Persistent Coccidia

firejade

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Hello,

I have two sister kittens that are currently 10 or 11 weeks who were diagnosed with coccidia. One of these kitties has had persistent loose stool on and off since we got her. We took them to the vet, gave them Ponazuril, bleached the litter box every day, sanitized everything, and cleaned up the messes. I'm frustrated right now because I gave the kitties the first coccidia treatment and thought we kicked it, and then they tested positive again.

My kitty Wicket has had diarrhea on and off since we got her, and mushy poo for the last several days. I have been up with her in the middle of the night and other times stressing her out by bathing her because the poo gets all over her. She has probably been bathed about six times in the last week. We took her to the vet and finished the last dose of the second coccidia treatment yesterday, and they also gave her a probiotic pill for her to take twice a day. I have been giving her those and her diarrhea is worse. We have been bleaching the litterbox daily the whole time too. She just got over an eye infection three weeks ago and respiratory infection about two weeks ago where we gave her antibiotics. I have had kittens, but not ones that had so many issues. They also still have fleas because we haven't cleared them of infections, parasites, and such long enough to give them a proper flea treatment. We have bathed them and used organic solutions that haven't removed all the fleas.

We also have the kitties living in our master bath because our current kitty Jade is hissing and growling at them, and we don't want to expose her to the coccidia. I don't want them cooped in in the bathroom the whole time, so we them free run of the bedroom in the daytime because it would be mean to leave them cooped up in the bathroom all the time, and I'm concerned about contamination in the bedroom carpet/bedding with the kitties. I have steamed the carpet a couple of times, and washed my bedding.

Is it normal for the medicine to make it worse before it's better? Is there an effective way to sanitize coccidia out of carpet? I'm doing everything the vet said, except they said switch her to one food, and we only have money for so much food, so we're feeding them what we have, which is high quality, but I have to switch because we bought a variety. I know we need to put them on one food only. Is it okay to do one dry food alternated with one wet food? They said switch her to one food because of the diarrhea. It's hard to keep bathing, bleaching, sanitizing, and cleaning since I work at home and constantly stop to deal with this and make sure the kitties are okay.

I appreciate if anyone can share their experiences with getting rid of this for good, and any advice on the questions. I love my kitties, but I have health issues with chronic anxiety and fatigue, and this and working can wear me out.

Thanks!
Rachel
 

molly92

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Ah, poor babies, that is rough! 

First of all, I have to tell you that bleach does NOT kill coccidia. It's a very hardy parasite. What does kill it is a solution of 10% ammonia. This is usually the best disinfectant because it will kill coccidia as well as other bacteria and parasites. Fortunately that shouldn't mess up your carpets like bleach, but test it in a small area first to be sure.

Ponazuril seems to be the most effective medication against coccidia, but there are different strains so some are more resistant to medications than others.

What kind of probiotics did the vet give you? There have been cases where coccidia (and other parasites and intestinal infections) have been cured with S. Boulardii, a yeast probiotic that is efficient at crowding out harmful pathogens and encouraging growth of good bacteria. Since she's had so many illnesses and medications, I'm sure her digestive tract is all messed up. She should probably be getting probiotics anyway. Acidophillus-based probiotics are good for just restoring natural intestinal flora. I have heard that diarrhea is sometimes a symptom of probiotics, although I'm not sure if that's something that goes away after a while or if it's a sign the probiotic should be stopped or changed.

Food-wise, what really has the biggest effect is the amount of carbohydrates in the food. Coccidia and other intestinal parasites thrive off of carbs, so the more carbs in the food, usually the worse the diarrhea is. Dry food does tend to have more carbs than wet, although there are plenty of wet foods that are packed with carbs as well. Limiting carb and plant-based ingredients won't cure the coccidia, but it should make the symptoms much more manageable. What food are they currently eating?

Your adult cat is probably not at risk, because adult immune systems tend to be able to fight off the symptoms just fine, but they can still ingest the cysts and shed them, which the kittens can then ingest and shed and reinfect themselves.
 

stephanietx

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Are you sure it's coccidia?  I would ask the vet to run the PCR Diarrhea panel just to rule out any other uncommon parasites.
 
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firejade

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I am sure it's coccidia. She did test positive twice. She may have other digestive issues as well since her poop has been semi-mushy since we have had her. I have switched cleaning the box with ammonia instead of bleach. I wash their bedding with ammonia solution in the detergent, and I have sanitized their kitty condo with ammonia solution and soap, since thoroughly, and drying in sun. Also put diatomaceous earth (food grade) in their food, in the carpet, and on their litter. 
 

Tkiss

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I'm at my wits end. One of my fosters seems to be getting better one day & then the runny diarrhea starts up all over again. I'm using fortiflora, pumpkin even have tried Metamucil. Not sure what next. Her fecal sample tested positive for Coccidia. Any suggestions.
 
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