From:
motorcityferrets@hotmail.com
Date: 2006-01-11 05:53:18 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Serious help with coccidia - threatning to close shelter!
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
We haven't given meds indiscriminately. We've been through multiple courses because we keep having positive stool checks.
We were first closed in mid-June. Everyone was treated, per weight. I have a scale and we figured out a dose for each individual (we've done this several times now). One critter tested positive at the end, so we did another course for the entire crew (with a bit of time in between while I got all the stool checks done). About 3 weeks passed after the last of the stool checks, then a new kiddo who came into the house after meds were done and stayed upstairs started having icky poo, then the rest of that room (totally separate from our downstairs ferret room). How in the world it got upstairs we're not sure. The room was completely empty for a month while we were closed and were't taking in any critters. The room was spit shined within an inch of it's life, stayed empty for a month and then I took in critters - who poof, developed the coccidia!!! Again, everyone in the house went through the 21 day regimen. At the end one more kiddo was positive, so repeat the earlier result. It's too late and I'm exhausted so let's just roll time forward...Thanksgiving was the end of the last round o' meds and everyone tested negative. One kiddo went home 12/3 and two days ago tested positive. No one else is showing any signs; we're waiting for the stool checks to come back. Since Thanksgiving I've sent home 20+ critters and only this one is showing the coccidia. Everyone else is in good health, as well are their new friends already in the homes they were adopted to (including a couple of families with at least 2 geriatric/immunocomprimised).
Closing down and doing meds again is possible, but at this point I don't see that it would do any good - as already we've gone through this MULTIPLE times. Either someone or several someones are "Typhoid Mary's" and reinfesting friends or it's living in the house or SOMETHING that I just don't understand. I need to know more about how it lives in the environment or how to actually determine if a critter has it or not. The critter in question who recently tested positive WAS affected during her stay, but had her stool checked TWICE after meds were done.
Author wrote:
> You DO Have a problem Nancui-
> What you cannot think of doing is giving albon indiscriminantly every day-- you will shut down kidneys left & right and lose those ferrets!
> You need to keep clean ferrets segrgated.. no common play areas .. need to retest all abnormal stools and any ferrets that start looking puny
> Liquid albon is the tops but you need to dose BY WEIGHT on each individual animal. That MAY mean weighing them each day and preparing indivcidual doses.
> We were forced to do this i 1997 when a sick ferret brought this to our shelter. Our vet at the time was DYNAMITE sending home the formula for weight which we managed daily with the help of a clipboard etc to administer each dose for 14 days. each ferret ( the first does is always double the coninuing doeses (top loaded) .
> Albon will cause permanent kidney damage if given for too long a duration.
> If you have no clculated tjhe correct doise by weight it is possible you beat back the coccidia and it manifests again-- in a more virulent form. Kills off weaker first leaves strongest to return - much like bacterial infections which are not fully cured with antibiotics.
> The worst part is that if you are placing sick animals into homes and infefting more you can be paying a lot of unexpected vet bills to keep peace... or else the state could shut you down.
> You need to talk to your vet-- quaratine the shelter - none in none out for 30 days and get everyone weighed.. calculate and maybe borrow a GOOD ACCURATE scale for 14 days!
> Alicia D.
> www.ferretwise.org
> motorcityferrets@hotmail.com wrote:
> Again, LOOOOONG story short: over Thanksgiving, we finally had clear stool checks on everyone in our home/shelter, including many critters who'd then been through the 21 day course of Albon up to 4 times. YAY, we thought!!! I've been adopting out kids ever since; perhaps about 20 in all. To date no reported problems except one little gal. I sent her to her new home on December 3. For the last two days she's been a bit off and puny. Symptoms say insulinoma; off she goes to the vet. While there, she gives a fresh poopie - which is FULL o' coccidia!!!
> ANimal Welfare shoudl not equal disposal read more here (curt & paste into browser):
> http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/05/7/tsg.petastaffersface7.05.htm
> ---------------------------------
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