From:
Danee DeVore
Date: 2001-03-05 19:43:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Coccidiosis
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Dr. Bruce Williams" <williams@e...>
wrote:
> Now there is another possibility, which we should talk about.
> Occasionally, coccidia is misdiagnosed by the vet (a hush falls
over
> the crowd.) Yes there are other things that hand around in poop
that
> can be mistaken for coccidia. The #1 thing is yeast. Yeasts are
> generally significantly smaller, but I have seen them be
misdiagnosed
> as coccidia, or even worse Toxoplasma (they are very close to Toxo
in
> size - did you know that Toxo is also another form of coccidia)?
But
> occasionally, it does happen
Another Question or 2 on this topic.
Twice over the years I have had one or two of my ferrets get watery
diarrhea (not like ECE), and on taking a stool sample for inspection,
been told it is coccidia. One time I was told it was canine coccidia,
the other time, feline coccidia. I did the 10 day Albon treatment on
all my ferrets, waited 2 weeks, and then had another fecal check on
several ferrets, always including the one(s) that had actually been
sick. Both times, on the second check, everything was clear, and
usually the symptoms had cleared after a few days of the treatment.
The time I was told it was canine coccidia, a sample was also sent to
a lab, and the same findings came back.
My questions are these. How does ferret coccidia compare in size to
the canine and feline versions? I know the canine and feline are
very different in size. Is it possible that at least one of those
times it actually was ferret coccidia? On both occasions I looked at
the slides, and whatever was there, there was a lot of it and nothing
else. Are there other parasites or problems that Albon would cure?
On the one hand, since the afflicted ferrets got better, it doesn't
really matter to me now. I am just curious in case this ever comes
up in my house again.
Thank you for your help.
Danee