Fecal testing Flashcards
what are the different methods of fecal testing?
fecal direct, fecal floatation, floatation with centrifugation, fecal sedimentation
what is important to do while performing a fecal test?
wear PPE, clean up immediately, wash hands
what things should you pay attention to when doing a gross examination of a stool sample?
color, consistency, is there mucus?, is there blood?, visible parasites
chocolate brown stool
normal
green stool
excessive grass consumed or gallbladder issue
orange/ yellow stool
may be a biliary or liver issue
red streaks in stool
blood in stool, check dog’s anus for cuts
black and tarry stool
may mean there is bleeding in the upper GI tract
gray and greasy stool
may be a pancreas or biliary issue
white spots in stool that look like rice grains
may be a sign of tapeworms
fecal scoring (1-7)
1: very hard and dry
2: firm but not hard with segmented appearance but no residue
3: log-like, little/no segmentation, holds form when picked up
4: very moist but has a distinct log shape, loses form when picked up
5: very moist but has distinct shape, present in piles, loses form when picked up
6: has texture but no defined shape, occurs as piles/ spots
7: watery, no texture, flat, puddles
when is a direct fecal exam usually used?
not common but good for diarrhea
how do you perform a direct fecal exam?
apply a very small sample directly onto the microscope slide in a drop of saline
what is usually seen in a direct fecal sample?
lots of debris but good for finding protozoans
how does the fecal floatation test work?
by specific gravity because the specific gravity between parasite eggs and fecal debris are different
if there are any eggs they will rise and fecal debris will sink so when looking at under the microscope you don’t have to look through all the fecal debris
what type of solution is used in a fecal float?
solutions that are saturated with sugar or salt and have a higher specific gravity
what are some characteristics of sodium nitrate (fecasol) solution that is used for fecal floats?
most efficient, good for most parasite ova, not good for giardia cysts, can form crystals
what are some characteristics of zinc sulfate solution that is used for fecal floats?
good for giardia and common ova, less effective for tapeworm ova and uncommon ova, can form crystals
what are some characteristics of saturated sugar (sheather solution) used for fecal floats?
less expensive, floats most common ova, messy and not as effective with giardia
how is a fecal float test performed?
using a fecalizer or test tube, place a small amount of stool sample in the tube, add some solution, put green piece in (if using fecalizer), add more solution until tube is filled up and place a cover slip on top, let sit for 10 minutes
how is a fecal float with centrifugation performed?
strain first, centrifuge sample to recover more ova, must sit after centrifugation for 10 minutes
what does a fecal sedimentation do?
concentrates the ova and feces at the bottom of the tube
when is a fecal sedimentation good to do?
when needed to recover large heavy ova like Flukes (trematodes) or for testing for lungworms
how is a fecal sedimentation performed?
with water instead of floatation solution
