How Often Do You Do Fecal Exams?

My vets recommend a fecal exam to check for parasites every 6 months. That seems excessive to me, but I don't want to be short-changing my boys. What's the norm in other areas?

We do a yearly fecal spin for Ms. Thang, but we don't have the critters that you do in Virginia.

Only do them here if I see evidence of intestinal parasites and a dose of all-wormer doesn't clear it up. Occasionally happens with a foster.
So no regular schedule here.

I haven't done Thurston sine he was a puppy and had all of the puppy ickys. Kimchi was also done upon arrival in the US but hasn't been tested since. I figure of they have worms, I will see evidence of it and if there is anything else present, it will effect their digestion and poop and I'll get a clue.

I have it done at their yearly check ups, and that's what the vet recommends. Of course, the vet will do it again if I bring them in with intestinal problems (like they did the first week of school this year--not fun.)

We do once a year. Six months does seem a little much....

Well, I do the visual check every time they perform. But we don't do anything else unless there are signs of problems.

Snifter&Toddy wrote:Well, I do the visual check every time they perform. But we don't do anything else unless there are signs of problems.

I was about to say that I inspect their poop every morning, afternoon, and evening. The vet does a full exam on my senior pugs 2x a year. That includes the senior blood work, fecal, etc. We just do a full exam on Lola 1x a year. But Lola goes to the vet 2x a year for a general exam.

I would ask why your vet suggests doing a fecal 2x a year. They may have a very logical reason based on where you live, exposure to other dogs, ages, historical trends. Or they may just have a set office policy and don't consider each dog on a case my case basis. When I was fostering, yes, they were catching all kinds of stuff so a fecal every 6 mos was necessary (especially since I had poop eaters).

I take a fecal sample to the vet once a year. I do it as a precaution, but my guys are taking Interceptor monthly so I really don't think there would ever be a problem.


I also wanted to mention to those who think you will see worms in the poop. This is not always the case. Ruffy came to us loaded with whipworms, and I picked up his poop immediately for the first 7 days he was here until I got him to the vet. Not to sound gross, but I even smashed the poop so I could see all in it. Even though the rescue had done a fecal, he was extremely skinny but had a great appetite so I suspected he might have worms. Now, three weeks after he came to us, I was still picking up his poop right away because I wanted to make sure the deworming meds had worked. I did see tapeworms. Those are treated with a different dewormer product, and the vet said they normally take 3 weeks after being infected before you see them in the stool. My vet also said that some worms are hard to detect and don't come out in every poop too.

So, if your guys are on monthly preventative, I would feel safe doing a test every two years unless they are around lots of other dogs or in areas where other dogs go to the bathroom.

I do a fecal annually unless I see a reason to do it more than that. I am a Poop Inspector as well. With all the fosters coming through my place and the fact that my dogs go to local dog and recreational parks, I do feel that an annual fecal is necessary.

I have it done annually, too. Otto doesn't go to dog parks and he's an "only pug", so our vet feels that's often enough. I do eyeball his poop every time I pick it up, just to make sure I don't see anything questionable. Eww, eyeballing poop - sounds really yuckky, doesn't it?

No fecal exam unless I would happen to spot a problem.

This is just an FYI and isn't a criticism of anyone's fecal practices (as it were), but most intestinal parasitic infestations can't be seen by the naked eye. And quite a few don't present with any symptomatology like diarrhea or straining.

northernwitch wrote:This is just an FYI and isn't a criticism of anyone's fecal practices (as it were), but most intestinal parasitic infestations can't be seen by the naked eye. And quite a few don't present with any symptomatology like diarrhea or straining.

Wouldn't there be a weight loss issue with intestinal parasites?

sallyandtilly wrote:

northernwitch wrote:This is just an FYI and isn't a criticism of anyone's fecal practices (as it were), but most intestinal parasitic infestations can't be seen by the naked eye. And quite a few don't present with any symptomatology like diarrhea or straining.

Wouldn't there be a weight loss issue with intestinal parasites?

Not until the dog is severely infested to the extent that no nutrition is getting to the dog. Some parasites are more parasitical (if that's a word) than others, but most dogs don't show symptoms of infestation until they are really loaded. That's also the point at which you 'might' see them in a stool, depending on the type of worm. the other concern with some worms is that they can be bloody hard to kill. I forget if it's whip worms--but they are brutal to kill off and can survive in the soil for years even with extreme heat and cold. Giardia is also hard to kill--both internally and externally and isn't killed by most anti-parasite cleaning agents. I use straight bleach when I have a dog with giardia--both on the floor if there is an accident and on my lawn after they've excreted.

There seems to be a belief in the vet community that intestinal parasites are on the upswing which is likely why some vets are suggesting twice a year floats.

northernwitch wrote:There seems to be a belief in the vet community that intestinal parasites are on the upswing which is likely why some vets are suggesting twice a year floats.

Well at least I don't feel like I'm being completely taken for a ride by my vets then!

mine's done pretty good..we did them yearly but now i figure i'll do it if they seem irregular and it worms are suspected. If anything..yearly would be the way to go..biannually seems a bit much IMO.

every year. milo has had giardia a couple times and i believe the pugs also got it. it's a pain to get rid of...

Puglove2 wrote:every year. milo has had giardia a couple times and i believe the pugs also got it. it's a pain to get rid of...

Is it ever.

We do them once a year. If my vet wanted to do them more often I'd probably take her advice.