To Corid, or Not to Corid

A lot of goat owners have a love–hate (okay, mostly hate) relationship with Corid, and it comes down to a few big reasons:

1. It’s not technically labeled for goats.
Corid (amprolium) is approved for cattle and poultry, not goats, so when we use it for goats it’s off-label. That means dosages and safety info aren’t as clear-cut, and some folks don’t like playing in the gray area.

2. It’s a thiamine blocker.
Corid works by starving coccidia of vitamin B1 (thiamine). Problem is… it can starve your goat’s healthy cells too. If you dose wrong or give it for too long, you can actually cause or worsen goat polio (polioencephalomalacia).

3. It’s not a coccidia “killer,” it’s a suppressor.
Corid doesn’t actually kill coccidia—it slows their reproduction so the goat’s immune system can catch up. That works fine for mild infections, but in heavy infestations, goats can crash fast while you’re just slowing down the enemy instead of wiping them out.

4. There are arguably better options.
Drugs like Sulfadimethoxine (Di-Methox, Albon) or toltrazuril (Baycox, Toltrazuril) actually kill coccidia and don’t risk thiamine deficiency the same way. So a lot of goat people skip Corid entirely in favor of those.

5. Overuse & resistance fears.
Some believe Corid is overused as a “just in case” treatment, which can lead to resistant coccidia strains. Once you’ve got resistance, it’s basically useless.

Why Some Goat Folks Still Use Corid

1. It’s cheap and easy to find.
You can walk into Tractor Supply today and grab a bottle. Sulfadimethoxine and toltrazuril often require ordering online, buying from a vet, or dealing with sketchy overseas sellers.

2. It’s familiar and widely documented.
Even though it’s off-label, Corid has been used in goats for decades, so there’s a lot of anecdotal dosing info floating around. For some old-school breeders, it’s the “this is what worked for my herd for 20 years” choice.

3. It’s gentle on the gut compared to some sulfas.
Sulfa drugs can sometimes mess with rumen bacteria more than Corid does, leading to loose stools. For goats with sensitive digestion, some owners feel Corid is the “less disruptive” option.

4. You can pair it with thiamine.
The thiamine-blocking issue can be mostly managed by giving extra B1 injections alongside treatment. Some owners do this as standard practice and have never had a polio case.

5. It works fine for mild outbreaks.
If the coccidia load isn’t catastrophic and you catch it early, slowing reproduction so the immune system can clear the rest can be enough — especially in well-fed, otherwise healthy goats.

BOTTOM LINE: Corid, Sulfa, and Toltrazuril are all just tools in the goat health toolbox — each has pros, cons, and situations where it shines. The best choice isn’t about what’s trendy or what someone swears by on Facebook; it’s about knowing your herd, catching problems early, dosing correctly, and using what works for your goats in that moment.