Vets or Vet techs

[whitney]

What is the best parasitology book? My microscope is FINALLY being shipped and I need a GREAT guide.

 

[Alex]

Carin Ponder (TXminipinto) is a tech I believe, she is very knowledgable. Hopefully she will see this.

 

[txminipinto]

gads....my best book is in a box somewhere. I'll see if I can find a good "beginners" internet resource.

While I think it's excellent that you are wanting to do fecal checks on your horses, I have to ask:

1) Do you know how to properly prepare an equine sample? It differs from a dog or cat.

2) Do you have the appropiate supplies: microscope slides, cover slips, floatation solution, etc

3) Are you prepared that you may NEVER see an egg?

It is great that you are willing to do this....very rarely do we ever do a fecal check in the "real world" of veterinary medicine in horses unless there's a GI problem present. In private practice, I might have done 5 with some being on my own horses(and never saw an egg). The best preventative parasitology method is to regularly deworm your horses every 6-8 weeks with rotating dewormers. It is generally not recommended to deworm horses as needed but to maintain them on a deworming schedule.

 

[whitney]

txminipinto THANKS for looking for me. I am REALLY interested in a GOOD book something I can lay next to me while I look at the slides.

I'm doing the Mcmasters method have the microscope and kit coming. My local large animal vets don't do the FEC they send them to MSU, 20.00 per sample and I learn NOTHING. My dog vet said if I run into something I can't identify I can take a picture of it with my digital camera and he'll take a look at it for me.

Its SURPRISING to me that horse owners don't do this as its been done with cattle, goats and sheep for many years (internet research).

With resistance now starting to show with ALL types of dewormers I think its something that I should learn how to do. Need to keep this old dog learning new tricks. The more I can learn the better off my horses will be.

I again THANK YOU for your help.

PS Is this a good visual how to? http://www.luresext.edu/goats/library/fec.html

PSS You'd be surprised how many of my horse friends want to give me *HIT NOW!

If anyones interested I will post my "FINDINGS" pictures on the forum.

 

[txminipinto]

Stronglye egg

Ascarid egg

Tapeworm egg

I pulled these images off of TheHorse.com via this article Part 6: Equine Parasitology You have to register to view it.

Stronglye and Ascarid eggs are shed in the feces and can be seen via normal fecal count techniques. Tapeworm eggs are shed in segments (look like white rice) found in the feces and are rarely seen on fecals (I have seen them in a heavily infested dog).

Good luck! Pretty much if you see anything at all will be stronglyes or ascrids. Equine fecal checks are fairly boring in well run facilities. If you really want to have fun with it, check puppies. They are full of worms all the time!

 

[txminipinto]

PS Is this a good visual how to? http://www.luresext.edu/goats/library/fec.html

Yup, that looks good. The most important thing when looking at grazing animals fecals is to FILTER the content. Lots of trash if you don't.

 

[whitney]

double post

 

[whitney]

This is ONE time that I look forward to hopefully being BORED. But between my barn and my other 5 friends barns MAYBE just MAYBE I'll find a "OH MY GOD WHATS THAT!"

If you can get me the name of your good book I'd be VERY greatful.

Is it true you can also see giardia and coccidia?

 

[stormy]

I worked as a tech at a vet clinic for several years, looked at a TON of horse poop. You can see all kinds of fun parasites, a very fresh sample is best...don't know about Mc Masters though I have them done on my herd at least once a year, but fecal flotations you can make your own diluent...don't remember the "recipe" though.

(Turtle, Iguana and other exotics have some really interesting parasites!)

 

[White Socks Miniature]

tx mini pinto points out some VERY good advice in her first post. Some ova float better in some solutions than others or by different meathods of floatation. And just because you dont see any ova doesnt mean an animal doesnt have worms!!

It could just mean that the parasites in the animal are just not shedding eggs at that period of time or are " not patent." The book that I used in tech school and still use now as a reference is called Veterinary Parasitology manual

By William J. Foreyt, Bill Foreyt . It is around 40-50 dollars. Also be careful with the handling of feces. Zoonosis is a very real threat ( moreso with dog and cat feces as equine parasites are generally transient) You can look

up the risks online, but the most important thing is to wear gloves and to wash thouroghly!!! I know at our clinic we moastly use centrifugation as our floatation technique, Im not too sure what your kit has in it?

Edited to add: you can make your own sugar solution: Mix 454 g (1 lb) table sugar and 355 ml (12 oz) water. Dissolve slowly over gentle heat, or use indirect heat such as the top of a double boiler. Cool, add 6 ml full-strength (37%) formaldehyde or phenol as a preservative, and store at room temp. Formaldehyde is very toxic and is a carcinogen so I would reccomend not making it up unless you have a fume hood ect.

 

[tinacvt]

This is a book that I have used at clinics I've worked at.

Parasite Book

 

[whitney]

WSM: I found a recipe for epsom salt solution. Is the sugar solution better for equine egg detection? I posted a link on the first page this is how I will run my tests, its the McMasters method.

This is the book that is recommended on line by William J. Foreyt, just wanted to make sure its worth the 50.00.

I think the preservative is only needed in the sugar floatation medium they don't mention it with the epsom salt solution.

The kit includes scale, filter, syringe, two measuring flasks, wooden stir sticks, 2 McMaster slides, and a microscope I purchased seperately.

Tinacvt I'll check that book out now.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

 

[White Socks Miniature]

Different solutions will have slightly different specific gravities which in turn will float some ova better than others. We use Fecasol (Sodium Nitrate) which is a type of salt flotation mixture. Sugar solutions generally

float Isospora sp. and Eimeria sp. better than a salt solution. Try both though and see what you come up with! It can definately make it fun! If you are going to experiment, make sure that you know it is a positive fecal sample

also when you first start looking you will think anything round (even air bubbles) are ova. Lol not so! Look at the books and get your vet friends to check it out! Btw the very first time I looked at a fecal sample, I got soooo

excited because I thought I saw a round worm right off the bat... ha..ha... air bubbles. The more you look at them though the more you will learn! Have fun!

oh yes the book is very good! They are not colored pictures though. It tells you alot about the parasite ova, which solutions float it better, treatments, about thier life cycle, size ( which can be helpful when trying to

figure out what species it is) and other info.

Cheers

Masako

 

[whitney]

WSM I've been studying the pictures I have available and air bubbles graduate from white to dark from the center out, right?

Do you know if giardia and coccidia are detectable?

I will get the different kinds of floating medium and try them all to see what I find with one sample.

I know I'm kinda odd but this sounds like FUN, and REALLY interesting, its what I will be doing on my holiday break.

 

[White Socks Miniature]

WSM I've been studying the pictures I have available and air bubbles graduate from white to dark from the center out, right?
Do you know if giardia and coccidia are detectable?

I will get the different kinds of floating medium and try them all to see what I find with one sample.

I know I'm kinda odd but this sounds like FUN, and REALLY interesting, its what I will be doing on my holiday break.

Air bubbles will be white on the inside and dark on the ouside - the rim is very clear and defined (if your microscope is in focus properly)

Coccidia (Isospora sp. and Eimeria sp. - technical terms) float better in a sugar solution but can also do well in a salt solution. Giardia is very hard (pretty much never) to find on just a basic fecal float.

When you look at fecals make sure that the diaphragm is closed slightly so the light source isnt super bright. If it is dimmer you will find things a little easier. esp with coccidia.

Bahahaha no you are not odd... all of us techs fight over a sample that looks like it could be positive, and when we find something really interesting there will be a line up at the microscope!... yup so definately not odd!

sigh... surgeries, gushing abcesses, blood draws... lol the simple pleasures of a tech!

Cheers

Masako

 

[I B Strut N]

A good book to obtain is......Diagnostic Vererinary Parasitology ...by Charles M. Hendrix, obtained mine from Revival Animal Health a few years ago. Just checked and they are they have another one same title but by Joann Colville DVM sells for $41.79 here is a link www.revivalanimal.com. Good Luck ,Happy Hunting!