Taking your pet to the veterinary clinic is a hassle enough, so why does my veterinarian hassle me on not getting my pet a fecal test. Why should my dog have a fecal test? Well here’s why. When veterinarians see your pet once a year for their check up and vaccinations, the vet wants to make sure your pet is completely healthy. If there was a scanner that could tell you your pet was healthy, trust me, the vet would use it.
One small part of a yearly exam is the fecal test. This test allows your veterinarian to check for intestinal parasites or worms. Your vet does this by gathering a fecal sample, swirling it in a chemical called fecasol (I know, it’s funny, right) and then examining the sample under the microscope. Here, the veterinarian can visualize worm eggs, if there are any. They appear circular in shape with a smaller circle just inside the outer circle. Some eggs can be more oval shaped.
But why do I need to do this, I know my pet doesn’t have worms? Well, that’s what you think. Has your pet’s appetite been normal, what about the feces? Not all pets show signs of having intestinal parasites. When your pet goes outside, they put their nose everywhere and then lick their nose and ingest the parasites which grow into worms in their intestine. Dogs can pick up worms from rubbing their nose on another dog that has worms, or from eating a dead animal.
It may not always be logical to you that your pet may have worms, but it is more important to have your pet checked than to end up with a hospital bill and expensive medication. Take care of your pet, get the fecal test.
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