My Poor Puppy

[misscoco13]

Last Friday we finally picked up our beautiful Beagle girl, Gypsy, from the airport (we've been waiting since July!!). She flew from SA to QLD, so she was pretty exhausted.

The next day we visited our vet. He thought she was lovely. She did have a yeast infection in her ears, but thats pretty common in puppies.

Gypsy was 8 weeks on Monday. By Tuesday she started getting diarrhea, but still eating and drinking. By Thursday it was getting watery, by Friday there was blood in it. So today we go back to the vet and he diagnoses Coccidia from the fecal sample we took in. The poor girl had a shot and some oral medication.

Here's the thing though....I called the breeder afterwards to let her know that her kennel has coccidia (as vet says she couldn't have picked it up so quickly from here...13 day incubation for symptoms after infection). Anyway, breeder has NEVER heard of coccidia (even I had heard of it) and claimed to have never had one single case of diarrhea. I kinda don't believe that.

So, breeders, how common is Coccidiosis in kennels? Our vet says its pretty common and he's had pet shops come in with the same issues too. I'm still surprised that a breeder who says she has been breeding for 25 years doesn't know this parasite.

Oh, she also has cherry eye

Thanks

[Danois]

Was it a registered breeder? Just that the puppy was under 8 weeks when you got it.

[misscoco13]

Yes, definitely a registered breeder: "All of our pups are sold with ANKC registered pedigree papers and microchipped so you will receive proof of Pedigree."

I've also seen the bloodlines and my pup has champions and grand champions in the grandparent line. The father was also a champion and the mother is a gorgeous Beagle. I have no doubt that the pup came from these lines as even the vet said she was a beautiful pedigreed Beagle from good stock.

The breeder did release the litter early last Friday as they had another litter due after the weekend. It was only 2 days early.

This photo was from the afternoon we picked her up.

Edited October 2, 2010 by misscoco13

[Staranais]

She's gorgeous!

Coccidia is rather common around here, and I think in most places. But I guess it's possible that the breeder has just never encountered it before?

[Vader's mum]

Gosh she is beautiful! our children would make good looking babies hahah (check out kenobi post in photos)

Ive heard of coccidia but only recently as I am very new to the dog thing if we werent getting kenobi I wouldnt know about half the stuff I do now

[aussielover]

she is so cute!

It is possible the breeder has never had it, though it is unusual they hadn;t at least heard of it.

[Swizzlestick]

Oh, she also has cherry eye

Did the breeder discuss this with you before the pup arrived?

[misscoco13]

Oh no, in fairness to the breeder Gypsy didn't have cherry eye when she arrived here. It popped out a few days ago. We know all about cherry eye as our Shih Tzu, Candy, had it earlier this year and we had the vet surgically fix it. Luckily she's had no trouble with her eye since then.

Maybe I just read too much on the internet about dogs and puppies Perhaps Coccidia isn't as well known as I thought. Our vet is from Melbourne originally and worked in ER situations so he's an excellent vet with vast knowledge. He has picked up so much with our pets and my mother-in-law's dogs since we changed vets a while ago. Mum-in-law's dog has been diagnosed with heart issues and he's a different dog since this vet started treating him. The previous vet said the dog was just old and left it at that! This vet said he had many good years left in him if he gets heart medication as the left side of his heart was failing. Now he's bounding around like a pup again

Anyway, Gypsy is a million percent better since her medication at the vet this morning. She is running around, playing with Candy, and eating food again And no diarrhea since she was in the vet surgery!! He's a wonderful vet

and Candy.....

Edited October 2, 2010 by misscoco13

[dancinbcs]

I have never had a case of coccidiosis and have only known of a few cases in puppies over the years so I wouldn't say it was common. I bred for about 15 years before I ever heard of it.

Birds carry it so there is nothing you can really do to avoid getting it in your yard. It is just sheer bad luck unless you keep a lot of birds and don't keep it under control. Anyone who has kept reasonable numbers of pet birds would be aware of it but I'm sure many dog breeders would never have come across it.

[SeeGee]

you have a beautiful beagle

[misscoco13]

Thanks

[luvsdogs]

Gypsy is gorgeous, glad to hear she is feeling better.

[flatchat]

Beautiful beagle baby!! Your other girl is sweet too!!

So glad your new puppy is improving!! :p

[misscoco13]

Never thought I'd ever be excited about dog poo Its now normal :p Gypsy is eating just fine, jumping around like a normal puppy ;)

Today:

[Jed]

Lots of breeders haven't heard of coccidia.

It is easily cured (as you have found) but a lot of dogs and pups die because their owners, and sometimes the vets, have no idea what coccidia is. They think it is parvo, and treat accordingly - sometimes the pup lives, sometimes not. There is a specific treatment (Baycox)

I don't have it in my kennels, as far as a I know, but if I had ever had it, I would give any pups I sold a precautionary dose of Baycox (which cures it). I do think that coccidia shows symptoms in pups which are stressed - never seen any research which agrees with this but that is how it seems to me.

And maybe that would explain how dogs which the breeder said were healthy had diarrohea (sp?) on arrival by air. Air travel is very stressful for pups.

Luckily, it isn't difficult to cure if diagnosed correctly early enough.

[alpha bet]

You are probably being a little hard on the breeder. It is not particularly common and although it is possible to have the organism in the kennels it is usually not a problem for dogs who are healthy. It will generally affect animals that are down in condition. Many breeders would not have experienced it nor would they necessarily know about it - after all there are so many things happening in the dog world and unless your breeder is also a vet.....

Puppies under about 6 months are more prone as they haven't yet built up natural immunities. Also it is more likely to affect pups when they are under stress such as rehoming. Especially after something as stressful as a flight from SA to QLD. It is diagnosed by vets by viewing a fecal sample under a microscope.

Im sure your breeder was putting a healthy happy little pup on the plane - unaware that there was a bug in her tummy that would cause her trouble.

[bridie]

Lots of breeders haven't heard of coccidia.

It is easily cured (as you have found) but a lot of dogs and pups die because their owners, and sometimes the vets, have no idea what coccidia is. They think it is parvo, and treat accordingly - sometimes the pup lives, sometimes not. There is a specific treatment (Baycox)

I don't have it in my kennels, as far as a I know, but if I had ever had it, I would give any pups I sold a precautionary dose of Baycox (which cures it). I do think that coccidia shows symptoms in pups which are stressed - never seen any research which agrees with this but that is how it seems to me.

And maybe that would explain how dogs which the breeder said were healthy had diarrohea (sp?) on arrival by air. Air travel is very stressful for pups.

Luckily, it isn't difficult to cure if diagnosed correctly early enough.

It is contagious too,most susectable up to 12 weeks of age.I always give my puppies a dose of Baycox for their own protection when leaving home at 12 weeks of age,as Jed has said it seems to come out with stress,this puppy would have been under stress,leaving home,flying, new owners & surroundings all in one day and only 8 weeks old,just not fair :p .......that's a whole new thread!

Glad it was a happy ending.

[misscoco13]

Gypsy is one happy little pup now! She is best friends with our Shih Tzu and they terrorise the cats together Her diarrhea has gone and she's normal!! She loves her food - sardines, chicken necks, raw eggs, pumpkin, and basically anything else I put in the bowl - as long as its not plain dry food She went wild for the sardines and raw egg breakfast I made them this morning! She has learnt to sit for her treats now - its so cute. Whenever we are in the kitchen preparing anything, Gypsy will be sitting behind us waiting for something. Her crate training is going well and she goes straight to sleep at night with very little fussing. Still having accidents with the toilet training but she'll get there. We just love her to bits, she's settled into the family really well and is such a spirited little girl with loads of personality

[Polgara's Shadow]

Glad to hear everything is going well with Gypsy now. It sound like she is loving living with you.

[sas]

Yes, definitely a registered breeder: "All of our pups are sold with ANKC registered pedigree papers and microchipped so you will receive proof of Pedigree."

I've also seen the bloodlines and my pup has champions and grand champions in the grandparent line. The father was also a champion and the mother is a gorgeous Beagle. I have no doubt that the pup came from these lines as even the vet said she was a beautiful pedigreed Beagle from good stock.

The breeder did release the litter early last Friday as they had another litter due after the weekend. It was only 2 days early.

This photo was from the afternoon we picked her up.

Do you have your puppy's papers?