We're expecting a litter in a few weeks (finally)! We have coccidia in our home and have resigned ourselves to the fact that we always will. With past litters, we've tried using Albon (5% solution for 10 days) and Tylan (sprinkled over their food for 21 days).
This time, I'd really like to use something effective and EASY. Not that Tylan wasn't easy, I guess I'm just super lazy ;) Two days of treatment seems more like my kind of thing!
I've read through the archives about Road Runner pharmacy's ponazuril compound, and that sounds like the perfect fix!
Has anyone ordered it recently? I'm wondering approx. how much it will cost for enough to treat a single litter. Do they offer it in single litter sized containers? How long does it keep?
I know these are all questions I could ask Road Runner when I call, and I will. I just thought it would be nice to see what forum user's experiences have been like. Has anyone had trouble getting their vet to write a script for it?
We just ordered some meds through Road Runner in AZ and have to say that I loved their customer service folks. I can't comment about the Ponazuril from them but I'm sure that the reps on the phone would be helpful.
R you sure it is coccidia your pups have ?
The reason I ask is our litter last June all came down with the runs for 3 weeks. I tried the Albon, then when that didn't work we went on to Fish Zole tabs thinking maybe it is Giardia. That didn't work. Finally when the pups were 7 weeks old, I took a sample to my vet and he sent it to the lab. The sample came back negative for any parasites, Coccidia and Giardia. My vet said that our pups probably need more time to get their digestive system under control which takes time in some puppies. About the time the pups turned 8 weeks old and went to their new families, their little systems straightened out and all was good. I hated to send them to their new families like this but I did have a copy of the Labratory results clearing the pups of every thing.
The tricky part about sending in stool samples to a lab or letting your vet do inhouse tests on Giardia or Coccidia is they don't always show up as postitive. A normal dog who has a sufficient immune system can handle all these things without meds but puppies seem to need more time to build up a strong immune system for Coccidia and Giardia.
Good luck and let us know how the Ponazuril works if you decide to go that route.
Oh yeah, we definitely have coccidia! Bleh! I'm not sure how we got it, but we've gotten positive tests in the past. I'm totally psyched about Road Runner's ponazuril! It sounds like a dream come true! Just two days of treatment versus 21. Whew!
Ponazuril is very good for coccidia. Two days treatment. If you have to treat a second time according to Road Runner you should wait 2 weeks. You'll have several choices of flavors to choose from and two different size doses depending if it's for puppies or adults. The label says it will keep for 6 months. I've had mine a year and still works.
You may also want to consider Baycox for piglets. I used it in my last litter once at 3 weeks and once at 7 weeks before the puppies went home.
It was a beautiful thing!!!
Even when I have used Albon, I have found that puppies will also have a bout of coccidia when they go to their new homes. The problem with that. . . it is often difficult to detect it in the stool and the veterinarian starts administering every treatment in the world instead of the correct one (Albon).
For the breeder who had loose stools for 3 weeks. . . I bet the puppies were eating some designer dog food, like Wellness. I went through the same problem with a litter being fed Wellness. . . yuck.
Finally after doing treatments for giardia, coccidia, etc., etc., I thought maybe a change in dog food would help. Bingo. . . two days after changing to Purina Puppy, no more diarrhea. That litter sure did look scrawny at 8 weeks. The puppies were pooping out every thing that was going in!
