Intestinal Parasite Screening

Service Description

Worms are gross. Even more so when you see them coming out of your pet and they just sat next to you on your favorite couch, or licked their butt and then licked someone in the face. :) - What makes them even worse, is that they can be passed to us as well and in some causes cause serious injury to small children if ingested (such as roundworms traveling to the eye). As a general rule, all puppies and kittens should routinely be tested and treated for worms, while adults should be tested and treated every 6-12 months depending on their risk exposure. Samples are sent to an outside laboratory and results are available the following business day. Signs of intestinal worms include soft or watery stool, bloody stool, weight loss or failure to gain weight and in some cases vomiting. The most common intestinal parasites we encounter are roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, tapeworms, and giardia. Roundworms looks like long spaghetti or angel hair pasta, while tapeworms are short and white (sometimes even moving) and look like rice. Usually you don't see hookworms or whipworms in the stool, but since they cause some significant damage to the intestinal lining, they commonly cause a bloody or watery stool. Giardia is a protozoa that lives in moist, contaminated environments (dog parks, boarding/daycare, apartment complexes) and pets get infected usually via fecal-oral route. Most of the time they cause a loose, mucousy stool. Check out the Companion Animal Parasite Council link on our FAQ page for more information.

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