Whether your veterinarian calls it a “fecal sample” or “stool specimen”, pet owners often wonder why their animal doctors have such a fascination with something that should be left in the backyard or litter box. As it turns out, checking your pets’ feces just might keep the people in your family from getting seriously sick!
It might be the look on the person’s face or maybe the way they are carrying the bag, but team members at a veterinary office can always tell when their clients arrive with a stool sample for testing. Dozens of specimens arrive each day, some in Ziploc baggies, others triple wrapped in aluminum foil and some are tucked neatly in plastic containers. The clients may not realize it, but that smelly sample brought in for testing may help prevent an illness in their pet…or in them!
Why does your veterinarian have such an interest in your pet’s stool?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) state that 3,000 to 4,000 human serum samples are sent to their labs every year with a presumptive diagnosis of toxocariasis, or, infection with roundworms or hookworms. The illnesses caused by these parasites are not reportable in the United States, so true numbers of human cases are not known. What is known is that 36% of dogs across the country and 52% in the southeastern states carry these zoonotic worms. Many pet owners are unaware that their furry family members are capable of harboring these parasites.
Some clients don’t believe that their pet could have worms. But, pets can come into contact with these parasites in the yard, in potting soil, at the dog park or even on our hands or feet after we come inside from working in the garden or after taking a walk. The larva and eggs of these parasites are simply abundant in many places.
In fact, a single female worm can shed more than 100,000 eggs per day and most puppies and kittens are infected with more than just one worm! That’s millions of eggs spreading through areas where dogs and cats go to defecate. Pets infected with a protozoan parasite, like coccidia or giardia, can shed over a billion cysts each and every day!
So, what does your veterinarian do with the sample you brought Most people understand that veterinarians are checking fecals as a means to find intestinal parasites, more commonly known as “worms”. What is less well known is that the veterinarian is not looking for whole adult parasites. They are looking for microscopic eggs and protozoans that may inhabit your pet.
Veterinarians may send the sample to an outside laboratory for analysis or may choose to preform the analysis in house.
First, the feces are mixed with a sugar or salt solution, a liquid that is slightly denser than regular tap water. Breaking up the stool allows any infective eggs to enter the solution. Next, the mixture is carefully poured into conical tubes that are placed in a centrifuge. The spinning action helps separate the organic debris of the feces from the parasites and the parasite eggs.
After about 10 minutes, the suspension is then allowed to sit with a microscope coverslip placed on top. The eggs and most parasites will float to the top and adhere to the coverslip. A veterinary technician or assistant can then take this sample and review it under a microscope. Any positive specimens are discussed with the veterinarian and an appropriate deworming medication can be prescribed.
This process may not sound appetizing to most readers, but these tests are an important part of a veterinarian’s dedication to your pets, but also to public health as a whole. The CDC, the Companion Animal Parasite Council and the American Animal Hospital Association all recommend regular fecal testing for all pets. This means you can expect to package up a stool sample once or twice each year per pet. If your pets aren’t on monthly heartworm prevention, your veterinarian may ask for a sample every 1-2 months!
"Iwe daktari wako wa mifugo anaita ""mfano wa feces"" au ""mfano wa stool,"" wamiliki wa wanyama mara nyingi wanajiuliza kwa nini madaktari wao wa wanyama wana shauku ya kitu ambacho kinapaswa kuachwa katika bustani ya nyuma au sanduku la litter." Kama inavyotokea, kuangalia mkojo wa wanyama wako wa kipenzi kwaweza tu kuwazuia watu katika familia yako wasigonjwa vibaya! Inaweza kuwa kuangalia juu ya uso wa mtu au labda njia wao ni kubeba mfuko, lakini wanachama wa timu katika ofisi ya mifugo daima wanaweza kusema wakati wateja wao kufika na sampuli ya stool kwa ajili ya kupima. Kila siku, sampuli nyingi huwasili, baadhi zikiwa katika mifuko ya Ziploc, nyingine zikiwa zimefungwa mara tatu katika karatasi ya alumini, na nyingine zikiwa zimefungwa vizuri katika vyombo vya plastiki. Huenda wateja wasifahamu, lakini sampuli hiyo yenye harufu mbaya iliyoletwa kwa ajili ya kupimwa yaweza kusaidia kuzuia ugonjwa katika mnyama-vipenzi wao... au ndani yao! Kwa nini daktari wako wa mifugo anapendezwa sana na mkojo wa mnyama wako? Kituo cha Udhibiti wa Magonjwa (CDC) kinasema kwamba sampuli za seramu ya binadamu 3,000 hadi 4,000 hutumwa kwa maabara yao kila mwaka na utambuzi wa uwezekano wa toxocariasis, au maambukizi ya minyoo ya mviringo au hookworms. Ugonjwa unaosababishwa na vimelea hivyo haujaripotiwa nchini Marekani, kwa hiyo idadi halisi ya visa vya maambukizi kwa wanadamu haijulikani. Kwa mujibu wa ripoti hiyo, asilimia 36 ya mbwa nchini humo na asilimia 52 katika majimbo ya kusini mashariki ya Marekani ni wabebaji wa wadudu hao. Wamiliki wengi wa wanyama-vipenzi hawajui kwamba washiriki wa familia yao wenye manyoya wanaweza kuwa na vimelea hivyo. Wateja fulani hawaamini kwamba mnyama wao wa kufugwa anaweza kuwa na minyoo. Wanyama wanaweza kuwasiliana na vimelea hivi katika bustani, kwenye udongo wa sufuria, kwenye bustani ya mbwa au hata kwenye mikono au miguu yetu baada ya kuingia ndani kutoka kwa kazi ya bustani au baada ya kutembea. Nyigu na mayai ya vimelea hivyo yanapatikana kwa wingi katika maeneo mengi. Kwa kweli, nyigu mmoja wa kike anaweza kutoa mayai zaidi ya 100,000 kwa siku na watoto wengi wa mbwa-mwitu na paka huambukizwa na nyigu zaidi ya mmoja! Hiyo ni mamilioni ya mayai kuenea kupitia maeneo ambapo mbwa na paka kwenda defecate. Wanyama wanaopatikana na virusi vya coccidia au giardia wanaweza kutokeza chembe za urithi zaidi ya bilioni moja kila siku. Kwa hiyo, nini daktari wako wa mifugo kufanya na sampuli uliyoleta Watu wengi kuelewa kwamba daktari wa mifugo ni kuangalia feces kama njia ya kupata vimelea intestinal, zaidi inajulikana kama <unk>worms<unk>. Kile kisichojulikana sana ni kwamba daktari wa mifugo haitafiti vimelea vikubwa vilivyojaa. Wao hutafuta mayai madogo-madogo na viumbe wa asili ambao wanaweza kuishi katika mnyama wako. Madaktari wa mifugo wanaweza kutuma sampuli kwa maabara ya nje kwa ajili ya uchambuzi au wanaweza kuchagua kufanya uchambuzi ndani ya nyumba. Kwanza, matumbo hayo huchanganywa na mchanganyiko wa sukari au chumvi, umajimaji ambao ni mnene kidogo kuliko maji ya bomba la kawaida. Kuvunja-vunja mkojo huruhusu mayai yoyote yenye maambukizo kuingia katika suluhisho hilo. Kisha, mchanganyiko huo unamiminwa kwa uangalifu ndani ya mirija ya umbo la koni ambayo huwekwa katika centrifuge. Utendaji wa kugeuka husaidia kutenganisha mabaki ya kikaboni ya matumbo kutoka kwa vimelea na mayai ya vimelea. Baada ya dakika kumi, suspension inaruhusiwa kukaa na kifuniko cha darubini kilichowekwa juu. Mayai na vimelea vingi vitateleza juu na kushikamana na kifuniko. Kisha mtaalamu wa matibabu ya wanyama au msaidizi wa mtaalamu huyo wa matibabu ya wanyama anaweza kuchukua sampuli hiyo na kuichunguza kwa darubini. Sampuli zozote chanya huzungumziwa na daktari wa mifugo na dawa inayofaa ya kuondoa minyoo inaweza kuamriwa. Utaratibu huu unaweza kusikika kuwa wa kupendeza kwa wasomaji wengi, lakini vipimo hivi ni sehemu muhimu ya kujitolea kwa daktari wa mifugo kwa wanyama wako wa kipenzi, lakini pia kwa afya ya umma kwa ujumla. CDC, Baraza la Wanyama wa Parasite, na Chama cha Hospitali ya Wanyama cha Amerika (AWA) wote wanapendekeza upimaji wa kawaida wa matumbo kwa wanyama wote wa pets. Hii inamaanisha kwamba unaweza kutarajia kufunga sampuli ya mkojo mara moja au mara mbili kila mwaka kwa kila mnyama. Kama pets yako si juu ya kuzuia moyo-worm kila mwezi, daktari wako wa mifugo inaweza kuuliza kwa ajili ya sampuli kila miezi 1-2!