Fecal testing

Question 1

what are the different methods of fecal testing?

Answer 1

fecal direct, fecal floatation, floatation with centrifugation, fecal sedimentation

Question 2

what is important to do while performing a fecal test?

Answer 2

wear PPE, clean up immediately, wash hands

Question 3

what things should you pay attention to when doing a gross examination of a stool sample?

Answer 3

color, consistency, is there mucus?, is there blood?, visible parasites

Question 4

chocolate brown stool

Answer 4

normal

Question 5

green stool

Answer 5

excessive grass consumed or gallbladder issue

Question 6

orange/ yellow stool

Answer 6

may be a biliary or liver issue

Question 7

red streaks in stool

Answer 7

blood in stool, check dog’s anus for cuts

Question 8

black and tarry stool

Answer 8

may mean there is bleeding in the upper GI tract

Question 9

gray and greasy stool

Answer 9

may be a pancreas or biliary issue

Question 10

white spots in stool that look like rice grains

Answer 10

may be a sign of tapeworms

Question 11

fecal scoring (1-7)

Answer 11

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

Question 12

when is a direct fecal exam usually used?

Answer 12

not common but good for diarrhea

Question 13

how do you perform a direct fecal exam?

Answer 13

apply a very small sample directly onto the microscope slide in a drop of saline

Question 14

what is usually seen in a direct fecal sample?

Answer 14

lots of debris but good for finding protozoans

Question 15

how does the fecal floatation test work?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

what type of solution is used in a fecal float?

Answer 16

solutions that are saturated with sugar or salt and have a higher specific gravity

Question 17

what are some characteristics of sodium nitrate (fecasol) solution that is used for fecal floats?

Answer 17

most efficient, good for most parasite ova, not good for giardia cysts, can form crystals

Question 18

what are some characteristics of zinc sulfate solution that is used for fecal floats?

Answer 18

good for giardia and common ova, less effective for tapeworm ova and uncommon ova, can form crystals

Question 19

what are some characteristics of saturated sugar (sheather solution) used for fecal floats?

Answer 19

less expensive, floats most common ova, messy and not as effective with giardia

Question 20

how is a fecal float test performed?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

how is a fecal float with centrifugation performed?

Answer 21

strain first, centrifuge sample to recover more ova, must sit after centrifugation for 10 minutes

Question 22

what does a fecal sedimentation do?

Answer 22

concentrates the ova and feces at the bottom of the tube

Question 23

when is a fecal sedimentation good to do?

Answer 23

when needed to recover large heavy ova like Flukes (trematodes) or for testing for lungworms

Question 24

how is a fecal sedimentation performed?

Answer 24

with water instead of floatation solution