Possible TREATMENT FOR PARVO

Acute diarrhea is a softening of the stool or watery stool. This condition usually lasts from one to a few days and home treatments are easily administered. It may last several weeks and which case requires immediate veterinarian care. Other conditions which require veterinarian care are listed below. Diarrhea can cause extreme fluid loss or dehydration and electrolyte disturbances.

Causes of Diarrhea

The causes of diarrhea in dogs are wide and varied and are typified by the following:

• Dietary indiscretion: includes eating compost, spoiled foods, abrupt changes in diet, or ingestion of foreign material such as rocks or twigs.
• Intestinal Parasites: may include roundworms, hookworms and whipworms.
• Pancreatitis: This condition is an inflammation of the pancreas which commonly causes diarrhea
• Drugs and Toxins: Drugs may include Aspirin or antibiotics. Toxins may include lawn and household agents such as insecticides or cleaners.
• Bacterial and Protozoal infections: includes Salmonella or Giardia.
• Viral Infections: viruses like parvovirus (parvo) or rotavirus.

Symptoms of Diarrhea in Dogs

The symptoms of acute diarrhea are a soft or watery stool. It may be discolored and the dog may have a rumbling stomach and have gas. If your dog has diarrhea followed with any of these symptoms, you should take your dog immediately to the veterinarian:

• Diarrhea for more than one day
• Blood found in its stool
• Vomiting
• Lethargy
• Fever
• Decreased appetite
• Dehydration

Symptoms of diarrhea may be a result of chronic diarrhea or intestinal disease which requires a diagnosis and treatment of a veterinarian. If your dog is still active and social, eating and drinking, then chances he or she needs to wait it out as the diarrhea shouldn’t persist for much longer. Acute Diarrhea is the dog’s natural way to rid its body of parasites or foreign material.

Home Treatments

A common treatment for diarrhea is to feed your dog an easily digestible diet also known as a bland diet. Bland diets can be boiled chicken and rice. Boiling chicken gets rid of the fats. Fats and oils are not easily digestible. Feed this diet for one to two days after the bout of diarrhea while cutting its diet by half.

Another treatment involves fasting your dog for 12 to 24 hours. This will allow your dog’s intestinal tract to rest. This may be followed by feeding it a bland diet.

Professional Treatments

Your veterinarian has many treatments depending on the diagnosis. Some of those treatments may involve the treatments listed above or the following:

• Fluid therapy if your dog is dehydrated
• Antibiotic therapy if your dog has a viral infection
• Intestinal protectant/adsorbent drugs that coat, sooth and protect the gastrointestinal tract. Diarsanyl Paste or Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) is an example of what might be administered.

Review

A dog’s natural way to remedy itself is to get rid of the toxins or foreign elements in its body. The only way to rid itself of it is to eject it either from vomiting or excreting the garbage by form of diarrhea. It is important to carefully watch all signs from your dog during and the few days following a bout of diarrhea as it may worsen rather than get better.

Remember

If your dog shows any sign of serious illness from diarrhea, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Kennel Cough

Dr. Lila Miller, D.V.M., ASPCA

Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis
(Kennel Cough)

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Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis (ITB), more commonly known as kennel cough, is a highly contagious respiratory infection in dogs. When encountered in shelters, it is often seen as the canine equivalent of upper respiratory infections or URI in cats. It is common in dogs housed together in kennels, pet shops or shelters, hence its common name. It can infect all dogs, but affects puppies between the ages of 6 weeks and 6 months most severely. Kennel cough is characterized by the sudden appearance of a dry hacking cough in an otherwise healthy dog. It is a mild, self-limiting disease that usually gets better on its own without treatment. Despite the fact that most cases of kennel cough are not life threatening to the individual animal, many shelters consider kennel cough to be a serious threat to its canine residents because it spreads so readily. Shelters that have policies of not adopting out sick animals are compelled to either treat these coughing, but otherwise healthy dogs with antibiotics and cough syrups, making it expensive in terms of labor and medical costs, or euthanize them. The emotional costs to shelter personnel of euthanizing apparently healthy, adoptable animals that would otherwise get well on their own are immeasurable. Although kennel cough usually does not require treatment, it can result in more serious secondary complications such as bronchopneumonia that requires prolonged and expensive treatment. In these cases, it is sometimes confused with canine distemper, a much more deadly viral canine disease.

Cause

Kennel cough is seldom caused by a single agent, but by a combination of bacterial and viral agents. It is easier to deal with when caused by just one agent and in those cases, the disease appears much more likely to be self-limiting. However, because several agents are usually involved, dogs may cough for over two to three weeks, and sometimes as long as six. It is understandable why this is such a problem for a shelter. The causative or contributing agents are listed below:

Viral agents:
Canine Parainfluenza is the most common
Canine adenovirus 2 (CAV-2 or infectious canine hepatitis)
Canine adenovirus 1 (CAV-1 or infectious laryngotracheitis)

Bacterial agents:
Bordetella bronchiseptica
Other bacterial contributors to the severity of disease:
Streptococcus
Pasteurella
Pseudomonas
E. coli
Mycoplasma

Because they are the most prevalent causes of disease, the two organisms that will be the focus of this article will be Bordetella bronchiseptica bacteria and Parainfluenza virus.

Transmission

Symptoms

There are two clinical syndromes associated with kennel cough, an uncomplicated and complicated one.
In general, dogs with uncomplicated kennel cough appear clinically normal except for a dry hacking cough that has been described as a “goose honk.” These dogs will also frequently retch up a white, frothy looking fluid. Gentle tracheal palpation will cause these dogs to cough. There is no fever, loss of appetite or lethargy. There may be a serous or clear nasal discharge.

Complicated cases exist that are characterized by fever, lethargy, loss of appetite and respiratory problems in addition to the cough. These dogs may also have an ocular and nasal discharge. They may be confused with cases of canine distemper.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is usually accomplished by evaluation of the clinical signs and history. One of the most reliable methods of diagnosis is elicitation of a dry cough upon applying mild pressure to the trachea.

Treatment

Prevention

Injectable or intranasal vaccines to protect against ITB are available. In shelters where kennel cough is a real problem, an intranasal vaccine may be more useful. The maternal antibodies that often interfere with the effectiveness of injectable vaccines do not affect intranasal vaccines. They also stimulate a faster immune response, and can be used in animals as young as 2 weeks of age. The main drawback is they can cause coughing and a nasal discharge that cannot be easily differentiated from true clinical disease. Each shelter must decide for itself which product and vaccination protocol to use based on the cost, ability to administer the vaccine properly, ability to distinguish between clinical disease and vaccine induced disease, euthanasia policies, etc.

Disease control measures

SPECIAL NOTE:
Bordetella is now considered to be a zoonotic disease. Although the risk of getting sick from contact with a pet is small, it must be considered. It is most easily transmitted to very young children, the elderly and people who are immune compromised. Cats may also be susceptible.

Cooccidosis

General Information

General information on coccidiosis in canines:

1. Coccidiosis is an opportunistic disease – it generally affects stressed animals.
2. Kennel conditions provide ideal circumstances for an outbreak.
3. In most confinement situations, prevention with sulfadimethoxine drug such as Albon® is recommended.
4. Mass treatment of all dogs in an entire kennel is usually the only effective method.
5. Sick animals should be treated as soon as possible and isolated from the healthy animals.
6. Have your veterinarian confirm positive diagnosis of the coccidia protozoa in your dog’s feces through the use of lab tests or positive identification through direct observation under a microscope.

How can infection be treated?

Treatment of infected animals is required. Individual treatment should be used when possible, however, medications are available for entire kennel applications. The actual coccidiosis problem is critical and in addition, dehydration and loss of appetite must be treated. Drug selection should be handled with regards to the number of animals infected and the type of application. Sulfas and antibiotics for secondary bacterial infections are available for use. Treatment and prevention are most effective when started early. Most kennels need to segregate and medicate new dogs at the time of arrival. Kennel owners can also reduce exposure by reducing stress, such as overcrowding and poor sanitation.

Infection may be treated using a sulfadimethoxine drug such as Albon®, Bactrovet®, or Tribrissen®. Data regarding acute and chronic toxicities of sulfadimethoxine indicate the drug is very safe. The LD50 in mice is greater than 2 g/kg of body weight when administered intraperitoneally and greater than 16 g/kg when administered orally. In dogs receiving massive single oral doses of 3.2 g/kg of body weight, diarrhea was the only adverse effect observed. Dogs given 160 mg/kg of body weight orally daily for 13 weeks showed no signs of toxicity. Treatment may be initiated by a Vet with an Albon Injection 40% (100-mL multiple-dose vials) to obtain effective blood levels almost immediately or to facilitate treatment of the fractious animal. With the Albon Injection 40%, each mL contains 400 mg sulfadimethoxine compounded with 20% propylene glycol, 1% benzyl alcohol, 0.1 mg disodium edetate, 1 mg sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate, and pH adjusted with sodium hydroxide. Albon is also available in liquid form: Albon Oral Suspension 5%: 2- and 16-oz bottles; each tsp (5 mL) contains 250 mg sulfadimethoxine in a custard-flavored carrier. Length of treatment with any sulfadimethoxine drug depends on the clinical response. In most cases treatment for 5 days is adequate. Treatment should be continued until the animal is asymptomatic for at least 48 hours.

The cost to effectively keep coccidiosis infestations out of your Beagles may be entirely too much if you take your dog(s) to a Veterinarian. As already stated, a Vet will charge you for an office visit plus the cost of canine dosage sulfadimethoxine pills (Tablets-125 mg, 250 mg, and 500 mg), Albon Injection 40%, and/or Albon Oral Suspension 5%. The cost for the Veterinarian treatments along with the cost of the office visits will add up to a lot of money per year, especially if you have more than one Beagle. Once again, I want to remind everyone that I am not a Veterinarian, but rather a long time Beagle kennel owner. I’ll tell you what I use and do, you can use your own judgment whether you want to follow in my footsteps. This article is presented only as a documentation of how I treat coccidiosis infestations in the Beagles that I own at a fraction of the cost that a Veterinarian will charge you.

What I do is buy the Sulfadimethoxine 12 1/2% solution (generic Albon) from Lambert Vet Supply without a prescription and for a lot less money. Active ingredients:  Each fluid ounce contains 3.75 grams Sulfadimethoxine solubilized with sodium hydroxide. I buy the one-gallon size jug of the generic brand of Albon which is the Sulfadimethoxine 12 1/2% solution for $40.75 (accurate price as of 04/20/2008) per gallon. Simply click on either picture to the left of this paragraph and order a gallon jug of either the Sulfadimethoxine (generic Albon) or the name brand Albon today. (NOTE: Lambert Vet Supply is not a sponsor of BEAGLES UNLIMITED and we do not make a cent by referring them to you. They do have the absolute lowest prices available to help all of us keep our Beagles in great health while we save hundreds of dollars each and every year. Here is more information about Lambert Vet Supply.)

This gallon jug of liquid Sulfadimethoxine is enough antibiotic to medicate a huge kennel full of Beagles for several months or even years. If you have more than one Beagle to treat with the Sulfadimethoxine drug for a coccidiosis outbreak, I highly recommend you follow in my footsteps and buy and use the gallon size jug of this medication as well as another product described below and then you can make your own 5% Albon solution just like you get from the Vet.

I also purchase a gallon jug of Dyne High Calorie Supplement, which is a liquid nutritional supplement, from Lambert Vet Supply. I buy the one-gallon size jug for $33.50 each (accurate price as of 04/20/2008). Simply click on the picture of Dyne High Calorie Supplement to the right of this paragraph and order a gallon jug today. This product is  formulated to provide a nutrient dense liquid diet with essential vitamins and has a high caloric value. This product expedites the rate of recovery of weak or sick animals. It also may be fed as is or diluted with milk for animals unable to eat solid foods.

Then what I do next is I mix 5 ounces of Dyne High Calorie Supplement with 4 ounces of the Sulfadimethoxine 12 1/2% solution discussed above. This gives me a fairly palatable mixture of the 5% Albon (Rx) at a 85% or higher savings without the required prescription or the expense of a Vet office visit. I know many breeders that are paying $75 or more per pint for the 5% Albon (Rx) solution that they get from their Vet. This will give you approximately 2-gallons of the 5% Albon (RX) for only $75 rather than only 1-pint that a Vet will sell you for $75 — you figure up the savings! Once you have this 5% Albon solution mix, each teaspoonful (5 mL) will contain 250 mg of Sulfadimethoxine. Beagles should receive 1 teaspoonful of this 5% Albon Oral Suspension  mixture per 10 lb of body weight (25 mg/lb or 55 mg/kg) as an initial dose, followed by ½ teaspoonful per 10 lb of body weight (12.5 mg/lb or 27.5 mg/kg) every 24 hours thereafter. I recommend you give this treatment for a total of 10 days. The medication may be administered in food or water, given as a drench orally. I give each dog its own food and medicine in its own feed dish to make sure each dog is getting the proper amount of food and medicine or at least use it as a drench to be given orally to each dog/puppy. This Sulfadimethoxine 12 1/2% solution mixed with the Dyne High Calorie Supplement will save you hundreds of dollars a year. I urge all kennels to keep a gallon of each handy. This Sulfadimethoxine 5% solution mix has a wide margin for safety, is very easy to administer, and absolutely works miracles on getting rid of coccidiosis in your hounds. Since coccidiosis is so easily spread from one Beagle to the next, I highly recommend all hounds get a full treatment even if only one hound shows symptoms — better to be safe than sorry.

This is the treatment that I use in my kennel and you can also check out the article Giardiasis: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention to learn more about the other common protozoal infection called giardiasis. It is very unlikely to eliminate 100% of the coccidiosis infection in all dogs. Adaptations that may be made to try to improve the success rate of a treatment regime include extending the duration and dose of the treatment. Care must obviously be taken with this approach to make sure that an adequate safety margin is always maintained. Another approach is to retreat after an interval of one week of completion of the initial treatment. Alternatively, repeat fecal samples may be collected one week after the treatment and dogs which are still passing oocysts can be identified and treated. It should be recognized that, when treating a large number of dogs, there may still be one or two dogs that remain as carriers of infection that will act as a potential source for reintroducing the infection into your entire kennel.

No matter which treatment you choose to utilize (Vet Rx or over-the-counter cattle drugs), the simple fact is that it may not kill all of the coccidia oocysts. A certain number of them can burrow into the lining of the intestines and go dormant. They can stay dormant for years. Due to the hard shell protecting the oocysts, it is almost impossible to kill them when they are encysted in the lining of the intestines. Therefore, during times of stress, the oocysts may re-activate and start to reproduce, causing another outbreak of coccidiosis in your Beagle or Beagle kennel. The amount of stress needed to cause a flare seems to be highly variable with different dogs and dog breeds. Beagles are one of the hardiest breeds since they were developed as hunting hounds.

Important Note:  A healthy dog may have been infected years before and never have shown any symptoms (asymptomatic carrier). They may occasionally shed very low numbers of oocysts in stools–evaluating every stool (the WHOLE stool) for something like six months is supposed to be the conclusive way to rule out an asymptomatic carrier (someone did this with a couple dogs for a study). This would cost literally thousands of dollars! Not exactly a practical way to test. Coccidiosis and giardiasis are both very common protozoal infestations that have the exact same clinical symptoms; therefore, I recommend that both diseases get treated one right after the other:  coccidiosis for 10 days and giardiasis for 5 days if using Metronidazole or 3 days if using Fenbendazole. Once again, I treat coccidiosis with Sulfadimethoxine (Albon), and giardiasis with Metronidazole (Flagyl) or Fenbendazole (Safe-Guard).

How to eliminate coccidia from your kennel or home?

Once infection is present in a kennel, control may be approached in two ways:-
1. identification, isolation and treatment of infected dogs.
2. mass treatment of all dogs.

Option 1 is only practical where a few dogs in a discrete area have been identified as being infected and where complete isolation is feasible, either within their own block or in a specific isolation block. Such isolation includes segregation of exercise areas and these animals should be fed and cleaned after all others on the premises, preferably using separate cleaning and feeding equipment and separate staff if possible. Treatment of all dogs should commence on the same day when option 2 is adopted.

Thorough cleaning of all kennel areas where infected dogs have access is essential. Once organic debris has been removed, thorough disinfection will help to further reduce the level of environmental contamination and reduce the risk of dogs becoming re-infected after the completion of treatment. Disinfectants containing quaternary ammonium compounds have been found to kill Coccidia oocysts at the manufacturers’ recommended dilutions (dilutions of one disinfectant up to 1:704 were found to be effective at both low and high environmental temperatures). I disinfect all my kennels twice per month by washing everything down with a mixture consisting of 8 ounces of Clorox bleach per gallon of water. Make sure you let it set at least 20 minutes, rinse thoroughly, and then let it get completely dry before letting your Beagles use the kennels again.  Important Note:  The efficacy of killing is increased by prolonged contact time, therefore disinfectant solution should be left for 20 minutes to half an hour before being rinsed off kennel or run surfaces. Since disinfection of grass runs is impossible, such area should be regarded as contaminated for at least a month after infected dogs last had access.

Introduction of new dogs into the infected area should be avoided until the period of treatment and fecal sample checking has been completed. It should not be overlooked that some of the infected dogs may continue to excrete low numbers of oocysts even after all treatments and examinations have been completed. It is therefore important that rigorous disinfection is maintained and a careful check is kept on the condition of all treated and introduced animals.

And if they get it, their chance of survival is better BUT they need plenty of fluids (pedialyte helps) if they are vomitting & have diarrhea.  The only way to know for sure it for them to be tested.  We just don’t have the funds or a foster home that can take them right now.  If it is parvo, the treatment is VERY expensive.  If it’s coccidia, it is easily treatable.

Blend diet like rice, etc.

Remember the incubation period (from exposure to illness) is about thirteen days.

Fortunately coccidiosis is treatable. Drugs such as sulfadimethoxine (Albon), trimethoprim-sulfadiazine (Tribrissen) and amprolium (Corid) have all been effective in the treatment and prevention of coccidia. Because these drugs do not kill the organisms, but rather inhibit their reproduction capabilities, elimination of coccidia from the intestine is not rapid. By stopping the ability of the protozoa to reproduce, time is allowed for the puppy’s own immunity to develop and remove the organisms. Drug treatments of five or more days are usually required.

Coccidia is a natural herbal remedy that helps your pet overcome coccidosis, also known as coccidia or cocci. This natural Coccidia treatment is useful for dogs, cats, birds, goat kids, guinea pigs, and other animals. We have numerous customers who tried numerous rounds of treatment with the traditional Albon or Flagyl, some with pets so severe they were on vet IV’s. As soon as they stopped the Albon or Flagyl treatment, the diarrhea would return. These customers have had excellent success using the Coccidia remedy. The severe coccidia cases need Parvaid (for dogs and other animals, EXCEPT cats) or the Feline Distemper remedy for cats. More info is below.

What is Coccidiosis?”

Coccidia are small protozoans that multiply in the intestinal tracts of dogs and cats, most commonly in kittens and puppies less than 6 months of age, in adult animals whose immune system is suppressed or in animals who are stressed in other ways (i.e., change in ownership, other disease present). In cats and dogs, most coccidia are of the genus called Isospora. Isospora canis and I. ohioensis are the species most often encountered in dogs; I. felis and I. rivolta are the most common in cats. Regardless of which species is present we generally refer to the disease as coccidiosis. As a puppy or kitten ages it tends to develop a natural immunity to the effects of coccidia. As an adult it may carry coccidia in its intestines, shed the cysts in the feces, but experience no ill effects.

How are coccidia transmitted? A puppy or kitten is born with the coccidia organisms in its intestine. However, once born, the puppy or kitten is frequently exposed to its mother’s feces and if the mother is shedding the infective cysts in her feces then the young animals will likely ingest them and coccidia will develop in their intestines. Since young puppies and kittens, usually those less than six months of age, have no immunity to coccidia, the organisms reproduce in large numbers and parasitize the young animal’s intestines. Oftentimes, this has severe effects. From exposure to the coccidia in feces to the onset of the illness is about 13 days. Most puppies and kittens who are ill from coccidia are, therefore, two weeks of age and older. Although most infections are the result of spread from the mother, this is not always the case. Any infected puppy or kitten is contagious to other puppies or kittens. In breeding facilities, shelters, aimals hospitals, etc. it is wise to isolate those infected from those who are not.

What are the symptoms of coccidiosis? The primary sign of an animal suffering with coccidiosis is diarrhea. The diarrhea may be mild to severe depending on the level of infection. Blood and mucous may be present, especially in advanced cases. Severely affected animals may also vomit, lose their appetite, become dehydrated, and in some instances, die from the disease.

Most infected kittens and puppies encountered by Amber Technology are in the four to twelve week age group. The possibility of coccidiosis should always be considered when a loose stool or diarrhea is encountered from this age group. A microscopic fecal exam by a veterinarian will detect the cysts confirming a diagnosis.

What are the risks? Although many cases are mild it is not uncommon to see severe, bloody diarrhea result in dehydration and even death. This is most common in animals who are ill or infected with other parasites, bacteria, or viruses. Coccidiosis is very contagious, especially among young kittens and puppies. Entire kennels and catteries may become contaminated with puppies and kittens of many age groups simulatneously affected.

What are the Coccidia formula ingredients? The natural Coccidia formula contains human grade anti-microbial and anti-parasitic herbs: Olive leaf, mustard seed, black seed, pau d’arco, cloves, grapefruit seed extract, alcohol, and distilled water.

Suggested dosage is based on the weight of the animal. Shake Well. Give 2-15 drops orally, 4x/day for 10 days. One bottle will treat approximately 3 medium sized puppies.

Where dogs are vomiting and having diarrhea some dogs would be more comfortable if given Parvaid in addition to the Coccidia formula. Parvaid helps calm the stomach, boost the immune system and helps stop the vomiting and diarrhea.

Where cats are vomiting and having diarrhea some cats would be more comfortable if given Feline Distemper remedy in addition to the Coccidia formula. Feline Distemper helps calm the stomach, boost the immune system and helps stop the vomiting and diarrhea.