucus.

When not to worry

In dogs after 1 year, milder symptoms of this pathology are observed.

In dogs older than one year, the symptoms of the pathology are mild.

In isolated cases, mild diarrhea may occur. The pet's health status will stabilize on its own. No special therapy is required.

Transmission routes

A puppy is not born with a bunch of coccidia in its intestines. But if the mother is infected, then the pathogen cysts will almost certainly get on her nipples when licked. And from there they have a direct path - into the intestines of puppies. Since young animals do not have any immunity to this pathogen, clinical signs of the disease develop quickly. Cases of death cannot be excluded.

From the pathogen entering the body until the first symptoms appear (most often) about 13 days pass. In puppies and severely weakened animals, the process proceeds much faster. In most cases, young animals become infected from their mother, but there are exceptions. Any sick puppy is dangerous to its brothers and sisters. This is especially important for professional dog breeders, as well as animal shelter staff: if at least one animal in the litter shows symptoms of coccidiosis, it must be immediately isolated from other healthy ones.

The main signs of isosporosis

The latent course of the disease occurs within a maximum of 10 days. In puppies, the disease is especially severe with clearly expressed symptoms, and in adults it can go almost unnoticed.

The main symptom of isosporosis in dogs is disruption of the digestive system.

This may be manifested by the following phenomena:

1. diarrhea of ​​varying severity;
2. nausea and vomiting;
3. abstaining from eating;
4. dehydration;
5. weight loss;
6. lethargy, weakness;
7. the presence of blood and mucus in the stool.

IMPORTANT! The main symptom of isosporosis in small puppies is frothy, green, foul-smelling diarrhea. She appears unexpectedly. This sign is almost always absent in adult dogs.

The main thing that the owner needs to do when these symptoms are detected is to immediately contact a veterinary clinic for an examination. This is due to the fact that the disease develops extremely quickly and death can occur already on the second day from the onset of the first symptoms.

What are the symptoms of coccidiosis?

The clinical signs of coccidiosis are quite “monotonous”: severe, persistent diarrhea. Its "tension" ranges from slightly runny stool to bloody mucus. The more severe the case, the more blood there will be. Vomiting is also possible, sick animals completely lose their appetite, and dehydration increases. The latter is especially dangerous for puppies: while adult dogs rarely die from coccidiosis, the opposite happens to young animals. So, if you see the first symptoms of coccidiosis in young dogs, call your veterinarian immediately! Sometimes the clock literally counts.

The majority of infected puppies are in the 4 to 12 week age group. Please note that it is the possibility of coccidiosis that should be considered first when faced with diarrhea in young animals at this age. A diagnosis is possible only (!) after a microscopic examination of the stool, in which, if pathogens are present in the intestines, cysts will be detected.

Important! It should be mentioned that stress plays an important role in the development of coccidiosis. There are very common cases when people took a seemingly healthy puppy from a breeder, and after three or four days in the new home he fell ill. If the baby has a bowel movement before he has been in your home for less than two weeks, then again you need to think about coccidiosis. Most likely, in this case, the puppy was already infected before you got him. In a situation where loose stools appear after this period, the likelihood of coccidiosis is an order of magnitude less.

Prognosis and treatment

In many cases, the manifestations of the disease are very mild, but the younger the animal, the higher the risk of severe dehydration and death. In babies under five weeks of age, signs of dehydration increase almost instantly, and often nothing can be done (they cannot get into a vein, water cannot be absorbed through the inflamed gastrointestinal tract). If the young animals are already sick with some kind of infectious pathology, the prognosis is very doubtful, even negative.

Attention! Once again, we warn you that coccidiosis is very contagious, especially for young puppies. Even in isolated cases, the environment must be thoroughly disinfected to prevent other animals from getting sick.

Fortunately, coccidiosis is curable. Drugs such as sulfadimethoxine (Albon®) and trimethoprim-sulfadiazine (Tribrissen®) are very effective treatments. It is only important to remember that these medications do not kill coccidia, but only inhibit their reproduction. So the course of treatment is not limited to one day. As a rule, this takes from one to three weeks, and in doubtful cases the therapeutic course can be extended.

Sometimes you can read that coccidiosis in dogs can be treated by prescribing Trichopolum. In principle, this simple and cheap remedy really effectively destroys protozoa, but the medicine can also have a very negative effect on your dog’s health. So it should be used only in extreme cases when there is no other choice.

Preventive measures

Prevention plays an important role! Since coccidia is spread in the external environment through animal feces, it is very important to practice strict sanitation. All (!) feces are collected and burned. They cannot be thrown away, since cysts are very stable in the external environment. The possibility of contamination of water and food with the pathogen should be completely excluded. Clean water is especially important, and the sick animal is provided with plenty of it.

Note that most household disinfectants against coccidia cysts are not very effective. This is why you should use a 10% ammonia solution, boiling, steaming or burning. Remember that cysts can withstand freezing very well, so you shouldn’t rely on “General Frost” either: thoroughly clean and burn the floors of even outdoor enclosures!

Features of the disease coccidiosis in dogs

Coccidiosis is one of the infectious diseases that affects not only mammals, but also birds. This disease is caused by simple microorganisms, as a result of which its symptoms are similar to a viral infection, worms, some types of poisoning, dysbacteriosis, etc. First of all, this applies to dogs of various breeds.

Often the disease occurs against the background of some other diseases, which only blurs the clinical picture and aggravates each of the ailments. The causative agents of infection - coccidia - are tiny parasitic microorganisms that belong to the class of sporozoans. As a result, they can be present in the body of all animals and people. In this case, the preferred location for their localization is the epithelial cells of the intestine, liver and bile ducts. In addition, coccidia are also found in blood cells.

In industrial animal farming, the pathogen is very common. But at the same time, it can infect up to 55 percent of all domestic animals, which is due to the following factors:

• A method of parasitism inside body cells.
• Quite a high level of reproduction intensity. Up to two million new protozoa can arise from one spore.
• There are two methods of reproduction - asexual and sexual. As a result, parasites develop resistance to medications, as well as a large degree of variability in their subspecies.
• Due to the presence of a double-circuit shell, spores in the external environment do not react to many substances that are intended to destroy them.

Coccidiosis in dogs is the most common term used to describe this disease. There are also some analogues, such as isosporosis and eimeriosis. They come from synonyms of the names of the causative agent of infection.

Ways of transmission of the disease

In different regions, coccidiosis is found in 10-60 percent of examined dogs. Infection occurs through the alimentary method, that is, through the entry of pathogen spores into the animal’s mouth.

Among the transmission routes of the causative agent of coccidiosis, it is worth highlighting the following methods of infection:

• Excrement of sick animals. First of all, this applies to those dogs that have metabolic disorders.
• Some contaminated objects that animals have come into contact with. First of all, this applies to bowls, toys, etc.
• Water in which pathogen spores have entered. Most often this happens to those bodies of water in which animals swam or near which they were.
• Contaminated feed. If a sick dog eats from the same bowl as healthy ones, then the probability of infection of all individuals reaches almost 100 percent.
• Animal fur and skin. This primarily applies to groups of dogs that are in close proximity to each other. In addition, puppies can become infected in this way if infected nipples from bitches get into their mouths.

Among the most susceptible to parasites group are dogs aged from 2 weeks to 6 months. Adults, in turn, in the vast majority of cases act only as carriers of the disease. They only get sick when their immune system is suppressed. At the same time, puppies can become infected in quite good health.

In the external environment, coccidia spores do not die immediately, which is due to their resistance to many disinfectants. Pathogens respond best to high temperatures, reaching almost one hundred degrees Celsius. It is worth noting that there are also mechanical vectors of coccidiosis. Among them it is necessary to highlight some insects, certain species of rodents, as well as representatives of birds.

How is coccidiosis spread?

Coccidia enter the dog's body through the mouth. The main sources of infection can be:

• Excrement of sick animals. The risk group includes dogs prone to coprophagia. This is mainly typical for animals suffering from a lack of any substances.
• Dirty bowls, toys.
• Water contaminated with pathogenic spores.
• Puppies can become infected from a nursing mother through the nipple.
• The wearer's fur.

Eggs swallowed by an animal along with feces or fur enter the intestines, where they go through all stages of their biological cycle, gradually destroying intestinal cells.

The disease can be triggered by sudden changes in diet and poor care:

• change of feeding regime;
• worms;
• various infections;
• poor living conditions;
• stress associated with weaning.

Symptoms of the disease

Veterinarians distinguish acute and chronic forms of coccidiosis in dogs. The first affects mainly puppies, while the second affects adults. The incubation period of the disease, which is the time period from infection to the onset of symptoms, ranges from 3 days to 2 weeks. Among the forms of the disease, it is worth highlighting the intestinal, hepatic and mixed forms.

The symptomatic complex of the acute form of the disease in dogs is as follows:

1. The animal becomes lethargic and tired.
2. Sometimes the body temperature rises slightly, but not always. With the development of other symptoms, it is the opposite - it drops by several tenths of a degree.
3. Diarrhea with blood and mucus in the stool.
4. The occurrence of vomiting.
5. Intestinal bloating, that is, flatulence.
6. Increase in the size of the abdomen.
7. Exhaustion as symptoms develop.
8. As a result of diarrhea and vomiting, dehydration occurs, that is, dehydration.
9. The animal's fur becomes dull.
10. The occurrence of neurological disorders in the form of convulsions and tremors in the muscle muscles.
11. The mucous membranes of the dog's body begin to turn pale.

Small puppies rarely survive the acute phase of coccidiosis, since their body does not have the necessary capabilities to fight the pathogen. The chronic form of the disease has less pronounced signs and symptoms. Among them it is worth highlighting the following:

• The coat becomes pale.
• From time to time the animal vomits.
• Diarrhea often alternates with constipation.
• Over time, the dog's body becomes exhausted.
• Dysbacteriosis appears against the background of intestinal problems.
• The opportunistic microflora of the digestive tract is activated, as a result of which some infectious diseases develop, in addition to coccidiosis.
• Weakened immunity allows helminthic lesions to develop in the animal’s body.
• If the disease continues for a long time, the intestinal mucosa is destroyed.

This affects the absorption of nutrients, which after some time becomes the cause of the development of necrosis. This consequence only complicates the course of the disease. Even if the animal recovers, there is a high probability that the function of the digestive tract will be impaired for a long period of time.

Symptoms

The first signs of the disease appear when the parasites have already destroyed a huge number of cells and they simply do not have time to recover. The main symptoms of the acute form of the disease are:

• lethargy, apathy;
• weight deficiency;
• bloating;
• enlargement of the liver and other internal organs, and as a result, a protruding stomach;
• severe dehydration;
• bloody diarrhea;
• vomit;
• dull coat;
• tremor, convulsions;
• pallor of the skin.

At the slightest hint of poor health, immediately seek help from a veterinary hospital, because delay could cost your pet his life.

If the disease has become chronic, the sick dog will have:

• diarrhea alternating with constipation;
• severe dysbacteriosis;
• noticeable exhaustion;
• accompanying pathologies, for example, helminthic infestation.

Diagnosis of coccidiosis

When diagnosing coccidiosis, several factors must be taken into account, such as:

1. dog's medical history (duration of symptoms and timetable for their onset);
2. epidemiological situation in the area where the animal lives;
3. results of external examination;
4. autopsy of dead dogs.

The main criterion that allows you to confirm coccidiosis is the results of stool flotation studies. To improve microscopy results, a sugar solution is used. If, with standard magnification, the laboratory technician detects about 10 spores, he can make an appropriate diagnosis.

In order to diagnose coccidiosis, only the most standard equipment is needed in the form of a centrifuge, reagents and a microscope. Therefore, any laboratory can determine the disease. Often, studies should be carried out several times, since due to diarrhea in the stool, the pathogen may not be detected the first time.

Treatment options and prognosis

There are two principles for the treatment of coccidiosis in dogs that the doctor must adhere to:

1. Elimination of the main cause of the disease - the pathogen. For this purpose, specific (etiotropic) drugs are used.
2. Reducing the severity of symptoms.

Specific drugs directly combat coccidia. Veterinarians recommend using mainly sulfonamide medications for this purpose. But it is worth understanding that these drugs, along with some antibiotics, have been used to treat the disease for a very long time. Thus, there is a chance that they will simply be ineffective against a particular type of pathogen. Today, only Amprolium has not lost its beneficial properties. A remedy such as Coccidiovit can also help.

Among modern drugs, it is worth highlighting drugs based on such an active substance as Toltrazuil. Among them is a suspension called Baycox, which is manufactured by the Bayer Corporation. This drug is produced in concentrations of 2.5 and 5 percent.

For the treatment of puppies, as well as the prevention of coccidiosis in them, the drug Procox is used. Due to the presence of the substance Emodepside in it, this drug, in turn, also fights helminth infections in animals. Dehydration in dogs is treated with drip solutions. Among them, it is worth highlighting Reosorbilact, 5% glucose, Reopoliglucin, Ringer's solution and saline solution.

The inflammatory process can be removed by Traumeel, Cardus Compositum, Veracol, etc. Bleeding can be stopped with the help of Dicynon, Etamzilat and Vikasol. The digestive tract is soothed by Vetom and Lactobacterin. Engystol and Roncoleukin can boost the immune system. In some cases, other drugs may be used.

Coccidiosis can have completely different symptoms and treatments. That is why only a qualified specialist should determine the method of therapy based on the specific results of the examination and examination of the animal.

Other drugs and methods

In addition to the above medications, there are other drugs, for example, Tribussen, Bactrovet, Albon. All of them are sulfate based and, according to recent research, are quite safe.

Please note that treatment and medications must be prescribed by a veterinarian. Only an experienced specialist will select the most effective medicine, because coccidia adapt incredibly quickly and many active substances are no longer so effective in combating them.

As additional treatment, your pet may be prescribed:

• droppers to replenish the water-salt balance;
• medicines to relieve inflammation in the intestines;
• prebiotics to restore microflora and boost immunity;
• drugs to stop internal bleeding in the affected area;
• various medications to maintain the heart, blood vessels and restore the functioning of other internal organs.