Coccidia In Kittens Treatment

Whilst there is no licensed treatment for coccidiosis in cats effective medications are available.

Coccidia in kittens treatment. Coccidiosis is a parasitic type of infection caused by the coccidia parasite. The two most common medications that are prescribed to treat coccidiosis are trimethoprim sulfadiazine and sulfadimethoxine. It is thought that 5 of all cats acquire coccidiosis at some point in their lives. Coccidiosis is diagnosed through an examination of the kitten s fecal material.

Sulfa drugs are the primary treatment for coccidia infection though there are other options as well. Treatment of coccidia in cats in order to treat coccidiosis in a cat showing symptoms your cat will need a specific type of anti parasitic medication to kill the parasite. The most common drug used to treat coccidiosis is a sulfa class antibiotic sulfadimethoxine. Coccidia belong to a group of single celled parasites called protozoan.

Take extra care when monitoring the health of kittens to identify cases of coccidiosis before the infection has progressed too far. The most common coccidia i. Since adult cats rarely show coccidiosis symptoms unless they are ill or stressed you may have an underlying health problem to deal with as well. If it is not treated over time it can cause damage to the lining of a cat s intestinal tract.

Usually a drug called trimethoprim sulfonamide is prescribed and given orally to your cat for about a week in order to treat the infection. Coccidia can easily be treated with a five day course of a particular antibiotic. While albon sulfadimethoxine is the only fda approved drug the recommended dosing schedule is to administer it for 5 21 days which can be costly both monetarily and in staff time. Treatment for kittens affected by coccidiosis includes supportive care for example fluid therapies to combat dehydration caused by vomiting and diarrhea and antibiotic treatment.

Some formulations of this medication are pleasant tasting and most cats will readily accept them. In addition a bland diet for a few days helps to nurse the gut along and allow things to settle down. There are also ways to eliminate risk factors from your cat s environment. Felis poses no threat to owners.

Most coccidia can not spread to humans. We do recommend ponazuril as the preferred treatment of coccidia in kittens in a shelter. It most commonly causes watery mucus based diarrhea in animals. Treatment of coccidiosis in cats since young pets succumb to this infection if they re not treated promptly it s important to get the cat s feces examined for the presence of coccidia.

It is typically administered for 5 20 days. With appropriate and prompt treatment the prognosis is good. Test any pregnant cats for protozoa so that kittens may be treated after birth.