please explain cocci prevention

[pygmybabies]

Would you please explain what you do for cocci prevention.
Our babies had it when they were small and we fed them the medicated feesd for more than the 28 days. But now they get hay and pasture and when the get grain it is dumor mixed with alphala pellets boss and oats....

So what exactly is cocci prevention?

Thanks

[Alice In TX/MO]

Starting at three weeks, administer a drench for coccidia for five days. Repeat every three weeks.

There are a variety of anti-coccidia medications available.

For dosage and more info, read at this website:
http://dairygoatinfo.com/index.php?topic=9125.0

[mygoat]

Most goat raisers raise on cocci prevention. I have NEVER in my 8 years of owning goats, had cocci problems, or prevented/treated it. I KNOW it's just a matter of time and I do keep the equip for prevention/treatment on hand. I'm of the mind that I don't treat unless needed... haven't needed to, so I haven't.

[goatkid]

I give young kids 5 day courses of oral sulfa that I get from the vet. This is done 21 days apart. When kids are a few months old, I usually don't do the sulfa because they are now eating goat pellets medicated with Decoxx.

[Backfourty,MI.]

I have never had a problem with cocci in any kids or adult goats here iether & usually am like Mygoat in I don't like to treat unless needed.
I feel this is needed though since they are so young & don't have the immune system to fight off cocci like adult goats(they all have it to some extent I believe) and they can have problems as kids with cocci & not show symptoms, they don't always have to have runny poo to have a problem.
I use the Di-Methox & treat for 5 days at 3, 6 & 9 weeks of age usually.
The new little girl we just gor I figure didn't have any cocci prevention so I am doing it now & she is 9 weeks old.

[where I want to]

I treat with sulmet (put into a drench with a little molassas) for 5 days then repeat at 21 days later until they are 5 mos old. The molassas makes it easy- after the first couple of times, I can just walk up to them to give it.
My vet said that the deer in our area carry the same cocci that plague goats, so I don't think I can get away with not doing the kids. The adults don't seem to have a problem with it.
If you have not brought it in with new goats, and you don't get contamination from other sources, then it would be great to avoid having to do this.

[Laverne]

I use Corid for prevention since it just kills the bad blood sucking stage of Coccidiosis but doesn't kill the harmless stage so it's supposed to help build immunity to the Cocci.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Coccidia don't suck blood.

Pathological Changes Induced by Coccidia
The damage done to the host is essentially that of intestinal cell destruction, which occurs when any coccidian stage leaves the host cell. Potentially, one oocyst ingested may lead to the production of a million or more oocysts which are passed in the feces 2 to 3 weeks later. This also means that one oocyte ingested potentially destroys millions of intestinal cells. The host cells affected most often are epithelial cells lining the gut which transport nutrients and fluids into the body. If these cells are damaged, blood or plasma may leak into the lumen of the gut. The damage may also allow bacteria from the intestine to enter the blood stream and invade other tissues. If the individual does not die of blood loss, dehydration, or bacterial septicemia, the cells will be replaced at least to some extent by scar tissue or by a increased turnover of epithelial cells. The latter form short, flattened villi or large polyps with rapidly proliferating epithelial cells that are not as efficient in absorbing nutrients from the intestine. This causes the host to become unthrifty.

http://www.goatworld.com/articles/co...coccidia.shtml

[Laverne]

That is good to know. I love learning new goat stuff.

[motdaugrnds]

I am like several of the other posters and have never had Coccidia show up in my herd. When I encounter some loose stools, I either add Sulmet to all available drinking water or treat with Corid, whichever I have on hand. I have never used medicated feed.

[pygmybabies]

I really wonder if the baby really had it, as the vet i went to didnt seem to know to much about goats, his wife was there and she had a goat that she left with her parents. She seemed to know a lot about goats, and they had me give them albon and quest paste. They got better so I dont know.

[coso]

Coccidia does not show up as loose stools in goats like it does in calves, until it gets really bad. If you have never fecaled for it you don't know if you are dealing with levels that are detrimental to growth or not.

[Creamers]

Exactly, coso. Just because you don't see symptoms you think are cocci does not mean you haven't had kids with it and only ended up with a stunt in growth.
I use Sulmet and do 5 days rounds about every 28 days - plus I feed a medicated pellet.

[mygoat]

Most places I've read have said that one of the FIRST signs of coccidia is loose stools.

I've never had stunted growth with kids raised here.

[Alice In TX/MO]

http://www.goatworld.com/articles/co...coccidia.shtml

Excerpts:

Coccidia only cause disease when their numbers become so great that pathological damage is done to the host. Usually poor management is the reason why coccidia numbers increase excessively; thus, coccidiosis may be considered a man-made disease. This also suggests that coccidiosis can be adequately managed. Unfortunately, two forms of the disease are frequently present, one in which the clinical signs are obvious, the other in which no immediately obvious signs are evident.

As with other parasitic diseases, the clinical signs may vary between animals and on occasion may appear vague. In general, two forms of the disease should be recognized: the acute (or clinical) form and the chronic (subclinical) form. In the clinical form, obvious signs of the disease are suddenly seen. In the subclinical form, progressive, but slow and unseen, damage is done.

[Laverne]

My observation, a few days before my babies were due for their prevention Corid they started being much more vocal and not as active, they weren't normal. So I gave it a little earlier than the 3 weeks. After a couple days of the Corid they were back to normal. They are with adults so I have to be diligent with prevention. I only have 3 adults.

[ozark_jewels]

The OP is located in Missouri. I can guarentee in their climate, it would behoove them to find out about cocci prevention and use it.
Cocci prevention can be done many ways. It can be dosing kids every few weeks, or utting small amounts daily in their milk.
I never thought I had "problems" with cocci before I used prevention. But after I started using prevention, I noticed that my kids gew much better with less issues and no stall time at all. So I did have cocci issues before, but they were sub-clinical.
Still enough though, to keep them growing slower, less bloom on them, and to not mature as big as adults. Not a lot of difference, but certainly enough to make cocci prevention extremely worthwhile.

I use the type of prevention daily in the kids morning milk. Some use deccox-M which you can buy from Jeffers. I used it for a couple years, then I switched to a different product. Its called calf-pro and I get it from my vet(this is dairy country, I doubt most vets elsewhere carry it). They get it once a day in their milk. Its not only cocci prevention, its also vitamins and minerals.
Wedocows.com carries it.

[pygmybabies]

These guys arent on milk anymore. SO how would I give it to them? They are all between 4 and 5 months old. SHould I be given prevention to the nanny I am milking? Thanks ozark I will check out the wedocows

[Alice In TX/MO]

Usually you only treat kids. The adults develop a tolerance to a low (normal) level of coccidia.

Do you have a drench gun? Also called "dosing syringe."

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.h...a-348b93077098

[Laverne]

I am in love with my dosing syringe. I got a 50 ml and I just noticed there is a 100 ml available at Jeffers now. I'm ordering. http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/...&pf_id=0026479