Fecal Parasite Test

 A fecal test is run to determine if the pet has intestinal parasites. There are two broad categories of intestinal parasites: macroscopic parasites (worms) and microscopic parasites (protozoa). 
If parasites are alive and well, they will be conducting their business in the intestinal tract. Therefore, healthy adult worms will not be seen in the stool. The females will produce eggs and these may be seen with a microscope.  The specific type of worm is identified by the presence of their distinctive egg.  As for protozoa, they form a spore-like structure called an oocyte or a cyst. As with worms, these oocytes or cysts can be used to identify the specific parasite.

Intestinal Parasites

There are two main classifications of intestinal worms: Nematodes and Cestodes.

• Nematodes have a direct life cycle.  This means that when a dog or cat with worms defecates it leaves worm eggs among other things behind. In time, another dog or cat may wander by and pick up some of this debris on their paws. Naturally, they lick their paws and ingest some worm eggs. The eggs hatch and the worms complete their life cycle in the dog or cat, ultimately creating adults that mate and shed eggs.
  
• The most important nematodes are roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms.
• Cestodes have an indirect life cycle. The big difference is that the eggs are ingested by fleas or rodents. When the larva hatch, they migrate and form a cyst somewhere in the flea or rodent.  If the flea or rodent is eaten by a dog or cat, the larva comes out of it's cyst and completes its life cycle.
• Cestodes are commonly called tapeworms. The two species that are most prevalent are the Taenia (life cycle involves rodents) and Diplylidium (life cycle involves fleas) species.

There are four major protozoan parasites of dogs and cats.

• Coccidia and giardia have a direct life cycle and are transmitted through a fecal-oral route similar to that of nematodes.
• Toxoplasma and sarcocystis have an indirect life cycle.  Their oocytes must be consumed by an intermediate host like rodents in the case of toxoplasma, or small to mid sized herbivores for sarcocystis.  In either case, the protozoa forms a cyst some where in the intermediate host. Then when the rodent is eaten by a cat, in the case of toxoplasma, the parasite emerges from the cyst and completes its life cycle. With sarcocystis, the life cycle is complete when a dog or cat eats a herbivore that is infected.  The usual transmission occurs when dogs are fed raw meat or organs.

Important Facts

• Nematodes
  • Need to treat twice at 2-3 week intervals
    
  • Need to treat all animals in household.
  • Re-infection is common: clean up dog and cat poop.
  • All can cause diarrhea, and weight loss
    • Roundworms can also produce bloating and flatulence.
      • Zoonotic
    • Hookworms will produce a black tar-like loose stool and cause anemia.
      • Zoonotic
    • Whipworms can cause a chronic watery diarrhea.
• Cestodes
  • Need to treat once or twice (3 week interval)
    
  • Tapeworm segments are "rice sized" packets of eggs that are some what mobile. They can be seen in the feces or around the animal's anus.
  • May not have to treat other household animals since tapeworms are not directly contagious.
  • Treat for fleas if present.
  • Tapeworms mainly cause weight loss.
  • Zoonotic potential
• Coccidia
  • Treatment is with anibiotics
    
  • Need to improve basic hygiene or recurrence is likely.
  • Causes a watery diarrhea
• Giardia
  • Watery diarrhea
    
  • Contagious and controlled by improving hygiene
  • Difficult to see with fecal
  • Alternate Eliza lab test
  • Zoonotic (low potential)
    
• Toxoplasma
  • Cat is the definitive host.
    
  • Usually does not cause any disease in the cat
  • Difficult to find in fecal.
  • Blood test: indicates exposure.
  • Zoonotic
• Sarcocystis
  • Prevented by not feeding raw meat to pets
    
  • Usually no symptoms, but may cause a variety of illnesses
  • Zoonotic

What is a "Zoonotic" disease?

Zoonotic Parasitic disease