Question: Coccidia treatment
We have 10 alpacas with 3 females with crias (<6 mo.) on the ground. All appear to be energetic and in good health except... Observed three days ago:
Our newest female born
Suggestions from other alpaca ranches in the vicinity indicated there are a few problems like this going around so recommended using the complete CORID drench program on all alpacas.
I started this program and administered the syringes based upon body weight to all the alpacas yesterday...however today the crias feces is not diarrhea, she is reasonably much improving, good appetite, activity, feces is pretty firm although not completely normal.
My primary concern with continuing this treatment is this...
I understand this CORID drench is quite devastating to the parasites in the intestinal tract and can result in 1) impacts to the immune system 2) ulcers and requires vitamin B complex to rectify the regeneration of good "flora" back into the alpacas system to recover.
All of this seems pretty drastic tactics when we don't know if it is the coxy/parasite or of it is simply a virus...that will normally run its course without impacting their ability to recover and regenerate naturally.
Recommendations please as to course of treatment would of course include testing to determine the amount of coxy/parasite in the stool that would be of such magnitude to cause the diarrhea in the first place. It is all a matter of interpretation of the results. One alpaca farm here is going through the same thing has done the testing and can not determine if it really is parasitic OR a virus. The other large alpaca farm 1 mile away is going through the same thing and they are CORID drenching over 163 animals!!!!
We sure could use an update on what is overkill...and what long term implications are for a cria (a magnificent cria I might add) to be subjected to such antimicrobial medication and what the prognosis is for her long term immune system recovery...
Vitamin B just doesn't seem like enough for the "flora" to regenarte her system and mitigate the Ulceration potential.
Dear Dr. Meisner,
Thank you very much for your more thorough explanation of the coccidia situation...although it does simply boil down to a matter of interpretation of the "magnitude" of Coccidia present in said sample- I know now the right questions to ask. My other primary concern is implications from the use of specific treatments i.e., CORID as the primary treatment and its long term implications on my cria. Killing off the beneficial "flora" and parasites in the system would seem to me very severe vs. a potential for a focused approach, if possible for the "specific" culprit/parasite.
Thank you for your time and education.
It is very much appreciated.
Answer:
Thank you for writing to ICI with you question about diarrhea and coccidia treatment. The answer to your question really is not going to be simple, especially since you haven't gotten a diagnosis for coccidia infection.
Based on the comments you have made, it seems you already have some information about the parasite. So, although I risk re-iterating something that you already know, I will share a few basic pieces of information about coccidia. They are normal inhabitants of the gi system at low levels. They invade the intestinal mucosa to reproduce and while doing so they cause damage. In large numbers, that damage can cause the sloughing of large sections of the protective lining of the intestines allowing the toxins and bacteria that are normally kept safely inside the intestines to have access to the blood stream causing animals to feel very sick and to poorly digest their feed. Usually, infections that lead to clinical illness are only seen in young animals, on farms with severe environmental contamination, or in animals with suppressed immune systems. The reason for this is that the body, when exposed as a young animal, will mount an immune response that will protect them from low level infections. When there are more bugs than the system can handle, even adults will get sick. That is why diagnosis by fecal exam is somewhat subjective. A technician expects to see some coccidia, but how many are too many? Treatment should be based on diagnosis, even if diagnosis is subjective. The reason for this is that there are multiple causes of diarrhea, and if you spend time and money treating the wrong diagnosis, you are potentially wasting time, money, and exposing your animals to drugs they don't need.
Diagnosis and treatment of your animals should always be done with a veterinarian. It is impossible for us to really get the whole picture of your problem without looking at your animals. It is not our (ICI’s) place to diagnose or recommend treatment for your specific situation, but I can tell you what we do for coccidia infections that we diagnose. Your veterinarian will be important in the diagnosis and treatment as well as dealing with any additional problems or complications that might arise.
That said, here is what we consider when treating and evaluating alpacas and llamas for coccidia infections. There is a form of "mega coccidia" that alpacas can get E. macrolensis. If that is the type they have, then treatment, even at low levels of infection, may be of benefit. We have the best HERD control with decoxx (decoquinate) at label dosage recommendations. It is mixed in the feed and given for 28 days every 3 to 4 months depending on the herd contamination level. We have the best INDIVIDUAL treatment success with albon (sulfadimethoxine) for 5 consecutive days at 15 mg/kg po twice daily or 30 mg/kg once daily.
In reclacitrant cases, we are trying penazuril with some success. If there is a history of poor growth, poor milk prodcution, low cria weights esp at weaning, diarrhea etc then treatment may be helpful.
The drug in Corid, amprolium, can cause polioencephalomalacia when overdosed. Polio is swelling of the brain, and in this situation is treated with thiamine (a vitamin B). This would explain why some people give vitamin B complex
while treating with Corid. At the labeled dose, and when the animals only consume their share, the drug has no long term side effects. There should be no normal flora issues following treatment, and the cria's immune system will
likely be exposed to coccidia, hopefully only in low numbers, and will still generate an immune response. I am not aware of any re-population of gut flora from vitamin B complex, but it would reduce the risk of developing polio. The
only reason I can think of that treatment for coccidia would cause gi ulcers, is if your animals suffer stress during treatment (some are so sensitive).
Unless your pregnant females are showing symptoms, I would be reluctant to treat them, but that is just because we don't like to take any chances.
On the subject of normal flora, truthfully, treatment with broad spectrum antibiotics is far more likely to cause changes in normal gi flora than coccidia treatment. There are still other things that cause problems with
normal flora but no need to go on and on. The best way to re-populate the flora doesn't come in any tube or a yogurt cup. If you really need to re- populate the gi of an animal, transfaunation is the way to do it. Transfaunation is when you take the contents of another ruminants rumen (the fluid part) and put it into your animal via a stomach tube. It is stinky business. At OSU, we use a cow that has a corked hole in her side that allows access to her rumen. Not something that every veterinarian has at his/her disposal, unfortunately. But, most veterinary schools have access to a rumen fistulated (the proper name of the cork) cow. This information will likely just be trivia to you, but I thought you might like to know more of the story.
So, if you have coccidia that you need to treat, don't worry about the normal flora. If you choose to use Corid (amprolium), be sure that you mix a fresh batch every time so that you do not risk overdosing them inadvertantly. It is
safer to treat each animal individually, but that is a big undertaking when you have a lot of animals. In your situation, you probably could get fecals done and decide which animals need treated and which do not and just treat those that need it. After you have completed treatment, repeat fecals are in order to be sure that the treatment worked. Sometimes the parasites can be resistant to the medication you choose and repeat treatment with another medication might be in order. Then, you can routinely screen fecal samples for coccidia yearly or twice a year to monitor your farm. If you did have coccidia, then the environment will be contaminated and your animals will get re-infected. It isn't the end of the world, and it isn't permanent, it would just require more vigilance while you get the environment cleaned up. This requires removal of manure, some time off of contaminated ground, treatment of individuals that are shedding large amounts of coccidia into the environment, and keeping the number of animals per acre to a minimum. You should have a separate pen for new comers and visitors (and any animal showing illness) so you can monitor and treat them before introducing them into the rest of the pasture space.
I hope I haven't gone on too long. Please let me know if any of this does not make sense.
Tracy J Miesner, DVM