# Treatment for coccidiosis?



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Our new squeaker pigeon had a fecal test and has a low positive titter for coccidia. Does this need treatment? Some sites say pigeons all have it and that it shouldn't be treated unless the bird is ill. Vet suggested over the counter treatment with either amprolium or Albon. Any suggestions please? Can people get it? Am thinking about getting Fiona tested also.


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## joyful (Apr 1, 2009)

amprolium is the medicine for coccidiosis. just follow the dosage on the package.
It had helped my pigeon before, complete cure within 2 weeks


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

With coccidia, and someone correct me if Im wrong, I believe that they say u cant cure or it is hard to cure and or there are two treatmetns for it, one knocks the numbers down to an acceptable level addn the other is a curative supposedy? Cant rememeber where I saw that, maybe on one of the cocci meds bottes. Either way I got the curative. Or was it one to prevet and one to cure? lol cant remember but research it and find out. Let me go read my bottle....

Ok so the cocci care is stronger and says preventative and the coccivet is slightly weaker on ingredient and it says treatment. Google cocci-care and the botte has a list of syptoms on it for ya.
Here.....

INFECTION

Fluffed feathers and inactive
Shaking
Weight Loss
Watery droppings
Dark green, tacky, smelly diarrhea
Blood in droppings
Sudden death


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Can people get infected?


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

cwebster said:


> Our new squeaker pigeon had a fecal test and has a low positive titter for coccidia. Does this need treatment? Some sites say pigeons all have it and that it shouldn't be treated unless the bird is ill. Vet suggested over the counter treatment with either amprolium or Albon. Any suggestions please? Can people get it? Am thinking about getting Fiona tested also.


Pigeons do carry a low level of Coccidia which is normally kept low by their immune system. No point in trying to do anything so long as it is a safe level. The mere presence of Coccidia is not Coccidiosis - that is where the system is overwhelmed with them. It's also normally an opportune 'invasion' due to a weakened immune system, maybe from another illness.

It's not transmitted to humans.


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

So similar with canker then, normal to be there in small numbers, medicate when cinical signs show.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Because I am isolating the new bird from Fiona for 30 days, should I just get Fiona's poop tested? i don't want her to catch coccidia but imagine if most pigeons have it she probably has been exposed and harbors them at a low level too. The new pigeons poop is just kind of loose. Fiona just makes those huge morning clumps/splats because she is still sitting on nonfertile eggs. I don't want to medicate either bird if the coccidia is protective against other things but don't want one bird catching anything from the other either. Aren't there different types of coccidia protozoans? Thanks. I know I'm probably being over cautious but the new pigeon lived with chickens in a pretty messy place because there were so many birds and Fiona came from outside and from an animal shelter. An unrelated question...I never took the old eggs out of Fiona's cage, just covered them with paper, and she is sitting on six no fertile eggs.  Does this pose a health risk to her? It seems she has been sitting on them forever this time. I hate to throw them away and now can't remove them. She is taking such great care of them it is sad. Thanks.


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## AndreiS (Jul 28, 2013)

cwebster said:


> Because I am isolating the new bird from Fiona for 30 days, should I just get Fiona's poop tested? i don't want her to catch coccidia but imagine if most pigeons have it she probably has been exposed and harbors them at a low level too. The new pigeons poop is just kind of loose. Fiona just makes those huge morning clumps/splats because she is still sitting on nonfertile eggs. I don't want to medicate either bird if the coccidia is protective against other things but don't want one bird catching anything from the other either. Aren't there different types of coccidia protozoans? Thanks. I know I'm probably being over cautious but the new pigeon lived with chickens in a pretty messy place because there were so many birds and Fiona came from outside and from an animal shelter. An unrelated question...I never took the old eggs out of Fiona's cage, just covered them with paper, and she is sitting on six no fertile eggs.  Does this pose a health risk to her? It seems she has been sitting on them forever this time. I hate to throw them away and now can't remove them. She is taking such great care of them it is sad. Thanks.


A bird gets sick with coccidia only if ingests too many oocysts or if is immunodepressed. If there are lot of poops of a sick bird, other birds will pretty sure get sick as well.

Yes, there are many strains, some more virulent, some less. You have to threat the virulent cases, otherwise the bird will start losing weight and die. Amprolium may not be very efficient for virulent forms, you should use sulphonamide drugs as a primary drug but keep in mind that the bird may fall again sick later. Is not like at viral diseases, when if the bird gets sick once, becomes immune. At coccidia, it has to fall sick several times to become resistent to the disease.

And to help the bird pass easily over the disease and over the effects of medication, you have to give B vitamins, probiotics, minerals.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Hi cwebster,

o You got a new friend for Fiona? I'm so happy! What is the new pigeon like?

Cocci is mainly a young bird sickness, older birds develop immunity. Young birds with it have a `wasting disease' and are very skinny. I personally use amprolium to treat it, and it can turn around a dying bird with cocci overnight. It kills the parasite dead. Sulfur antiobiotics can treat it by interfering with cocci parasite reproduction, but it takes ten days which is too long for very sick birds. 

Any pics of the new pigeon?


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

BellaF, got a blue checked squeaker to be with Fiona after a30 day quarantine. She if it is a she is a semi feral homer I think. Picture was posted under a posting, how long to quarantine. Will try to post new photos of her soon. She is getting acclimated and starting to bite me so I guess all is going well.  she eats and poops well but has coccidia in her poop. Fiona is still sitting on six nonfertile eggs happily in another part of the house.


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