If an adult dog is infected with coccidia, it's often because he already has a weakened immune system due to another illness or health condition. It's less common in adults who have already built up immunity to it over time. Coccidiosis is most often seen in puppies who are less than 6 months old, and usually within about 3 weeks of a major stressful experience or illness. The incubation period (time between your pup being exposed to the disease and his symptoms appearing) is about 2 weeks.
If your pup eats either the infected stools or the soil around/under them he gets sick himself. The Oocysts (the name given to the tiny, immature Coccidia organisms) are excreted from an infected animal in his feces, they then are absorbed into the soil and are hardy enough to live there for extended periods. Your pup might get sick because his immune response takes a nose-dive due to stress, or some other illness, or he might 'catch' Coccidiosis from another infected dog or animal. They're basically 'carriers' for this disease but don't show any symptoms because they have strong immune systems which keep the parasites under control. Many dogs and puppies have these organisms in their digestive tract, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to get sick. The most common species of coccidia in dogs are called Isospora Canis. There are several different species of coccidia that are found in dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, and more.Įven humans can get a form of this disease (but luckily the type of coccidia your puppy might get isn't transferable to humans!).
Please take the time to read all the information on this page - it will help you keep your little one safe. The stress of all the changes in their lives, perhaps combined with the exposure to other bacteria, parasites or infections, weakens their immune systems and allows the Coccidia organisms to grow, flourish and make the puppy sick.Ĭoccidiosis is an extremely contagious illness, and it can be very severe in young puppies. This is why Coccidiosis is often seen in pups who have recently left their momma and siblings and come into a new home. This disease is most dangerous to young puppies whose immune systems are weakened either by another type of illness, or stress.
Coccidiosis in dogs is caused by tiny single-cell organisms & can be especially dangerous in young puppies.Ĭoccidia infection is caused by intestinal parasites, but these aren't worms, they're actually tiny, single-cell organisms that are too small to be seen by the naked eye.
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