Winning The Battle Against Coccidiosis
For years goat producers have been plagued with a common disease known as Coccidiosis which is characterized by black diarrhea in young kids with a very strong offensive odor or brown, greenish, or yellowish diarrhea in nursing kids, high fever is possible, rapid weight loss, dehydration, and often times death will result if left untreated. Normally occurs in kids less than six months of age.
Some treatments include Corid, Sulmet, or Albon diluted in the animals drinking water which will take longer to cure and most often the affected animal will not drink enough to cure its condition. These products are most effective given as an oral drench. Corid can be mixed (1/2 Corid, 1/2 Water) and given as an oral drench, 1cc per 4 pounds body weight, once a day for five days. Sulmet (Sulfamethazine Sodium 12.5%) can be given undiluted as an oral drench, 1cc per 5 pounds body weight, once a day for five days. Albon should be given undiluted, 3-8cc depending on body weight, once a day for five days. Biosol/Neomycin is also an effective treatment for Coccidiosis and can be given 2-5cc for kids and 7-10cc for adult animals orally twice a day for five days.
As with any illness an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Ground cloves (like the ones you purchase in your local supermarket) can be used as a preventative measure. Mix one ounce of ground cloves with ten pounds of free choice minerals and make readily available to your stock. Since I have been using ground cloves as a preventative measure, I havent had one case of Coccidiosis in my herd and before using the ground cloves in my free choice minerals I generally had an outbreak of Coccidiosis once or twice a year. Di-Methox Injection 40% can also be used as a preventative measure. Di-Methox should be used on kids three weeks of age and given orally in water or milk at the rate of 1/2 cc twice daily for one week followed by 1/2 cc dose once a week until weaned.
Cattle can also pose a threat to goats though coccidiosis. Cattle can be carriers of this illness and symptoms will not develop in the cattle but it can be transmitted to the goats and the goats can become repeatedly infected when being housed or pastured with cattle. Transmission is possible either through direct contact with the stool of cattle by being housed or pastured with them, or by flies or other insects, or by clothing or shoes not being properly disinfected after contact cattle.
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