Coccidia and Gardia(sp?)

So we went to see the kitten we thought we would be bringing home today We get there (50 miles one way) and she was a complete mess. She had been bathed because of very runny stool and was dehydrated. Of course the rescue took her straight away to see a vet. I barely saw her tiny face =(

They called me earlier this evening and she has both coccidia and gardia(sp). I dont know what to do. She is of course being treated and watched carefully. I was told she perked right up after getting sub q fluids at the vets office.

Can anyone offer me advice? Will this kitten pose many problems as far as vettting constantly? I have one cat who has HCM and his vet bills are outrageous. I also cannot risk bringing disease into my home.

I have not dealt with either of these parasites and I am looking for anyone to help me make an informed decision.

The kitten is 8 weeks old and absolutely ADORABLE

anyone? I would really appreciate some thoughts on this.

These parasites are difficult to get rid of, but once gone, the kitten should be fine. I had two kittens dumped on my doorstep 7 years ago and they were riddled with parasites, including bot coccidia and giardia. It took two 3 week courses of different antibiotics before they were well, and I had to keep them in isolation all that time. Sadly I lost one of them two years later from unrelated causes but the other, my Wellington, has had no recurrence and my other cats never picked up the infection. Metronidazole was, if I remember correctly, the most effective treatment, but we used a combination of drugs. Good luck, I hope you are able to get the kitten you want, and that it will be fine.

Thank you for the reply. I am more concerned that she will ultimately recover. I was honestly shocked to see how poorly she looked yesterday. She is already a tiny 8 weeks old and to be full of parasites, its just tough.

Both of these can take awhile to clear up and may require more than one treatment. Once cleared up, though, they shouldn't reappear.

Coccidia is a protozoan that lives in the gut of most cats, but is kept suppressed by the immune system. A healthy adult cat rarely displays symptoms, but it is opportunistic and often flares up if a cat has some other illness. There IS a real cure, called Baycox, by Bayer, but it's not labeled for feline use in the U.S. Giardia is also treatable. Having both makes it more complicated, of course.

I don't have advice on this matter but I was wondering how a kitten contracted giardia in a shelter? Isn't it contracted from drinking contaminated water?

I honestly have no idea how she ended up with it. What I do know is that she was born to a feral mother and they brought them in so they could be socialized and adopted. I suppose she could have been infected at some point in the transition....

There's no telling how she got it, but being born to a feral mom and living out in the great outdoors for awhile doesn't help matters. It's actually very common unfortunately.

I have a cat who had Giardia when I adopted him (he was found in the garbage when he was weeks old, and retrieved by a rescue group). The vet who diagnosed him gave him a very short course of Metrodinazol (Flagyl), which is a NASTY drug. We then changed his diet to high quality grainless food. The symtoms cleared up, and he is doing fine. Please don't let this common intestinal condition stop you from adopting this little guy. With patience and a quality diet he WILL get better.

The kitten is currently be treated with Albon 1x per day for another 5 days and will get another 5 day course of Panacur in 3 weeks.

Does this sound like an appropriate treatment for an 8 week old kitten? I was going to take her to our vet right away to get her file started and a recheck regardless.

Albon is generally used for Coccidia, and Panacur for Giardia. I am not a vet, but these are very strong meds, and I would be a bit wary with an 8 week old kitten. The side effects of these anti-protozoans include permenant nerve damage. I would stop the drugs immediately when the symptoms subside, as opposed to completing the entire course. Also, try feeding a high quality wet food, and avoid dry food if possible. Make sure you change his water every day, or else buy a fountain with a charcoal filter. Good luck...

I got an email from the rescue that currently has the kitten we are wanting to adopt and I am dismayed to learn that the loose stools have started yet again!!! They are waiting for a call from the vet, but this is getting so discouraging at this point. We were planning to pick her up tomorrow afternoon!

Is there something I can reccomend or any help I can offer the rescue at all?