Both Coccidia and Giardia are common protozoan infestations which I call invaders. Both have the same clinical symptoms, which is why I recommend that you treat both one after the other. I feel Coccidia should be treated for 14-21 days with Sulfadimethoxine (Albon) and Giardia should be treated for 5 days with Fenbendazole (Safeguard). If your first choice of treatment works then great you have solved the issue, if not proceed with the treatment plan, but please always consult with your veterinarian and/or an educated breeder/owner before medicating your dog.
WHAT IS COCCIDIA AND WHO DO I ASK?
Next to Giardia, Eimeria and/or Isospra protozal "Coccidia" is one of the most prevalent invaders of canines, humans, and other animals in North America. More invaders that were simply created to infect, but these two are families, that are made up by a large number of different species, that infect a wide range of animals throughout the world. A dog can be diagnosed with Coccidia by either clinical or fecal evaluation by a veterinarian or an educated breeder.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AS WELL AS WHAT HARM/RISK ARE ASSOCIATED WITH AN INFECTION?
Normally seen following a stressful situation like relocation to a new home and/or owners, long car/plane trips, overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and others; signs of Coccidia really depends on the state of the dog and invasion at the time of observation. Some species symptoms are so mild that they might go unnoticed to mild watery diarrhea maybe with a small amount of blood diarrhea that eventually disappears. While other species cause symptoms so server like watery poop with a lot of of mucosa and blood normally accompanied with straining, dehydration, and weight loss because they refuse to eat so that quickly may turn fatal, because of the invaders have the ability to multiply extremely quick, damaging the intestinal lining.
HOW CAN AN INFECTION BE TREATED FOR LESS?
Coccidia is normally treated orally, using a very safe liquid Sulfadimethoxine typically called Albon, which can get pricey along with the cost of office visits to the veterinarian. The length of treatment is typically somewhere between 10-21 days, but depends on the veterinarians and their observation. Well good thing there is effective treatment that's available without needing a prescription, and the way I treat Coccidia with my own dogs only cost a fraction of what it should and is very effective.
What I do is spend less money and buy 1-gallon of generic Albon (DI-METHOX Sulfadimethoxine 12.5% solution) and 1-gallon of a high calorie supplement called (Dyne) to make 5% Albon, like what you would get from your veterinarian but, without needing a prescription. Buying both by the gallon will make enough 5% Albon to medicate a kennel full of dogs for several months or even years, and save you a considerable amount of money. The Dyne also makes this mixture palatable. The formula for this mixture is: 4 ounces of Sulfadimethoxine 12.5% x 5 ounces of Dyne.
So every 5 cc's/ml's contain 250 mg of Sulfadimethoxine.
The first dosage (Day-1) your dog should receive 5 cc's/ml's per 10 lb of body weight.
Days-2 to Day 21 or number of days recommended for your dog, the dog should receive 2.5 cc's/ml's per 10 lb of body weight every 24 hours.
I treat my dogs for 14-21 days depending on the severity of the case, administered to them orally with an oral syringe. It can also be given to your dog in its food or a sure way of knowing they received the proper dosage, orally with an oral syringe like I do.
BUT I HAVE MULTIPLE DOGS OR A KENNELS, WHAT THEN AND HOW DO I ELIMINATE IT?
If the invaders are present in a single dog but you have multiple dogs or a kennel don't worry, it can be approached in two ways, one is isolation and treatment of infected dog and the other mass treatment of all dogs. Either way you will need to treat for 10-21 days followed up in a week with another fecal check. The way I go about it is, if one of my dogs become invaded I treat all of them to be safe.
Next,the kennel area and yard must be cleaned with disinfectant throughly, this is essential so that you are able to prevent the spread of these invaders. You will need to use bleach at 1:10 water ratio, or quaternary ammonium disinfectants. Let it set for 30 minutes for hard surfaces (not dirt or grass)and then rinse thoroughly if you don't use an dial sprayer. After that all you need to do is let it completely dry before letting the dogs back into the yard or kennels. The disinfection of grass and dirt is almost impossible, such area should are regarded as contaminated for at least a month after the invaded dog has been in that area. This is one of the main reasons I spray down my grass and dirt at least twice a week with bleach and quaternary ammonium, but not on the same days.
HOW CAN AN INVASION BE PREVENTED?
I'm just going to keep it 100 with you, its very unlikely that you will 100% eliminate Coccidia in all dogs. Coccidia will and can spread rapidly and easily from dog to dog. If one of my dogs has it, all of my dogs get treated and I highly recommend you do the same, even if only one dog shows the symptoms or has a proven case. A repeat fecal sample should be collected and checked one week after treatment to see if the dog and/or dogs are still passing cysts, so that it can be treated immediately. Its also known that if you have a large number of dogs, one or multiple dogs may be carriers of these invaders that will most likely be the source of another invasion into your kennel. Regardless if you get treatment from your veterinarian or take the steps that I do the facts are you may not kill all of the Coccidia's cyst, because some of these invaders can burrow into the intestinal lining and go dormant for years; only to reactivate in times of stress and start the cycle all over. Things that I do are, segregate and medicate new dogs/pups for 10 days when they arrive, reduce stress by keeping a set number of dogs to prevent overcrowding, and keep up with good sanitation practices.
This is not all the information about Coccidia but its a quick run down summed up and simplified for the youngest mind.
