Hi, I am wondering how I would figure worm count in fecals. I have the microscope and slides also pictures of worms. I know that there will always be some worms, how much is too much?

Lynn

-- Lynn (johnnypfc@yahoo.com), December 15, 2001

Answers

Depends on where the sample came from. If human, treat if any ovum are observed. Equine, no reason to bother with doing fecals, treat and rotate on a regular basis. Murine, don't treat, destroy the colony and start over. Porcine, same as equine. Canine, same as human. Bovine, same as equine. BF Morris

-- BF Morris (chelone@cci-29palms.com), December 15, 2001.

Like Lynne, I would also like to learn how to do fecal worm counts. My vet uses something called the floatation method. I would like to monitor my sheeps' worm count because I do not like using drugs routinely. Just like the concept of integrated pest management in horticulture, I believe we should only use chemicals when there is a problem. That way, when we do use them they are more likely to work and the pest less likely to develop resistance. It also saves money!! Kathy

-- Kathy Millar (homefarmbc@pacificcoast.net), December 15, 2001.

Lynn,

You should mix the fecal sample into a flotation solution which helps separate feces from parasite eggs. The microscope slide is then touched to the solution and examined under the microscope. Here are some links:

Flotation Intructions" - This is a step by step description, part of a lab assignment from the University of Wisconsin.

I'm unable to advise you on counts; you might do some work on the search engines and/or college library.

Mark

-- Mark in West Central Ohio (mark@marksykes.net), December 17, 2001.

I responded to Lynn privately, but will say this. It does very little good on a whole to know "if" you have worms, other than being able to identify the culprits...without a McMasters chambered slide so you can count per gram how many eggs you have, have your vet get you one. If your vet is the one fecaling for you ask them how many parts per gram, in goats we worm if over 200 spring and summer, over 2000 fall and winter. Occyst are up in the high hundreds before we would treat adult stock. You never want your stock to be worm or cocci occyst free, well perhaps 7 days after worming/sulfa treatments. Ruminents, cattle, goats and sheep do much better, and your pocket book would stop screaming if you learned to fecal rather than stratigically worming. Single stomached animals, us, dogs and horses are fine on routine wormings. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), December 17, 2001.

"Ruminents, cattle, goats and sheep do much better, and your pocket book would stop screaming if you learned to fecal rather than stratigically worming"

Vicki, Could you elaborate and tell us how these animals do better?

-- BF Morris (chelone@cci-29palms.com), December 17, 2001.

Hi BF, I have fecaled dogs, horses and donkeys for single stomached, and pretty well versed in goats for my ruminants. Ruminants need larger amounts of wormers, and build greater resistance to wormers. They also have arrested larve, a laymans sleeping mode in which wormers do not affect them, using stress and the release of hormones to waken and multiply quickly. Never seen this in any single stomached animals. It is also much less expensive to worm a horse every other month, than it would be every 21 days for the same worm, same life cycle in the ruminant. Add the ruminant digestion on top of this, which is much more severely affected by worms and the wormers used, and you have my synopsis :)

So for my dogs and donkeys I strategicaly worm, using a program of alternating wormers that work in my area. With the goats, I do a limited amount of strategic worming, mainly relying on fecal counts. Many times when others are worming every 21 days or every 3 months, we will notice that we haven't needed to worm in 6 months, this saves lots of money in a large herd. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), December 17, 2001.