Coccidia and Isolation

Hello,

I am looking for thoughts on isolating my two new cats I adopted from a shelter: Nala and Kira.  My vet could not determine an exact age, but is confident they are at least 3 years old.  I isolated them in my home office (which has a tiled floor) because I have two other cats (Basil is 16 and Maya is 10).

Nala is an American Shorthair.  Kira is a Maine Coon mix.  On July 26, 2016, my vet advised me that their stool came back with a "low count for coccidia".  They did not have symptoms and they did not develop any symptoms.  

On July 28th, I started both cats on Corid - 6 mL for 12 days.  It was AWFUL.  But, I managed it.  Every day, I cleaned their litter box.  Every day, I wipe down every surface with an ammonia solution and I wash their food and water dished in hot soapy water.  I also use a steam cleaner on everything about 3 - 4 days a week.

They were supposed to have a second round of 12 days in 1 month; however, instead my vet prescribed Sulfamethoxine to begin immediately after the Corid.  The dose is 2 mL for the 1st day (yesterday) and 1 mL for the next 29 days.  This is tuna flavored and they take it a lot better.

Should I continue to keep them isolated for the next 29 days?  The room they are in does not get a lot of sunlight (and there are no other good options) and I think they are getting cabin fever.  I try to spend as much time in here as I can, but they spend a lot more time alone than they would if I let them out.

Thoughts?  Thank you so much.

There is actually a better treatment for coccidia, PONAZURIL.  It is the active drug in a product called Marquis Paste for horses.  It only takes 3 days, and then you repeat in 10 days.  It's a whole lot easier and much safer than sulfadimethoxine (Albon) and amprolium (CoRid), which are older treatments.  Obviously your vet doesn't know about it yet, but most large animal vets, dog breeders and shelter people do.  I suggest you read the info at this link and then share it with your vet.  It would be ever so much easier.  It does come in large tubes so it isn't practical for a single person to buy it for a cat, but vets should have it on hand.  

http://www.sheltermedicine.com/library/diluting-marquis-paste

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From another web site:

http://www.revivalanimal.com/articles/coccidia.html

Amprolium (Corid^{[emoji]174[/emoji]}) can also be used as Coccidia prevention. The flavor is terrible, so some people add raspberry or strawberry flavoring to help with the taste. For small breeds, do not mix it with water because they tend to get dehydrated from not drinking. The preferred way to use Amprolium is to drench the puppy daily - you know the dose is in and they will also drink adequate water.

 

PREVENTION OF COCCIDIA IN CATS

Coccidia prevention for cats is very different than for dogs. Queens cannot have something added to food. Cats have a protective response to things that change texture or taste. They will eat small amounts for several days until they are comfortable. We cannot have that in late pregnancy. Metronidazole is also documented for causing cleft palates. You can use Albon^{[emoji]174[/emoji]} or Marquis^{[emoji]174[/emoji]} safely the last 14 days of gestation. Choose Albon^{[emoji]174[/emoji]} or Marquis^{[emoji]174[/emoji]} – you don’t need both!

• Use Albon^{[emoji]174[/emoji]} 7 days before due date.
• Or use Marquis^{[emoji]174[/emoji]} at 0.1 cc/1 lb before queening. The treatment for Coccidia is two doses repeated in 7 days. We often use one dose before shipping kittens to a new home to prevent Coccidia after placement.
• Giving Marquis^{[emoji]174[/emoji]} and Safe-guard^{[emoji]174[/emoji]} to mom before birth and babies at 7 and 9 weeks pretty much covers the gamut of parasites that kittens could take to new home.

FOREIGN PRODUCTS - AUSTRALIA

Baycox^{[emoji]174[/emoji]} by Bayer is a product that we are often asked about. The bad news is that this drug is not available in the United States legally, but it is available in some other countries by prescription. The active ingredient, Toltrazuril, is active inside the cell where Coccidia reproduce. This means Baycox kills Coccidia, while most treatments just prevent Coccidia from reproducing. A study on puppies showed it to be very effective for eliminating Coccidia from the puppy. Off-label use for kittens in Germany showed no adverse effects, and it's also effective against Toxoplasmosis. Toltrazuril is closely related to Ponazuril (Marquis^{[emoji]174[/emoji]}), and there is no benefit to using Baycox over Marquis. Bayer has no plans currently to bring this product to the U.S.