Is this coccidia? UPDATE on fecals- HIGH STRANGENESS.... PLEASE LOOK

[ksalvagno]

The Ohio State Lab does a great job on fecals. I think you have to have the vet send it in but you could contact them and see if you can send one in. I have had some weird stuff come back on fecals from the state lab. My alpaca vet even stopped doing her own fecals and just sends them in to the state lab.

 

[Pixie Dust]

Thanks Karen - that's great to know. It would be worth driving up there to get straight answers. My DH goes to Lex three times a week. I wonder if there are similar resources at UK.

Pix's poo was firming up and now she's scouring again. I ordered the Di-Methox from Jeffers - they wanted $100 in shipping to get it here tomorrow. Since her poo appeared to be firming, I opted for Monday delivery. I wish I had just paid the $100. When she scours, she grinds her teeth. I gave her some more yogurt and some pepto. I am still scared to give her the scour halt, as she had rumen issues last Spring after demonstrating these same symptoms that could not be diagnosed. I am afraid to give her aspirin. Her system is so delicate that I am concerned about damage to the rumen. I read that you can give 81 mg. for pain either baby or adult aspirin, but I am terrified to keep adding to the mix of chemicals in her system

I gave her the Sulmet Oblet solution this morning. 3/4 of a tablet, watered down to drench. Should I give her more? Is there any danger in another dose? What I didn't do was give her another Safeguard (5cc) dose. Should I? Does that have any effect on cocci?

I called to vet to see if he had any Di-Methox in his arsenal. Had to leave a message.

Arggggg. There isn't enough wine in the world to erase this stress.

 

[ksalvagno]

I would get Probios and give her Probios daily for at least a week. I think Probios offers more than yogurt.

Sorry, I thought you were in Ohio. You can look into your state lab and see if you can send in a fecal sample.

I've never used Sulmet so I don't know.

 

[Pixie Dust]

I've been giving Goats Prefer Probios, but ... she hates it. Its even peanut butter flavored. I am going to go force her little jaws open again and give her a good squirt. She hates me so right now. I am the bringer of icky things and discomfort.

I am in Ohio - Cincinnati. Hubby works for a company in Lexington. Drives down there about three days per week. Karen, thanks so much for hanging with me on this I so love this goat. Like a child to me.

 

[GLENMAR]

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/8346_coccidia21.jpg


I got it. I saw several of these on the slide, clearly. Unfortunately, by the time I got the camera hooked up, they had crystalized and were becoming too hazy to capture.

Weird thing is - This photograph is of Avian cocci. The eggs are perfectly round. Truly identical to this image.

Has anyone ever heard of Avian cocci infecting goats? Is there some strange metamorphosis in protozoan going on here?

I am truly at a loss.

She is doing better, on the road, etc.

Same thing happened to her after Bo's freshening. Vet ( who also owns goats) said fecals were negative for everything.

Something weird is going on here. Ideas??

Looks like a White Blood Cell.

 

[Pixie Dust]

What would white blood cell signify? Leukemia?

 

[babsbag]

In people it would be an indicator of an intestinal tract infection or inflamation. However I don't know if WBC are normally found and only a problem if more than a certain amount are found. Maybe they are there simply because her intestianl tract is inflamed.

Has she been checked for salmonella or other infections or other things that can cause intestinal inflamations, like Giardia?

 

[Cricket]

Avian cocci can be in non-host species, just 'passing through'. (my dogs, who eat chicken poop, show it. My vet has instructed me to not let them do that.:/). I'm not a goat person, but would also suggest you look at Giardia. At least in people, it can encyst and reoccur (so is sort of dormant?). It also screws up your system so that other bacteria that normally aren't a problem, explode.

I had it late last fall and didn't go to the dr. for a month, as it would get better, then not. From what I've read, by the time it's encysted, antibiotics aren't apt to work (or a at least you go thru the, "well, let's try this next" thing). When it would start to reoccur with me, (which starts with bloat), I'd drink ACV in water and it was immediate improvement and it would nip it in the bud (or bloom!).

Don't know how this would translate to goats. Good luck:

 

[Pixie Dust]

I didn't see any giardia in her fecal, but I am still so bad at this. The vet didn't report any giardia either, although I think I remember him saying something about it being a send away test. What he had me do was give 5cc's of safeguard every day for five days. He said it would kill giardia.

If I can't get a quick test done for giardia, should I continue to give the safeguard and sulmet? I don't want to overload her system but I have to do something. The Di-methox won't be here until Monday unless I can get some from the vet.

If this is giardia, wouldn't it be likely that the other two girls would have it as well? Isn't it highly contagious?

She also just lost one of her baby teeth. Do you think that could have contributed to the problem?

Poo is firming up again today. For now.

Mods - if you feel it is appropriate to move this thread to a non emergency area, feel free. I am hogging way too much attention.

Oh - just heard from the vet - he has Albon Yipeeeee! on my way

 

[ksalvagno]

Giardia and Crypto are separate tests that have to be done. Run about $50 a piece. I would really get that fecal in to the Ohio state lab. If you don't mind spending the money, have them do the giradia and crypto too. Probably even salmonella wouldn't hurt either.


My experience with crypto and giardia is with alpacas. It doesn't seem to spread but can't say that it won't. It has always been caught quickly for me so really didn't have a chance to spread. I really suspect that they are more oportunistic with animals that immune systems aren't as good.

I would go and buy actual tubes of Probios from TSC. Then give her 10g per day once a day for at least a week. I would probably just give it to her daily until you are done with meds.