Coccidia transmission

Question
I am treating some foster kittens with Albon for coccidia.  I am also dog-sitting my parents cocker spaniel.  Last night he found his way into one of the litter pans and ate some cat feces.  I have read that coccidia is species specific but want to be sure that is true and I have not infected my parent's pet!
(on another note, these kittens have been on Albon over ten days and have gone from diarrhea to solid stool and now back to diarrhea!?!)
Thank you, Chris

Answer
I know your frustration with this Chris. Kitten re-infect themselves very easily with coccidia. It is a hard protozoan to kill off but you will.
The problem is that once they use the cat box and run off around the house they can shed these little buggers from their feet,etc. So they will go from diarrhea to solid and back again for this reason. 10 days is a start, most vets will have you treat for another 10 days to catch the second batch.

You have to be very fastidious about keeping the area around the box and the floors very clean and bleached if possible. Use a 20/1 solution of water to bleach.

There is a possibility of cross transmission as well. In cats and dogs, most coccidia are of the genus called Isospora. I. felis and I. rivolta are the most common species found in cats. Regardless of which species is present, we generally refer to the disease as coccidiosis.So with this in mind, you might want to just keep an eye on the dog's stool and watch for diarrhea. In older animals the disease is less common as the immune system usually fights it off.

If not, however, Albon is usually the drug of choice.

Here is an article from Pet Education on coccidia in dogs:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1622&aid=727

Good luck and get out the bleach!