If a kid dies of coccidiosis, post-mortem examination will quickly give the diagnosis. A smear taken from these white spots will show many coccidial forms if examined under a microscope. Whether or not a goat gets sick with coccidiosis depends on several factors. One is the number of oocysts swallowed at one time. Small exposures, frequently repeated, lead to immunity.
Large exposures destroy all the intestinal cells at one time and kill the kid.
The age of the goat is also important. This is partly because the older animal has usually had time to develop some immunity. Also, very young kids are more fragile creatures. Immunity to coccidiosis is rarely complete. This means that the healthy adult goat continues to pass many oocysts in her fecal pellets.