Giardia Coccidia In Kittens
With appropriate and prompt treatment the prognosis is good.
Giardia coccidia in kittens. Have your vet check your kitten out as soon as you suspect giardia. Rarely does giardia itself cause diarrhea or gi signs so severe that it requires more treatment. Infected cats tend to have excess mucus in the feces. We typically prescribe a sulfa type antibiotic for coccidian isosporan infections in puppies and kittens.
Giardia cysts are hardy being resistant to both freezing and to chlorination of water and can live for several months if not dried out or exposed to sunlight. Giardia is another protozoan infection resulting in soft frothy greasy diarrhea which can be treated with panacur. Giardiasis in cats giardiasis is a medical condition that refers to an intestinal infection caused by the protozoan parasite giardia and this parasite can also infect animals including cats. Atlanta ga two of our stray kittens have been diagnosed with giardia and coccidia.
If it is not treated over time it can cause damage to the lining of a cat s intestinal tract. Coccidia however can cause severe dehydration in puppies and kittens due to the tremendous water loss and sloughing of intestinal cells. Giardia is the most common intestinal parasite found in humans. Infestation with the various parasites called coccidia is extremely common in cats even more so in kittens.
Coccidia is a nasty little single celled organism that causes mucousy diarrhea in kittens and can be treated with the prescription drug ponazuril. Giardiasis and coccidiosis are parasitic infections of the intestinal tract which are fairly common in kittens particularly during the weaning stage. Giardia wouldn t necessarily threaten the life of a healthy adult cat but in kittens and immunocompromised adult cats it can be devastating. This infestation can lead to coccidiosis a disease affecting the gastrointestinal system.
My problem is how rapidly they ve deteriorated. If your kitten or cat experiences frequent bouts of diarrhea coccidia may be the culprit. The stool may range from soft to watery often has a greenish tinge to it and occasionally contains blood. Vomiting may occur in some cases.
One s fecal showed nothing the other s the vet thought she may have seen both giardia and coccidia and felt that with their symptoms it s best to treat them for both. Kittens become weakened by the diarrhea caused by giardia making them susceptible to more serious diseases. Coccidiosis is a parasitic type of infection caused by the coccidia parasite. Kittens are often susceptible to illnesses that healthy adult cats can fight off because their immune systems have not yet fully developed.
What are giardiasis and coccidiosis.