Fecal Float Questions

[FortCluck]

I deworm and deflea my dog and my cat regularly as part of a preventive schedule. My chickens too. What I use doesn't require egg withdrawal. If the OP suspected worms (because of observed symptoms), and found eggs then is there a different dewormer applicable for each distinct worm type, or would a broad one do the job for all? I wouldn't call that indiscriminate or unnecessary.

I am no expert or vet. Just genuinely curious. I salute the diligence too!

I do fecal floats at the vet instead of putting chemicals into my animals. I’m not giving my dogs meds they don’t need on a timed schedule. Our vet says to never do that. They say pay the $15 for a fecal float, it’ll save us money in the long run.

I don’t see the point of deworming if your dogs don’t have worms. All 4 of mine are clear.

The vet does fecal floats for chickens too. I just got a new vet a few weeks ago because they deal with livestock, which I plan to add soon.

 

[Chicalina]

I do fecal floats at the vet instead of putting chemicals into my animals. I’m not giving my dogs meds they don’t need on a timed schedule. Our vet says to never do that. They say pay the $15 for a decal float, it’ll save us money in the long run.

I don’t see the point of deworming if your dogs don’t have worms. All 4 of mine are clear.

The vet does fecal floats for chickens too. I just got a new vet a few weeks ago because they deal with livestock, which I plan to add soon.

I have actually never been offered a faecal float by my vet for any of my animals, and I've had pets for 40 years. I don't even know if they do it, but it certainly isn't a commonly done thing here in the UK. I will ask next time I call them, just out of interest. I routinely give my dog one combined medicine that kills all parasites: worms, fleas and ticks, and it is inexpensive. So if I didn't do that then I would still have to do a chemical flea and tick treatment because those pests are rife.

I guess it is simple, easy and gives me peace of mind, plus my animals are happy and parasite free.

On another note I read something the other day about DE and although natural, how harmful it is to all insect life. I've used this in my coop for years and am now rethinking. I see lots of BYCers use PDZ. I'm not sure what that is or if I can get it, but I'm going to do some research.

 

[Kusanar]

On another note I read something the other day about DE and although natural, how harmful it is to all insect life. I've used this in my coop for years and am now rethinking. I see lots of BYCers use PDZ. I'm not sure what that is or if I can get it, but I'm going to do some research.

DE is debatable in if it works or not. No one questions that if you throw a bug in a bag of DE that it will die, but if the DE gets wet it won't work as well so feeding it for internal parasites is questionable. It also is very irritating to the lungs, so putting it in bedding or using it for a dust bath is probably not the best idea as every time they stir it up they are breathing it and you will breath it as well when you go in there.

PDZ is a brand name for crushed zeolite rock, it can be a powder which works really well but is also irritating to the lungs if breathed, best to put it down under bedding, or a granular version which is like semi course sand. PDZ does not do anything for parasites, it absorbs ammonia from the air which keeps the odor down. It is typically marketed here in the states as a stall dry product for horses, their pee spots get stinky and urine will get between and under stall mats, if you clean as well as you can, sprinkle some PDZ on the stinky area and then throw clean bedding over it, the stall is fresh again in seconds a lot of the time. With chickens the ammonia is in the feces so a lot of people use poop boards under the roost to catch the nightly droppings and will put PDZ on the boards to keep the poop from getting stinky until it is cleaned up.

 

[Chicalina]

@FortCluck I wasn't sure how much I pay through my vet so I checked. It is £45 for 3 months worth, but I found an online supplier for £25. Thanks for the idea!

 

[FortCluck]

@FortCluck I wasn't sure how much I pay through my vet so I checked. It is £45 for 3 months worth, but I found an online supplier for £25. Thanks for the idea!

Vet office meds are more expensive than getting a prescription for it and going online. Good choice to try it.

 

[Chicalina]

@Kusanar It doesn't sound as if PDZ is any better than DE! I just use it to keep down mites in the coop and to dry out droppings. Do you recommend anything else?

 

[aart]

@Kusanar It doesn't sound as if PDZ is any better than DE! I just use it to keep down mites in the coop and to dry out droppings. Do you recommend anything else?

DE won't do anything for bugs and does not absorb ammonia like PDZ does.
PDZ is not meant to prevent bugs.
If we want to discuss food awareness, and PDZ, we should start another thread....and let this one stay on the topic of fecal floats.

 

[FortCluck]

DE won't do anything for bugs and does not absorb ammonia like PDZ does.
PDZ is not meant to prevent bugs.
If we want to discuss food awareness, and PDZ, we should start another thread....and let this one stay on the topic of fecal floats.

I was lost for a sec. I remembered fecal floats being the top then I saw DE and stopped reading. DE is useless in my opinion.

 

[FortCluck]

I’ve started learning to do my own fecal floats. I’ve got a couple of questions and I’m hoping someone may have advice or help or additional links and info... (ie @casportpony ) or even help IDing (ie @Sue Gremlin) @KsKingBee thoughts?

I have five or six symptomatic birds. Potential reduction in egg laying, potential lethargic behavior (but it is summer for both of those), and messy bottoms. I’ve reduced protein and bathed them and they’re still messy. My flock free ranges.

I’ve done five floats so far. One was clean. two had a small load of eggs (80-100/gram), and two had high counts (1800 & 1950/gram).

the eggs are either round worm or cecal worms, and I’m having a hard time differentiating. I ordered a lens with a scale to measure. the eggs are measuring 85x50 um. Which seems closer to Ascarid egg size? But to me they do look fairly parrallel and maybe closer to heteraksis. I also included one photo with a rounder egg, the only egg this shape on all the slides but also made me think it could be roundworms

in addition while doing The fecals I found worms. Not large like typical roundworm photos in manure that I’ve seen. Small, like the description of tapeworm segments. I believe I isolated a segment and got it on a slide. Here are my photos. Is this a tapeworm segment?

worm(??) is at 40x mag. It’s about 2/3 cm long and it measures 2 or 3 mm on the scope at various points. (I don’t know my math right away for what that measurement is at 40x magnification.)

Egg is 100x magnification.

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May I ask where I could get a microscope like you have?

 

[Chicalina]

Sorry, I'm derailing. I'll leave you good poop- examining folks to it!