Coccidia - What to Expect?
 

I just bought a baby Yorkie last Thursday (born 04-01-07) and she's been diagnosed with Coccidia. I've been giving her Albon for 6 days now. She's 1.7lbs. Yesterday was bloody/mucous and today pretty much water. What more should I expect?

I'm so broken hearted by her lack of...anything. She won't eat, she won't walk, except to go in the grass to poop (water), and I have to feed her baby food/Karo with a syringe.

She also had a low sugar attack last Friday night and was VERY bad off by the time I got her to the vet the next morning. They had to give her two shots of Dextrose in two hours. Vet felt so bad for me (I was a totoal blubbering idiot) that he took her home with him for the weekend! I'm now giving her NutriCal throughout the day because she won't eat anything. I've tried baby food, dog food(s), french fry, burger patty from McDonalds...nothing! She'll sniff but turn her head away. Is her tummy upset from the Coccidia?

It just seems she's going downhill and I don't know what to do! I'm fixing to go to the store to buy Pedialyte, however, she does drink water when I take her outside but after reading about Coccidia, I'm afraid it is/will dehydrate her.

I just need some advice from others who have gone through this too because I have always had big dogs and have a 3yr old Cocker Spaniel and I've never had this kind of problems with a new puppy!

Emergency
 

If you have not already you need to get your puppy to a vet immediately. HGE is a very serious condition which has the mucousy, bloody poops and anorexia (not wanting to eat) is a major part of the condition. It can kill a small puppy in hours. GO TO THE VET, even an emergency vet. Your puppy needs support with fluids and antibiotics immediately.

Keep up what you are doing with the Karo & see that she drinks plenty of fluids.
Also keep her away from any other dogs.
Have you talked to her breeder?

Welcome to YT. Sorry you are starting out with a sick baby.

I think you do need to get back to the vet asap too - that should already be clearing up - you may want to try another vet or double check that medication because she should NOT be having that many symptoms after 6 days - and she MUST eat...there's something else going on poor baby

GOOD LUCK !

ps - have an ER hospital number ready just in case - too many people don't know where the closest is and it's good to have all that information at your fingertips JUST IN CASE

I'm so sorry your new baby is sick. :( I think you should take her to see the vet. The condition might just worsen and she is already so small.

Please keep us all updated on her.

When I bought Sophie back in March she did the EXACT same thing but only after 1 day of getting her 9(picked her up on a Sunday). I had her to the vet the day after I bought her(Monday), her bloodsugar was 37 and of course not eating, drinking etc....
they started me on stuff, I was up EVERY 1 1/2 giving her Nutri-cal, making sure she was respondant and not dropping sugar etc... Tuesday night she absolutely almost died, got her pulled out of her almost coma like state then her Wednesday I took her back to the vet and asked them to keep her for monitoring, fluids, meds and a bile acid test (needed to make sure she didnt have a liver stunt too). She had lost 3 ozs in those 3 days. She weighed 1.6 when I bought her and 1.3 when I admitted her into the hospital. NOT good for babies that little to loose so much so fast.

I tell you this much..... the puppy I picked up Thursday night was a COMPLETELY different dog than what I picked up on Suday from the breeder. She was a "puppy" not a lying around, do nothing dog. Sophie was kissing me, making her way all around my face and neck. She was soooo different that my comment to the vet was..."Did you guys giver her speed or something?" I LOVED it and from that day forward she has been a PURE JOY!! We did have to do 2 rounds of albon after that day but if you saw her now you would NEVER guess she was sooooo sick.

There IS hope and if you get it taken car of quickly, you will enjoy a very playful, happy baby!!!
Good luck and I will keep watching for updates on your baby

P.S. ... I just want to note that the vet I use..... it is a 24 hour vet clinic/hospital with approx 6 vets on staff. I chose this vet because 1) I had heard good reviews 2) It was 24 hr. No matter what, no matter when I KNEW I could get them in to an office familiar with my babies. You might see if there is one near you. Mine is approx 25 minute drive but worth it to me

Thanks for the welcome and replies!

I haven't called the breeder because of several reasons: 1) She's never called to check on the puppy 2) She didn't give me ANY advice about possible hypoglycemia etc. 3) her guarantee was only for 48 hours and if she dies in 30 days then I have to have an autopsy performed and then, only organs are covered. Sound on the up & up to you? I don't figure she will be of much help...

Dot wasn't like this when I picked her up from the breeder BUT she wasn 't running and jumping around either. The vet said that the hypoglycemia was caused by stress from being brought home (not eating/depressed) and from the coccidia, which started hatching because of the stress so, she had a double whammy from the get go at her new home.

I just wanted to see if the Albon was making her tummy upset and
see if maybe I should give her some Keopectate and how much? She isn't dehydrated but that is in the back of my mind also.

My vet told me all I needed to know about hypoglycemia and I've done alot of research about it as well. He also said that because of her age, she is still technically, or considered, very young compared to other dogs/breeds.

I'm sure she will grow out of all this once I get her past this critical stage/age/weight but until then I want to make sure she's not in any pain. I have to give her 7cc's of Albon for 10 days and today is the 7th day.

I'll call her vet's office tomorrow morning!

:aimeeyork

Michelle,
48 Hrs???? That is hardly enough time to even get her to a vet for a vet check. I would DEFINATELY at least call the breeder and let her know what has gone on. The breeder I got Sophie from gave me 2 options, which I chose neither becuase I already loved her to much, they were 1) bring her back to her and let HER bring her back to good health or 2) bring her back and trade for her sister.

Good luck with getting her beyond this, please post if you have any other questions and OF COURSE with updates on Dot.

Coccidia incubation time is 13 days - if your puppy came down with it in that time frame then she came to you with it....which means the breeders other puppies are infected too probably - and your breeder sounds just like Chanel's breeder was when she had it. She played dumb acting like she didn't even know what it was and then never took another call again after I told her what my vet told me.

your puppy should have already responded to the meds - you should not be seeing blood still - :(

sick puppy
 

Forgive me for being too blunt and please let me know group if you think I am out of line with what I say.
Michelle I can't reinterate enough that this little girl needs vet care right now, not in the morning. If you have an emergency vet within 50 miles you need to get on the road. If you call your vets office they should have a recording of who to contact in an emergency. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY. If she will not eat or drink the coccidia has progressed and you may be dealing with HGE. She needs supportive fluids and nothing to eat or drink until her system calms down. Due to her sugar problem you can't do this at home and keep her alive. You said she had a sugar drop on Friday and was pretty bad off when you got her to the vets in the morning. That should tell you that her problems that are this serious cannot wait until morning.
I apologize for being so blunt with my advice but I have bred yorkies for over 30 years and this cannot wait until in the morning.
Yvonne

Hi Michelle,

I live very near you and my puppy also had coccidia when I got her. You really need to take her back to the vet. If your vet doesn't seem sufficiently concerned, look for another one. I use Archer Road Animal Hospital in Baytown but they are not 24 hour. Abshier-Meuth on 146 in Baytown is and they are the ones who first diagnosed the coccidia in my pup.

Your puppy should not still be passing bloody, mucousy stools at this point and you really may not have much time to get this corrected if she is very small. If she is still running around and playing, it may be that she is not eating because of the Nutrical you are giving her but you cannot afford not to give it to her either.

Did they test her blood sugar when you took her in? Don't feel like a pest with the vet, or if you do, don't worry about it. You can always find another vet but this may be the only chance you have with this puppy.

I would love to know where you purchased your puppy. If you don't feel free to post that information, would you please pm me with it.

Please keep us updated. We are all concerned about your baby.:(

So sorry to hear about your new puppy's problems. I, too, have been having many problems with my little Maggie who is 9 weeks. She was bought by a girl at work (who I bought her from because her little boy was not being gentle) from a breeder at 5 weeks, much too young. I am not sure how much more my nerves can take. I love this little puppy so much already but her problem does not seem to be getting better, after several trips to vet which is costing me more than I can afford. She was diagnosed with Coccadia also and has been on Albon for almost 2 weeks. She walks around hunched up in "pooping mode" 95% of the time and poops approx. 20 times a day. Her little bottom is so raw. I took her back to the vet Friday and he did an xray. He said she was full of poop and gave her an enema. She seemed to feel so much better when we got home and I thought that the problem may be resolved because she seemed normal for a few hours. Then yesterday we start over again....she constantly is pooping. I couldn't believe she had so much in her when she seems to go all the time. The vet said she may be holding back because she is so raw and it had built up in her. She wasn't raw yesterday when this started again but now she is again. I was holding her a little while ago and she went on me. Can't even hold her without her going! I feel your frustration and don't know what to do. I realized when I bought her there would be some expense involved and needed her for company. But, my financial situation will not allow me to keep taking her back to vet. I don't want to get rid of her. No one is going to buy her with this problem anyway. I have thought that if someone would take her that can spend more time with her (I work all day) that I would not even want the full amount paid. I just wish I had an answer. Why she goes so much...I don't know. Sorry, didn't mean to take over your post but I feel your pain and frustration. We want these little ones to be well. Still don't have camera to post pic but will have one soon I hope.

By the way, I agree with everyone.....your baby seems to be having much worse symptoms than my Maggie with Coccadia. She does eat and plays (in between the poops). I have not seen bloody mucous in Maggie's poops. I can't even get in touch with the breeder who sold this puppy to the girl at work. The phone number has been disconnected and the lady met her with the pups. I have an address on the CKC form and wrote her a letter Friday. Doubt she will respond. I basically asked her if she always sells pups that young....grrrrrrr.

For those dealing with coccidia or HGE - screw your breeders and talk to the vet - I know there are many caring ethical breeders out there but if you've already tried and are getting nothing - forget about them

just concentrate on getting your puppies better - that means see the vet and if you see no improvement - SEE ANOTHER VET.

sorry to sound like that - but we can't count on all breeders to help and they can't DO anything for you - it's ok to let them know your puppy is sick - but for medical attention emergencies - put the breeder out of your head

Sewgramy is right - these very young puppies can't go long without fluids and eating so treat this as an emergency if your puppy isnt responding or is lethargic

good luck !

LOL ! I sounded like a raving lunatic ! didn't mean to - but I did want to stress that hypoglycemia - Coccidia & HGE in very young puppies is nothing to fool with. When a puppy isn't geting the fluids and food they need their dehydrated little bodies can go into convulsions or shock

Dehydration in a young puppy can happen VERY Easily - even with Syringe feeding.

I learned this the hard way because it COULD have happened to me ...I had to rush Chanel to the ER at 2 am due to her being lethargic ...it started 5 days after getting her and was coccidia - but the other symptoms are what could have ended her life - So it's very important any signs of illness are treated right away and if your puppy isn't responding to meds - CALL THE VET AGAIN please....

about the breeders - my opinion is ...A caring ethical breeder will walk you thru everything - a GREEDER will kick you to the curb once they have your money.

Okay just took her out (she lets me know by her urgency) and she had a semi-loose stool with no blood present and it was actually a lt.tan/lt. green tint. BTW: She has never LOST her will to drink water...she just turns her nose up to food! She'll sniff it but won't eat it. Tuesday, I warmed some ckn baby food and she almost jumped out of my daughters hand for it and I hadn't given her the Albon yet. The vet told me to make sure she eats so I've been feeding her by syringe after that because I thought the Albon took her appetite.

Let me clarify: Dot will sit up and follow me around but she's just not a typical playful puppy as I expect all puppies to be. My vet, who I have complete trust in, said she will most likely sleep 20 hours a day until I get her weight up and some fat built up in her liver.

If I put her in her crate, which she wasn't crate trained when I got her because they let her run around a HUGE house with her mother, then she will/does not sleep. Her place of choice is on my neck/shoulder and then she's in "hog heaven", no shivering, no wimpering...just sleep which is what she needs. In fact, right now she's nuzzled up on my collar bone soundly sleeping. Before that, she tried walking over the keyboard just to get to me! She's definitely a sweet little baby girl who likes being cuddled!

I am still going to call the vet in the A.M. because she is due for her next round of shots but we need her healthy beforehand.

Thank you all because I really do appreciate all that have responded, blunt or not, I really do thank you for your help and support. I have never had a dog require this much care from the get go, or EVER for that matter. I know several people with yorkies and they have "since" warned me, after I bought Dot, of course, that they are a lot to handle and care for.

I've already fallen in love with her and will do whatever I can do for her and her health! I will keep everyone posted after our visit tomorrow.

P.S. I just emailed the breeder to briefly let her know what's been going on and to warn her about the Coccidia. Let's see if she responds to my email!?!

That's GREAT news !! I'm so glad she's eating - maybe she's on the mend now and before you know it - she'll be racing around like the little maniacs yorkie puppies are. Once she's feeling better you'll see a big difference in how playful she is....My oldest Chanel is 5 and is still the TOY HOG of the house - she'll play with anything and everything - always has...Cheri is much more centered on favorite toys - but both are very active happy dogs - and yours will be too when she's healthy

Good for you and keep up the good work - but I'd def watch her like a hawk and make sure she doesn't show any more symptoms of Hypoglycemia or the coccidia.

Edited - I noticed you're in Beaumont - that's very close to where I live - stick around - we have yorkie meetups and maybe one day you can bring your puppy to one.

diarrhea
 

Do a web search on the benefits of diatomaceous earth and coccidia, you'll get testimonies of dog owners who have immediate results. My puppy had diarrhea I mixed 1/4 tspn in with her food and voila! all gone. Now, I feed my dogs according to weight one serving of DE to combat parasites because I never know if they're ingesting something outside. It's also great for fleas, ticks, ants, etc as a topical agent. Good luck.

Keep giving her the chicken baby food if she will eat. It is most important that she eat. When you know that she is stronger, you can start weaning her back to a good quality kibble such as Chicken Soup or Canidae or you can mix it with the baby food Right now, you just want to keep her eating.

Actually if your vet diagnosed the coccidia right away, he or she probably is dependable. It took me several visits & 3 vets before we finally came up with a coccidia diagnosis. Apparently it is hard to spot the oocysts in the stool sample.

Just watch her very close and don't mind pestering the vet and feel free to ask anything you need to ask here. There are a lot of experienced and caring breeders that are great to share their knowledge with us.:)

:yay_jump:GO DOT GO :yay_jump:
Keep your head up Michelle... sounds like she is gonna start coming around

So glad to hear that your baby is eating now and seems to be doing better :) My little Tatum had Coccidia about 2 weeks ago. I took her in to see the vet after nearly having a heart attack when I saw that she had bloody/gel-like diarrhea. She was also on Albon, and is still taking Amoxi Drops (tonight she gets her last dose and will be done with the entire bottle). She was also taking Pro-Pectalin Gel, which helped stop the diarrhea. After being on all these meds for literally - only ONE day, she had no more diarrhea and was eating like normal again. It took her a few days to start playing and acting crazy like she normally does - but all is fine now and she is SO much better, thank God :)

I will say a prayer for your little one in hopes that she continues to do well. I know how scary this can be!

Big hugs!

Dont forget the yogurt, it helps w/diareah & over all health.

I have seen that many times w/pound puppies I rescued. It is a parasite that over grows when immune is low do to stress caused by being scared normally-loud noises ect. It is very common in kennels such as pounds, puppymills, etc. Because of all the noise & lack of care & attention. If your vet is giving you a 7 day supply, you will have to go back 3 or 4 times to treat it. It takes a full 21 day treatment to clear. The vet knows that but 1 visit is $25-35, 3 is cha ching :( You can order it on yahoo shopping albon 5% http://www.discountpetdrugs.com/alli52oz.html only $10 plus shipping. But if you are out or will be before it gets to you then you need to ask the vet for another 7 day supply, you may try just asking for a 14 day supply. Coccidiosia is very serious, any other pet that comes in your house or on any ground your puppy went to the bathroom on can get it. I normally did a 21 day treatment clean any area number 2 was done with ammonia, then rince, then bleach & rinse. I would keep to training crates, bath when stool is in the crate & may be on pup, move to clean crate & clean dirty crate, do this up to one week after 21 days of medicine is finished. Sorry so legnthy, coccidiosis is a pain forsure:rolleyes: you will find this article helpful http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/beag...occidiosis.htm

Lucy was diagnosed with coccidia at her last vet visit, it showed up in her stool sample, it didn't show up the week prior though. Anyway they have her Albon suspension which I was told to administer 1 cc. for 9 days she just finished yesterday. She never had diarhea or anything weird in her stool and the vet said it was a very small trace.

She's very playful, eats fine, in fact she already weighs 3.4 pounds (shes 16 weeks) when we got her at 12.5 weeks she weighed 2.7 pounds. Is she gaining too much weight too fast?

Another question do you think 9 days of the Albon is enough? This is her second time on it I believe she was given rounds of it prior to purchasing her.

Michelle I am so glad to hear that she is doing better. Thank you for not getting offended with my bluntness. All yorkies are not so hard to raise. I have nine yorkies and one maltese and two of mine are under 2 pounds as adults. I do worry about the little ones more but they are prooving to be pretty sturdy and healthy. Maxx is 12 and Pansy is 3. They think they are just as strong as their "normal" size friends here. They all grow out of the sugar drops unless there is something else wrong. My Maxx eats only twice a day and sometimes only once a day and he has not had a sugar problem since he was about 4 months old. Let us know what the vet says.
Yvonne

i hope everything turns out ok. don't call the breeder, write a letter and have it sent so that she has to sign for it so that you know you have advised her of the problem. if you write the letter, on the envelope, do not put your return address on their b/c she may refuse to sign for it. you have to do something so that these poor breeders will stop what they are doing. i would also send her copies of the medical bills and copies of the medicine you have to administer. lastly, i would include a copy of the description of the condition she has so that she knows that the puppy had it prior to you adopting her.

i hope everything goes well with her and please do something with the breeder.

Dot update - not good
 

I took Dot in this morning and she had lost 3oz and her temp was 96 (supposed to be 100-101) meaning she can't regulate her own body heat. The vet (3rd one she's seen now) said he would get her temp up with a heating pad and give her fluids under the skin so he could run some tests and he would call me. That was at 9:30 a.m. Vet called at noon today to tell me her liver functions were elevated, B.U.N. was elevated and her Albumin was elevated and I had 3 choices: 1) let her go on as she's been doing 2) have more tests run and do the minimal invasive 3) have a full range of tests and see what they find out...no guarantee on any of them if she'll survive. I was obviously upset with the news so he said to think about it and call him back in an hour or so. After talking with my co-workers, I called back an hour later and asked him if she was on an IV. He said no, that he wanted to get her temp up and had given her subcutaneous fluids so he could run the tests. I told him that everything he told me in the PRIOR phone call, I had looked up and everyone of them says it was due to DEHYDRATION (remember she had diarrhea for two days) Anyway, I told him that I wanted her on an IV for her dehydration and something given to her, possibly, for the diarrhea, hopefully some nutrition, via IV, and we would see from there.

I called back at 4:00 and Dot was resting and Vet was in with a patient but he they would leave message to have him call me. At 5:00 still no call from vet so I went up there. Luckily he was still there. We talked rather lengthly about Dot's health, the breeder, and alot of things that I needed to get out. He did tell me that he "tubed" her to get some nutrition in her.

I mean, I've had her for "technically" 11 days and she's been to the vet 3 times already. We haven't even been able to play with her and now I'm so broken hearted that that sweet little baby girl is going through all this, I can't even begin to tell you.

He told me that I needed to contact the breeder and let her know what was going on and that he would document what I needed if she gave me any problems. I don't think I'll ever get any satisfaction out of her, I just want Dot to be a healthy/happy little girl!

I asked to see Dot. It was pitiful. She was in a cage just laying there with her back to the cage door and an IV running in her neck and purple gauze to keep it there. I picked her up but her little eyes didn't have any "umph" in them...I told vet that I would leave her there for the night and see what tomorrow brings...he said he would go home and eat some dinner and go back up there to check on her a couple more times tonite. He'd call me in the morning. I need to go now, it's breaking my heart.

:eyetearss

Have you ever had her checked for Giardia??? I would get a snap test done asap. I wouldn't even bother with a spin test if it was me - the snap is much better at finding it. It's sooo worth it to know if she has it. The green poo and not wanting to eat really gets me thinking that could be it. You won't get rid of the coccidea if she has this as her body will still be too stressed from having the giardia. Keep up with the kryo syrup - coccidea drains a pup really bad. Also, her levels could all be higher just because she has been sick for so long. Please let me know what you find out!! I

No No No..... I am sooooo sorry to hear this. I hope that the fluids and such get her back up to feeling a little better and further tests reveal she is treatable.
Please keep us posted
Angi

i am so sorry little Dot is having such a hard time. Unless there is something else going on that is complicating things, hopefully the vet will get the coccidia under control quickly. I hope that we all get better news tomorrow.