Coccidiosis in Goats

Coccidiosis 

Numerous species of Eimeria (such as Coccidiosis) are found in goats in North America. The Eimeria spp are host-specific and are not transmitted from sheep to goats.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis and treatment are similar to those for cattle and sheep. Sulfadimidine at 55 g/tonne is also effective for the control of coccidiosis in goats. In nonlactating goats, adding monensin to the feed at 18 g/tonne is preventive.

E arloingi , E christenseni , and E ovinoidalis are highly pathogenic in kids. Clinical signs include diarrhea with or without mucus or blood, dehydration, emaciation, weakness, anorexia, and death. Some goats are actually constipated and die acutely without diarrhea. Usually, stages and lesions are confined to the small intestine, which may appear congested, hemorrhagic, or ulcerated, and have scattered pale, yellow to white macroscopic plaques in the mucosa. Histologically, villous epithelium is sloughed, and inflammatory cells are seen in the lamina propria and submucosa. In addition, there have been several reports of hepatobiliary coccidiosis with liver failure in dairy goats. Diagnosis of intestinal coccidiosis is based on finding oocysts of the pathogenic species in diarrheal feces, usually at tens of thousands to millions per gram of feces. It is not unusual to find oocyst counts as high as 70,000 in kids without overt disease, but weight gain may be affected.

Angora and dairy goats, raised under different management practices, may have similar patterns of exposure of kids. Just after parturition, nursery pens and surrounding areas may be heavily contaminated with oocysts from does. Resistance to infection is decreased just after shipping, changing rations, introducing new animals, or mixing young with older animals. Coccidiostats can be administered to a herd immediately after diagnosis or as a preventive in predictable situations such as those mentioned above.

Treatment

 Medicine needed for the following (In order below): Corid (amprolium) OR Sulmet Drinking Water Solution OR Dimethox Drinking Water Solution (DO NOT USE ALL AT ONCE)

 

  Treating coccidiosis is a 5 day process
1st day: 6 tablespoons (3 fl oz) for each 100 lb body weight
providing approximately 112.5 mg/lb (247.5 mg/kg) body weight.
2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th days: 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 fl oz) for each 100
lb body weight,
providing approximately 56.25 mg/lb (123.75 mg/kg)body weight.
NOTE:1 TBSP (tablespoon) equals 15ccs or 15mls, so when you draw this up into a syringe you can figure this easily
Even though this is a "drinking water solution"- adding it to the water as opposed to using this directly from the bottle undiluted- you cannot gauge how much each animal is getting- do Please - use this directly from the bottle undiluted in the amounts stated above (adjust as needed per your goats approximate weight) so you are sure of the amount your goat has ingested.
In addition to treating the coccidia, you will also need to treat the gut for inflammation and try to stop the scouring without the use of anti-diarrheal medications.
To stop inflammation in the gut:
Over-the-counter people medication, Tagamet 200 can be given to your goats:
For kids the dosage is one half of a Tagamet 200 tablet daily for 5 consecutive days.
For Adult goats, use one Tagamet 200 tablet daily.
Pills and tablets can be crushed in 2 spoons and a very small amount of water added from a dripping faucet to wet the dry powder and then give this on the spoon orally to the goat. OR an Unbroken pill can be hidden in a rolled up piece of bread and allow the goat to eat it- Make sure the pill doesn't get spitted out. Also, a small amount of Pepto-Bismol given orally may also be used to coat the lining of the stomach reducing gut irritation.

To stop watery scouring:
By far the best (although a vet prescription is required) is called TMP-SDZ
Generic Name
Trimethoprim/Sulfadiazine
Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole

Brand Names
Tribrissen (veterinary-approved trimethoprim/sulfadiazine) also known as TMP-SDZ, SDZ-TMP, Co-trimazine

Septra, Bactrim (human-approved trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole)
200mg/40mg per 5 mL - dosage is 2mls or 2ccs given orally for a 100lb goat- overdosing can cause constipation!

One more note:
You may hear that adult goats cannot get coccidiosis, that this is Only a kid disease. NOT TRUE!
I learned the hard way years ago which is why I decided to research and write this article for you.
The following photos are of my goat "Boopie" who lost her life due to coccidia after kidding. I did have a fecal done, BUT Important!a normal fecal exam does not allow enough time for the coccidia oocysts (eggs) to float to the top - an additional 5-15 minutes is required for this to show in a fecal exam- so if you are dealing with a non goat vet- let them know this.

The color of the inner eyelid membrane is light due to blood loss internally due to the coccidia in this goat's system. The "bottlejaw" edema has traveled to the eye area in this photo- this goat is suffering from anemia due to coccidiosis.

This photo shows the bottlejaw of this goat who has severe anemia due to coccidiosis- improperly diagnosed by the vet who did the fecal exam. This goat died a week after these photos were taken- Lesson: Adult goats CAN get coccidiosis- it is Not just a neonatal disorder-a second fecal exam was taken at the time of death showing a very heavy cocci load.