Coccidiosis. One of the number one problems in goat kids that goes untreated. Failure to thrive, diarrhea, lack of weight gain, and stunted growth are a few of the things that are caused by coccidiosis. Coccidiosis is a "stealth killer" of goats because symptoms are easy to miss and irreversible damage can be done if the illness is not quickly treated. Once a kid has an overload of coccidia in their gut, they need to be treated asap but it will take a long time for them to fully recover. While adult goats can get coccidiosis, young kids with their immature immune system make them more susceptible to this disease. Prevention is key.
Dewormers have no effect on coccidia. Medication required for treating coccidiosis, both preventatively and curatively, is totally different from deworming products.
To prevent your kids from ever getting coccidiosis, they need to be on a prevention program. There are are many drugs that can be used, but I like the following two as they have been proven to work and are fairly easy to administer. Starting when the kids are 3-4 weeks old, our kids are re-treated once a month until they are approximately 6 months old.
Our first choice now is Baycox (Toltrazuril). It is a very simple 1 dose treatment. Many breeders have been successfully dosing at 1 cc per 5 lbs bodyweight, given orally.
Our second choice is Sulmet (Drinking Water Solution 12.5%). We have used this for years before becoming aware of the Baycox. The downfall to using Sulmet is that it is a 5 day treatment, which can be rather inconvenient. The dosage is 1 cc per 5 lbs bodyweight for day one, and 1 cc per 10 lbs bodyweight for the following four days.
Suriyah
7 comments:
Hi Suriyah,
What age do you start preventative measures for this? (The kids were getting are 8 weeks old and have been to the vet and gotten a clean bill of health.)
Thanks,
Lisa
Hello Lisa,
We start our kids at one month old. If you're kids are 8 weeks, I would first check with the breeder to see if they were just given any coccidiosis medication. If not, treat them when they arrive.
Thanks, Suriyah! :)
No problem! If you need anything else, let me know ;)
Thanks again! I might be popping by often with a question - or 5. :)
Suriyah, I had a vet out last month and he took some fecal smaples of a doe that had just feshened the day before to twins. She had stopped eating and drinking. He said she had coccidiosis. So I treated her with Albon. I just ordered Dimethox concentrate Sulfadimethoxine from Hoegger. It says to start at 3 weeks old give 1 1/2 cc by mouth 2x daily for 1 week then 1 1/2 cc once week. until weaned. I was wondering if you have ever used it or is this like that 2nd thing you mentioned.
And being that the doe had coccidiosis, are her kids more likely to have it? I just gave them both CDT shots too. They are both small kids, born almost 3 weeks ago.
Thanks so much for all your great information. I know you are really young, but you have so much experience and I learn a lot from you.
Hello Kris, I am sorry for not getting back to you sooner.. been busy!
I have never used either of those coccidiosis treatments, but I know many people that have used them with success. Sounds like you are on the right track with the doe.
No, the kids are no more likely to have it than any other kids. That being said, since they are 3 weeks old (or almost), I would go ahead and treat them for coccidiosis as a preventative. It is much easier to prevent than treat.
Thank you :)
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