Coccidiosis-Giardia

[Officially Retired]

I'd love to have Jack get in on this one.
I've got a dandy litter of 6 pups. One just left to her new home Saturday. I've got one little female that my vet (damn good vet btw) said has a giardia looking protozoa in her. Not a problem. Hitting her with the Albon and I expect her to be just fine. I did contact the new owner of the pup that left Sat. to let him know to keep an eye on her, but here's my question.

Hello good sir

Two things to say on this one: 1) I have a great article on this very subject already posted, and 2) if Giardia is the culprit, you're using the wrong medicine to treat; Albon is for coccidia; metronidazole/fenbendazole are what to use for Giardia

1. I suspect the other 4 pups I have are plenty susceptible to this since they've been kenneled together - Is this assumption correct?
2. More importantly, can I just do a preventative Albon treatment on the other four to ensure they'll be ok, or should I watch to see if I see anything concerning?

Yes to both questions: I would definitely be treating the whole litter, and yes again it will prevent/treat the others who (though maybe not 'symptomatic') in all probability have already been exposed.

Vet said this is most common for those who wash out and hose out kennels several times a day. That is not the case here. They were in an above ground pen until 5 weeks and have been in a larger, chainlink kennel on concrete since.

You can bleach the bejesus out of your kennels, but at the end of the day (since you're dealing with microscopic organisms) there is no getting every little nook & cranny, so it is better just to have the meds onhand.

Is there anything I could have done preventatively to cut the odds of this down?
I am in the middle of relocating and have plans to build an 8x8 above ground that I can keep them in for a longer period of time, but that's down the road.
Thanks!

Not really.

Once either Giardia (or, especially, Coccidia) take hold, YOU HAVE IT on your yard. Giardia is a bit easier to deal with, since it is found in stagnant water for the most part. So maybe it rained and you let the water sit for awhile, I don't know, but Coccidia is almost impossible to be rid of, once you get it, and it is simply a matter of making sure you have the drugs onhand to deal with it, once you get it. The reason is, like babesia, you can't really kill the coccidia, you just put it into remission, so you probably have several adults shedding the oocysts in their feces on your yard right now, even though they are healthy and feeling fine.

Jack