COCCIDIOSIS

Coccidia in goats is a disease that is caused by a protozoan of the genus Eimeria. It is not caused by worms and does not respond to treatment with dewormers.Cocci is highly contagious and spreads through a goat herd quickly. Passing by fecal-to-oral contact, Cocci is species specific, which means that Cocci in one species does not transmit to other species. The long-held belief that chickens can transmit Cocci to goats is untrue.

The first symptom is usually, but not always, diarrhea. Along with diarrhea always comes dehydration and sometimes fever.

Fecal testing is necessary to diagnose Coccidiosis. Coccidia oocysts are easily identified by placing fecal samples under a microscope. Learn to do fecal counts on your goats to monitor the health of your herd. My article outlining how Doing Your Own Fecals Is Easy appears on the Articles page of my website www.tennesseemeatgoats.com.

Young kids are very susceptible to Coccidiosis. Diarrhea in kids does not always mean Coccidiosis, but Cocci is a big problem in young kids in many herds. Don't overlook its possible existence in your kids.

Diarrhea is a symptom of an illness and not an illness in and of itself. See my article on Diarrhea for additional information.

If treatment isn't begun immediately, permanent damage will be done to the intestinal lining and the goat won't be able to absorb nutrients from its food. Weight loss is substantial and often chronic (cannot be cured). If the goat lives, it will always be unthrifty. In advanced cases of Coccidiosis, diarrhea can be watery, and may contain mucous and blood. Bloody diarrhea is blackish in color.

While adult goats can contract Coccidiosis (particularly does that are stressed from having recently kidded or goats living in filthy conditions), young kids' immature immune systems make them susceptible to this disease. Kid goats pick up and "mouth" everything in their surroundings. Some of those objects are goat "pills" (feces) that are coccidia-infected. This parasite quickly takes up residence in the kids' intestines.

Dewormers neither prevent or cure Coccidiosis. There are several products that prevent and treat Coccidiosis. Only two are currently available over the counter, and one of them is sold via Internet website. The rest are prescription only.

* CoRid is one of two over-the-counter products for treating Cocci. I don't recommend it because its active ingredient, amprolium, is a thiamine inhibitor and some strains of Cocci have developed resistance to CoRid. If you have to use it, give sub-cutaneous injections of Vitamin B1 (thiamine) daily along with CoRid. Administer CoRid directly from the gallon jug for 5 days in a row into each goat's mouth. Don't rely on medication working in the drinking water. Dosing instructions for kids are 5 cc per day for 5 days in a row (sometimes up to 10 days if needed) and 10 cc for adults. Jeffers (www.jefferslivestock.com or 1-800-533-3377) carries CoRid and Fortified Vitamin B Complex, which has the required 100 mg/ml of thiamine (Vitamin B1) in it.

*Toltrazuril is the second over-the-counter treatment for Cocci. The only source I know is www.horseprerace.com. I have never used it. (Marquis and Baycox are close relatives of this medication.) Oral dosage for toltrazuril is 1 cc per 3 lbs bodyweight (curative) and 1 cc per 5 lbs (preventative) one time. I have heard mixed reviews about this product's effectiveness.

* Albon (generic equivalent Sulfadimethoxine 12.5% marketed as Di-Methox 12.5% oral solution) and 40% Albon injectable. Pat Cotten of Bending Tree Ranch in Arkansas uses 40% Albon injectable given orally. She doses as follows: 1.56 cc per 25 pounds bodyweight for Day 1, then .78 cc per 25 pounds bodyweight for Days 2 through 5. Give it orally. Mix it with molasses or fruit juice as it is nasty tasting in concentrated form, making goats likely to spit it out.

* Sulfamethoxazole with Trimethoprim. Comes in liquid form, which I prefer to use with kids, and big yet easily dissolvable boluses for adults. I keep both liquid and boluses on hand.

* Marquis and Baycox are marketed as one-time only treatments for Cocci, but are expensive.

*I prefer using Di-Methox 12.5% solution. It is a prescription generic of Albon, available in gallon jugs that require no mixing, and is less expensive. Although Di-Methox 12.5% comes in both liquid and powder, the liquid is easier to dose properly. To treat a herd that is already infected with coccidia, administer 5 cc's of undiluted liquid Di-Methox 12.5% orally to each kid daily for 5 consecutive days. For adults, dose at 10 cc's in the same manner. Orally drench each goat individually to insure accurate delivery, even if the herd's water supply is being medicated. The goat who needs the medication the most is likely to be on the bottom of the pecking order and will get the least if you try to mass dose via water only.

Di-Methox 12.5% can also be added to drinking water; follow package directions. Limit access to the water source being medicated. Automatic waterers must be turned off to maintain correct dosage strength. Preventative dosage is usually one-half the curative dose; read product label. Do not dose solely via drinking water. Orally drench every goat individually daily for 5 consecutive days to cure this disease. Sometimes 10 consecutive days of dosing is required.

Products that help calm the gut should also be used:* Endorsorb is a prescription tablet that calms the gut and dissolves readily in electrolytes like Bounce Back or Resorb or in water for easy oral dosing.

* Tagamet 200 is an over-the-counter gut-calming medication that can be given to goats. Kid dosage is is one-half of a Tagamet 200 tablet daily for 5 consecutive days. Use one Tagamet 200 tablet daily for adult goats.

* Pepto-Bismol given orally may be used to coat the lining of the stomach and reduce gut irritation, but it is not as effective as Endorsorb or Tagamet 200.

Products that control life-threatening watery diarrhea:* Sulfamethoxazole & Trimethoprim Oral Suspension 200mg/40mg per 5 mL (prescription) is excellent. Given orally, the dosage is 2 cc per 100 pounds bodyweight. Dose accurately, as overdosing will constipate the goat.

* As best I can determine, neomycin sulphate (brand name Biosol) was pulled from the market in 2022.

* Banamine is an excellent prescription medication for both calming the gut and bringing down fever. Normal goat body temperature ranges from 101.5 degrees F. to 103.5 degrees F. Banamine should be administered sub-cutaneously (SQ) at a rate of 1 cc per 100 pounds of body weight. A very young kid would receive .1 - .2 cc (one-tenth to two-tenths of a cc) of Banamine. Banamine should be used sparingly as it has the potential to cause stomach ulcers.

* Baytril 100 tablets are the ultimate treatment for watery diarrhea. Tablet dosing is weight-based. NOTE: Some jurisdictions prohibit use of Baytril 100 in food-production animals because withdrawal time is unknown.

Diarrhea of the consistency of pudding doesn't worry me much as much as watery diarrhea UNLESS it lasts for multiple days and/or has blood in it.

Electrolytes are required when goats are dehydrated.

* Bounce Back, ReSorb, or comparable cattle electrolytes should be given via an oral drench (or stomach tube) and in the water supply. Gatorade or Pedialyte may be used in place of cattle electrolytes in emergencies.

* Lactated Ringers Solution (an inexpensive vet prescription that you should never be without) should be given under the skin (SQ) at both shoulders warmed to body temperature. Dose 30 cc per shoulder SQ for kids. A 60 cc syringe (with an 18-gauge needle to tent the skin) should be used for this procedure.

Keeping the goat hydrated with electrolytes and Lactated Ringers Solution (LRS) is critical to the animal's survival.

Rehydrating an adult goat that won't drink on its own requires stomach tubing in order to get enough liquid into its body. No amount of oral drenching syringe-by-syringe will rehydrate an adult goat. See my article on Stomach Tubing Goats on www.tennesseemeatgoats.com.

GREEN LEAVES are the best natural product to feed to a sick goat, regardless of the illness. Green leaves will be the first food that it will eat, followed by hay. Sacked/processed grains are too difficult to digest. A goat will begin eating sacked or processed grain feeds only when recovery is well underway.

At the completion of the (minimum) five-day antibiotic treatment, re-populate the goat's gut with live bacteria by dosing with an oral probiotic. Do not give probiotics concurrent with antibiotics. Give probiotics only after you complete the 5 consecutive day antibiotic treatment.

PREVENTION OF COCCIDIOSIS

When kids begin eating solid food at around 2 weeks of age, you should offer a goat feed containing a coccidiostat to prevent a coccidiosis outbreak. The general timeframe that kids are at risk for Coccidiosis runs from about two weeks of age (when they begin to pick at solid food) and through 10 to 12 months of age (when the immune system is somewhat developed). Weaning is a particularly stressful time as kids no longer have antibody protection from their dam's milk; kids are suddenly on their own immune-system wise.

Feeding a coccidiostat-treated feed will not overcome over-crowding and filthy living conditions. Once goats are infected, coccidiostat-treated feed will not cure Coccidiosis.

Some types of coccidiostats are toxic to farm animals. Monensin (marketed as Rumensin) is toxic to dogs and horses. I am hearing from some goat raisers that monensin is causing problems with their goats. Reports include anorexia, poor weight gain, labored breathing that mimics pneumonia, liver problems if the antibiotic Draxxin is used on goats being fed monensin, and toxicity reactions in the blood and liver if used long term. This information is coming to me from show-goat raisers, who are known for pushing grains on their goats. I have no personal experience with monensin. I have used Deccox in the feed that I give to all my goats everyday for 35 years and it has always worked well for me. Do your own due diligence before you use monensin or any coccidiostat.

Prevent Coccidiosis by keeping pens and bedding clean, water fresh, goats uncrowded, and areas dry. Wet and dirty conditions are incubators of Coccidiosis for both kids and adults. Clean, dry, and uncrowded pens and pastures are necessary to avoid outbreaks of Coccidiosis.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, Onion Creek Ranch, Texas 6.1.25

The author, Suzanne Gasparotto, hereby grants to local goat publications and club newsletters, permission to reprint articles published on the Onion Creek Ranch website under these conditions: THE ARTICLE MUST BE REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY AND THE AUTHOR'S NAME, ADDRESS, AND CONTACT INFORMATION MUST BE INCLUDED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE REPRINT. We would appreciate notification from any clubs or publications when the articles are used. (A copy of the newsletter or publication would also be a welcome addition to our growing library of goat related information!)

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