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Originally Posted by OwnedByJezebel  Oh, my. Y'all have been through the ringer, I hope it is under control soon. |
Oh me too!
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Originally Posted by lisaly I'm so sorry, Kathy. I'm glad you found out the cause, and I hope they get better soon. |
Thanks, Lisa.
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Originally Posted by mimimomo Oh dear, I hope they all feel better soon! How did you do your own fecal smear? Loll sounds so funny but not really huh?  |
Thanks. I have my own microscope that I use, so I can test any off-looking stools. I haven't done it myself for a few years, but these stools were too suspicious looking to be negative on everything. I'll tell my vet what I saw, then they'll repeat the direct smear at the vet's office, then give meds.
When a flotation is done, a bit of stool is mixed in a sugar:water solution which will separate any worm eggs from the stool and they float on top. Then it is examined under the microscope. The solution will thin out most other things, like Giardia, so it's easy to miss on a flotation.
When a direct smear is done, a tiny bit of stool is smeared right onto a glass slide, add a drop of water and examined under the microscope. It's harder to find worm eggs on a direct smear though, bc the solution causes the eggs to rise and condense on the surface, on the direct there is no solution, so the eggs don't separate and glom all together. But if the dog is heavily infested, one may see the eggs on a smear. Or sometimes stains are used depending on what the vet suspects may be causing a problem with the animal, to make it more defined. Giardia and other microorganisms are easier to see on a direct smear, because the stool has not been diluted.
One thing has changed though, their stools no longer look like colitis-type stools. And my neighbor's dog has the same type diarrhea that mine are having now, but my dogs have never been in contact with their dog or their property.