Cocci: Corid (amprolium) + Sulfamethoxazole / Trimethoprim

[menotti]

Hey folks - had an adult hen with a long case of diarrhea that we couldn't figure out. Did all the normal treatments and after nothing worked, went to vet and got a positive for coccidiosis.

The vet gave us sulfatrim (Sulfamethoxazole / Trimethoprim) to administer to the more sick hen but we'd like to do a 5 day Corid treatment for the whole flock.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of info on the interactions between the two and whether it is safe. What I've seen generally is that amprolium being a thiamine blocker and sulfatrim being an antibiotic wouldn't affect each other. I've also seen a lot of folks recommending against using Sulfamethoxazole / Trimethoprim at all and sticking with the amprolium treatment.

I think I'm leaning towards the Corid and skipping sulfatrim for now. Only if we don't see improvement in the one symptomatic hen would we then do the sulfatrim.

So

• 5 days Corid
• A round of probiotic / electrolyte after finishing Corid (not same time)
• (only if symptomatic hen doesn't improve) sulfatrim to that one hen

Any thoughts, advice, pointers?

Thank you!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

That stink that you are having trouble. But thankfully coccidiosis is one of the easier things to treat.

I personally would go with the Corid and treat everyone like you are thinking.

Did you figure out why there is an overgrowth, since cocci are in every single chicken poo and only an issue when allowed to thrive out of control such as in warm humid conditions? Of course if an individual is weakened for any reason.. lots of things may effect them that would not otherwise bother a healthy chicken.

Guess my second choice would be to treat everyone with the sulfa drug, maybe. But I'm in agreement with your current thought process.

Hope she feels better!

 

[menotti]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

That stink that you are having trouble. But thankfully coccidiosis is one of the easier things to treat.

I personally would go with the Corid and treat everyone like you are thinking.

Did you figure out why there is an overgrowth, since cocci are in every single chicken poo and only an issue when allowed to thrive out of control such as in warm humid conditions? Of course if an individual is weakened for any reason.. lots of things may effect them that would not otherwise bother a healthy chicken.

Guess my second choice would be to treat everyone with the sulfa drug, maybe. But I'm in agreement with your current thought process.

Hope she feels better!

Thank you! The vet said she saw "a lot" of cocci in the poo. She admits to not being a chicken expert but does other birds. I think the sulfatrim was given to take care of any other possible infections besides the cocci.

Hasn't been warm/humid but am definitely gonna keep an eye on the wetness factor. The diarrhea has been going on for quite a while now with the one hen with no other symptoms.

 

[casportpony]

Contrary to popular belief, amprolium does not treat all strains of coccidiosis, so sometimes the better choice is a sulfa drug.

There are no drug interactions between amprolium and sulfas, so they can be given together, and there is an article somewhere that says this.

@KsKingBee does his own fecals and has found that amprolium is not as effective as sulfamethoxazole.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thank you! The vet said she saw "a lot" of cocci in the poo. She admits to not being a chicken expert but does other birds. I think the sulfatrim was given to take care of any other possible infections besides the cocci.

Hasn't been warm/humid but am definitely gonna keep an eye on the wetness factor. The diarrhea has been going on for quite a while now with the one hen with no other symptoms.

Can I presume that the float also included worm species and load count? How much did that cost you (just for informational purpose)? It's OK that she wasn't a chicken expert, not many vets are. But most are capable of running floats and doing counts.

Mind if I ask some other questions?

How many birds in how much space? What breeds (layers or dual purpose)? What do you feed including treats and supplements? How long has it been going on and what are "normal" treatments? What color is this diarrhea? Is she eating and drinking regular? Lethargic or foraging along and interacting normally? Adult, meaning how old? Molt this year? Any recent additions to you flock?

Just diagnostic questions here. We may or may not get some more answers, but it doesn't hurt to try.

 

[menotti]

Contrary to popular belief, amprolium does not treat all strains of coccidiosis, so sometimes the better choice is a sulfa drug.

There are no drug interactions between amprolium and sulfas, so they can be given together, and there is an article somewhere that say this.

@KsKingBee does his own fecal and has found that amprolium is not as effective as sulfamethoxazole.

Thanks, this is what I've generally found.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You can try the Corid, it's mild. I have not read any contraindications between Corid and Sulfa drugs.

Corid does not always treat all strains of Coccidiosis. If the vet recommended the Sulfatrim, it may be best to follow her recommendations. Did she provide enough to treat the whole flock or just the one hen? If for the one hen, then cage/kennel her inside the run/coop so she can be with the others and get her medication.

You can still treat with the Corid. I would go with the severe outbreak dosage of 1 1/2 teaspoons Corid powder per gallon or 2 teaspoons of 9.6% Corid liquid per gallon given for 5-7days (make this the only water source during this time). You can follow up with a "preventative" dosage for an addition 5days if you choose.

After the treatment period - offer probiotics and vitamins for several days.

 

[menotti]

Can I presume that the float also included worm species and load count? How much did that cost you (just for informational purpose)? It's OK that she wasn't a chicken expert, not many vets are. But most are capable of running floats and doing counts.

Mind if I ask some other questions?

How many birds in how much space? What breeds (layers or dual purpose)? What do you feed including treats and supplements? How long has it been going on and what are "normal" treatments? What color is this diarrhea? Is she eating and drinking regular? Lethargic or foraging along and interacting normally? Adult, meaning how old? Molt this year? Any recent additions to you flock?

Just diagnostic questions here. We may or may not get some more answers, but it doesn't hurt to try.

She did not give that much additional detail The fecal exam was like...$40? We are in the Bay Area so grain of salt on price.

Thank you for your help!

• Small flock 5 birds in a ~10'x10' run, their coop is a little north of 3'x3'.
• Eating layer crumble.
• ~1 year old. She's eating and drinking as normal, no behavioral changes; she's definitely one of the heavier drinkers (thought this might be it for a while). Finished her molt about a month ago.
• Diarrhea has been going on for a couple of months in only the 1 hen with no other symptoms - first we thought it was a heat wave, then food brand change, then molting, then worms. Only recently did we notice she seemed to lose a little weight.
• Treated ACV in water, wormed the flock, priobiotics and electrolytes.

 

[menotti]

You can try the Corid, it's mild. I have not read any contraindications between Corid and Sulfa drugs.

Corid does not always treat all strains of Coccidiosis. If the vet recommended the Sulfatrim, it may be best to follow her recommendations. Did she provide enough to treat the whole flock or just the one hen? If for the one hen, then cage/kennel her inside the run/coop so she can be with the others and get her medication.

You can still treat with the Corid. I would go with the severe outbreak dosage of 1 1/2 teaspoons Corid powder per gallon or 2 teaspoons of 9.6% Corid liquid per gallon given for 5-7days (make this the only water source during this time). You can follow up with a "preventative" dosage for an addition 5days if you choose.

After the treatment period - offer probiotics and vitamins for several days.

Thanks very much! Not enough sulfa for everyone. So we might just give her the sulfa + treat everyone w/ the corid or wait on the sulfa for ~5 days.

 

[casportpony]

wormed the flock

What did you worm the flock with?