about coccidia?

[JHarper]

So Diesel was diagnosed with coccidia at the vet yesterday, and the vet said that this had stunted his growth. He said that if I hadn't known his exact birth date, he would have guessed that Diesel was 3-4 weeks old!

Since I had my 3 year old daughter with me at the vet, I didn't get to ask all I wanted to about this. (she kept running out of the room =P)

~My main question is will he jump up in size now that he's on the Albon? or is he just going to be a couple weeks behind in size?~

I've looked through the forums about this, but none have really said anything about growth after the Albon. So any info on that area would be appreciated.

Oh I mentioned in another thread that he weighed in at a whopping 2.6 lbs..but he did have his harness on. so that probably added a bit to his weight.


Thanks again guys!

 

[Donna1969]

My Carson had coccidia. He wasn't any smaller than any other pup his age (weight or heightwise).

I would venture to guess that now that he's able to eat, digest and keep his food in his belly instead of shooting it out his butt, that he'll start putting the pounds on. He may pack them on quickly, or add them slowly but he should "catch" up to pups his size. He may even act starved. Carson did when he started taking the Albon.

 

[ELubas]

Both my girls had this as pups and it did not seem to effect their size. They did eat better after they were treated so hopefully you will see that with your pup. How old is he now and what does he weigh? Coccidia, once treated, should not cause long term problems. Good luck

 

[liamsmom]

two of our boxers had coccidia as pups and it didn't stunt their growth one bit. our dakota (rip) was 18 lbs at 14 weeks old. chubsy-wubsy! but he grew up just fine and leveled off at about 65 lbs for the rest of his life.
liam had it but it didn't stunt him either. he'll be a year old next month and he's almost 60 lbs.

 

[EAO76]

I’ve never heard of coccida stunting a pup’s growth before. Did the vet tell you that he's small because of the coccidia? In theory any parasite could stunt growth if left untreated but since your treating it now that’s not an issue.

I wouldn’t expect to see a huge jump in growth just due to the meds. Also if your pup has coccidia then the whole litter has it. The pups get it from being exposed to the mother’s feces and it is highly contagious. Therefore you may want to let the breeder know. Also getting over the coccida is a bit of a slow process. The albon won’t kill the coccidia, but rather it slows down the production of the organism and then eventually your pup’s immune system will build up the proper strength to remove the coccida on its own.

2.6 lbs at 7 weeks is very small. How big are his parents? My male was one of the medium pups from his litter and he was 8lbs at 7 weeks. My female was the smallest of the litter and she was 6lbs at 7 weeks. So your guy is very tiny. How is he eating?

 

[JHarper]

we have an odd eating schedule here, but it's vet approved for now.

During the day Diesel will nap for an hour, go outside to potty, come in, eat and drink, then play a little until he falls asleep again.

So he's eating every hour and a half or so during the day. He eats well for his size, but that's just my opinion. The soft food he'll eat more of then the kibble that I softened. But thats probably because it tastes better =P


Thats my next question actually. It is ok to wet kibble right? I just add a bit of water so it's not so hard to chew.

I dont have a tiny little scale, so I cant keep up with his weight, but he's looking better. His coat is fuller, and he's more energetic.

Last night he barked at our pug, who then gave me the funniest look. Like 'what the heck was that?!'

She's also done a good job with him. She will let him chew on her for a while, but when she thinks it's enough, she'll correct him, and push him back.

He'll either hesitate for a second then go chew on her again, or he'll find something else to do.

Today would be the 3rd dose of the meds, when should I start seeing firmer stools? Even though they were never watery, they're just a bit too soft still.

Otherwise I'd say he's doing really well. And I can't wait til he starts getting bigger, I love that lanky, legs too big for their body puppy stage. Oh, and the part where they sleep though the night. =P


also, to answer your question, dad is 70 lbs and mom is 50 lbs.

 

[ELubas]

Actually eating a lot of meals during the day if good for a pup. The breeder I got my last girl from also had me soak the kibble but she did not care much for it, though many breeders tell you to do just that. I would just add wet or things like cottage cheese or yogurt (very little as you do not want a lot of it). My girl grew up to be a good eater so if he is gaining weight (I might invest in a little scale or stop by the vet if they have one to monitor his weight) and his coat looks good you are probably on the right track. It will take a week or so for the poop to return to normal, maybe longer for it to be really firm.

Your pug sounds like the perfect "puppy" dog-your baby will learn well from your pug! Good luck

 

[DiverDiva]

If you want to premoisten his dry kibble, it is better if the kibble does not have citric acid as an ingredient. That could cause an increased risk for bloat.

 

[JHarper]

If you want to premoisten his dry kibble, it is better if the kibble does not have citric acid as an ingredient. That could cause an increased risk for bloat.

I feed Canidae, and while I don't think that's an ingredient, I put the food in a separate container, so I'll have to check the website to read the ingredients once more.