Coccidiosis and Negative Fecal test

[ChixHaven]

I treated my flock with Corid at the 2t/gallon dose for 5 days after one of them manifested 'classic' coccidiosis bloody poops. Poops went back to normal after 2 days of treatment. My vet said NOT to continue treatment beyond the 5 days, unlike the guidance here, so I did not, and 2 days past treatment, the bloody diarrhea returned. My vet ordered a fecal test upon the return of the bloody poops, 2 days beyond Corid treatment, the results were negative for any intestinal parasites. Are false negatives common with fecal tests for parasites? Or does Coccidia always show up in results if it is present?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How old are the birds?

Photos of the poop?

You can ask your vet about false positives. Did he have an explanation for blood in the poop or give you suggestions for treatment?

If the flock is adults and they were mine, I'd treat for worms if I saw bloody poop.

If they are chicks and had a round of Amprolium and I still saw bloody poops, then I'd treat with Endocox (Toltrazuril).

 

[ChixHaven]

These are the poops that my vet said were 'classic coccidiosis' poops. Though the second photo does look kind of wormy. Hen was 3 years old. She got DE and garlic in her feed as a preventative. Amprolium cleared up her poops for 5 days, which seemed to confirm coccidiosis, then bloody poop returned after treatment. Hen died quickly, no gradual wasting away, vet has stopped communicating. I got fecal results (negative for intestinal parasites) by voicemail with no opportunity to ask questions. So my original question for the forum was if anyone else had experienced a negative fecal test results in the case of coccidiosis. Is coccidia subject to intermittent shedding? And @Wyorp Rock are you suggesting that coccidiosis does not affect adult chickens?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

These are the poops that my vet said were 'classic coccidiosis' poops. Though the second photo does look kind of wormy. Hen was 3 years old. She got DE and garlic in her feed as a preventative. Amprolium cleared up her poops for 5 days, which seemed to confirm coccidiosis, then bloody poop returned after treatment. Hen died quickly, no gradual wasting away, vet has stopped communicating. I got fecal results (negative for intestinal parasites) by voicemail with no opportunity to ask questions. So my original question for the forum was if anyone else had experienced a negative fecal test results in the case of coccidiosis. Is coccidia subject to intermittent shedding? And @Wyorp Rock are you suggesting that coccidiosis does not affect adult chickens?

There's always a possibility of having a false negative with testing.

I'd ask the Vet for a copy of the report, they should provide that to you.

A 3yr old hen can have an outbreak of Coccidia (Coccidiosis), but usually they are unwell since at that age, the bird should be resistant to the strains found in her environment. It's not unheard of for sick birds to have Coccidiosis simply because their immune system is overtaxed.
I agree, the other poop looks questionable. I would have considered deworming, treating for Coccidiosis and giving an antibiotic as well (Enteritis comes to mind).
It's hard to know what she succumbed to without having further testing/necropsy by a Pathologist at your state lab.

I'm sorry you lost her. It can be very frustrating trying to figure out what and how to treat at times. Sometimes no matter what we do, a hen still declines.

 

[ChixHaven]

There's always a possibility of having a false negative with testing.

I'd ask the Vet for a copy of the report, they should provide that to you.

A 3yr old hen can have an outbreak of Coccidia (Coccidiosis), but usually they are unwell since at that age, the bird should be resistant to the strains found in her environment. It's not unheard of for sick birds to have Coccidiosis simply because their immune system is overtaxed.
I agree, the other poop looks questionable. I would have considered deworming, treating for Coccidiosis and giving an antibiotic as well (Enteritis comes to mind).
It's hard to know what she succumbed to without having further testing/necropsy by a Pathologist at your state lab.

I'm sorry you lost her. It can be very frustrating trying to figure out what and how to treat at times. Sometimes no matter what we do, a hen still declines.

Thank you for your reply. It makes sense that, at her age, she "should" have developed resistance to coccidia. And she was my top Queen Bee hen so I would have thought her stress level would have been lowest of any. But my other hens appear to be fine so something must have weakened her.

For future reference, and for my general education, would you treat for coccidiosis, deworm, and administer antibiotic simultaneously, or one after another (for ex, 3-5 days for coccidia depending on product used, then 2 doses of dewormer, then 3 days of antibiotic)? Also, how does one repopulate gut microbes after an onslaught of medications? Are farm store probiotics effective/good enough?

I've also read elsewhere in this forum that stopping Corid after 5 days without continuing at a lower dose for another week is a bad idea (tho I was following vet's instructions). I've also learned that some strains of coccidia are resistant to Corid and now I know about Endocox. In short, I've found this forum to be way more helpful than my vet was and I am sorry that I learned so much after the death of my hen.

Thank you again.

 

[D Uccle Uncle]

First, I'm sorry that you lost her. You did what the professional said to do and fulfilled your obligation as a keeper.

To answer your questions about the test, I encourage you to watch a video on youtube showing how the float test is performed, it's pretty straightforward. I understand that some enthusiastic animal owners do their own float tests (only needing a basic telescope and materials costing a few dollars). If you see how the test is performed, you will see that it has limitations.

To better answer your question about false-negatives, the literature says that an animal can be symptomatic from coccidia before oocysts will show up on fecal sample.

Did the vet do an initial float test, or did they diagnose based on pictures? The photo you show does look a little wormy.

For Corid I would use 5 days treatment dose followed by 7 days half-dose. This assuming that the animal was improving and stable through the entire course.

I must say, by sharing your loss, you will help other birds in the future survive a similar ordeal.