While getting that sample may be a little unpleasant, the information your vet can glean from a good fecal exam can reveal a lot of information about your dog. Here’s the poop…

Getting the Sample

Nobody likes this part, but if the sample is bad the results may be inaccurate. First, the sample should be as fresh as possible. Day old piles that have dried to the consistency of brick are absolutely useless. Try to get a sample in to your vet the day you obtain it. If your dog is a late night pooper, refrigerate the sample overnight (do NOT freeze!) and take it to your vet in the morning. Solid stools are the best—diarrhea is mostly water so results may be less helpful, and your vet will tell you if a sample is usable. If your dog has not been feeling well try to get the entire pile. Interesting items such as hair, toys, bones and other foreign material can be hiding in a normal looking stool. For routine checks in healthy dogs, a 2″ piece will do. If you see a worm in your dog’s stool, bring it along!

Testing the Sample

While a variety of tests are available, from direct smears to detailed cultures, the annual fecal exam usually consists of a fecal flotation. The feces is placed in a special device and a solution is added. The solution is heavier than the particles we are looking for, so the interesting items float to the top of the sample, while the bulk of the fecal matter that is not of interest stays on the bottom. Immature worms, worm eggs, protozoal parasites and other abnormal organisms end up at the top of the solution and are picked up on a microscope slide. These parasites are then identified under microscopic examination by their distinct features.

What’s in the Sample

If your pet’s fecal sample is positive a variety of nasty critters may be present. Here are the most common:

Roundworms, Hookworms and Whipworms – distinctively shaped spaghetti-like worms that live in the small or large intestine and can give dogs a “potbelly” appearance. These worms are prevented by Interceptor and Sentinel — if your dog tests positive for one of these, Novartis will pay for the treatment!

Tapeworms – segmented worms that give off sticky egg packets which look like grains of rice (often found sticking to the hair under the tail), these worms are picked up when the dog swallows a flea, making this a flea AND worm control issue.

Giardia, and Coccidia – protozoal (single cell) parasites usually acquired through contaminated water supplies, both cause diarrhea by attaching to the surface of the small intestine. Giardia is notoriously difficult to find on fecal examination and further testing is often needed to make a diagnosis. Coccidia includes a number of species, including Milwaukee’s infamous Cryptosporidium.

Hopefully, your pet’s fecal sample will be negative, meaning no abnormal organisms were detected. This means either your pet is free of parasites, or the parasites are not shedding into the stool in detectable numbers. If your vet feels your pet has signs of parasites in spite of a negative test, other tests may be recommended.

Follow Up Care

If your dog has a positive fecal test, your veterinarian will prescribe the appropriate medication. A second fecal examination should be performed after treatment to ensure the course of therapy was successful and the pet did not re-infect itself. Clean up is essential to prevent your pet from picking up the parasite again, or worse, infecting a human in the household. Your veterinarian can direct you on the best course of action for your pet’s particular parasite, as some survive better in the environment than others. If at any time your suspect your pet has been exposed to a parasite, pass the poop on to your veterinarian!