# Goat/Horse question



## NubianLover (Sep 19, 2010)

So my goats had coccidia and I think it's gone (running fecal tomorrow.) 
When I clean out the stalls I throw the hay into the barn and the horses eat it. Is this dangerous with the cocci or does it "die?" And how would i know if the horses were getting it? They can touch the goats but are normally not in the barn where the goats are. 

Thanks for any help.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Cocci can live in the feces of animals for a couple years under the right circumstances from what i've read. This is one reason why I keep my goats and horses seperate. The only way to know at this point if your horses have cocci is to take fecal sample into the vet.


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## ()relics (Dec 25, 2010)

Coccidia species are Very host specific. Meaning the species of coccidia that infect goats, Affect goats only. Some species are common goat to sheep but beyond that there is No/Little chance of cross species infestation. Regularly my Qhorses and goats share patures, common stalls, and hay feeders.


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## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

yup what relics said is true--the worms goats carry and the worms horses carry as species specific. They may have the same type of worm (for instance a horse can have a tapeworm and a dog can have a tapeworm but the horse can not get the tapeworm from the dog nor can the dog get the tapeworm from eating horse poo) 

I have horses and have been battling a worm load on my first batch of goats I purchased. So I asked my vet if putting the goats bedding out in the horse pasture (where my nosey horses pick around in it) is dangerous--she said it is fine-that horses can not get worms from the goats.


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## ()relics (Dec 25, 2010)

I wasn't sure about other types of worms but good to know.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

The cocci species Eimeria is found in both goats and horses. Meaning it can be spread from goats to horses and vice versa.... as where a different coccidia species found in dogs or cats cannot be spread to horses or goats. 

The cocci species Eimeria share the following hosts: Rabbits, goats, cattle, hogs, swine, sheep, and poultry.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

this is why I hate when my mom's chickens get in my goat pen! >(


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

I've never had a problem, BUT a neighbor's horses started losing weight, turned into skeletons, and started dying despite their best efforts.

In the end, it turned out to be coccidia. From what I've researched, it's hard to diagnose in horses. I personally recognized the symptoms right away and was able to point them and the vet in the right direction.


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## ()relics (Dec 25, 2010)

KW Farms said:


> The cocci species Eimeria is found in both goats and horses. .


Just for clarification: Eimeria is actually the genius, not species, of protozoa that cause coccidiosis. In the genius exsist Pathological Species that are host specific, Hence E.Isospora , or E.bovis. There are actually 15 species that are goat, and sometimes sheep, specific. E. ninakohlyakimovae and E. arlongi are the most serious and both of which are host specific, sheep included, as are the 13 other Ewhatever's found in goat systems. I think there are 7(?) chicken specific species, going on WAY BACK MEMORY HERE, None of which pose any sort of risk to goats, E. tenella being the Big One. I think there are 1500+ actually species of Eimeria with untold millions yet unclassified, again memory.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Do you mean genus?...you said genius. 

I've seen Eimeria defined as a species in a couple articles, but genus would be a better "title". 
I would love some good articles on the topic of horses, cattle, swine, goats, etc. having their own species of cocci and not being able to transfer some species of cocci to each other. 
Do you have any good articles on hand? 

I personally will keep my goats and horses seperate because I do believe (basing my opinion on articles and research) that cocci in goats can be transferred to other livestock. :thumb:


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Also very interested in this. I plan to rotate pasture for horse and goats. I also have free range chickens that don't go in my goat pens but I do let my goats free range with me sometimes.


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## ()relics (Dec 25, 2010)

Yep I stand Corrected....It has been 20 years since I cracked the cover of a 300 level zoology book and genus isn't in my daily vocabulary, while genius is...I do not have an "article" that defines the classification of all the species of Eimeria but suffice it to say I did not read something on-line and repost it as fact. I would guess a simple Google search would clear up the _Genus_ and species questions, as well as any cross infestation concerns...Providing you excluded any search results from forums and just stick to the Universities, medical/veterinarian writings and Such.


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