Dab Tsi Yog Koj Tus Tsiaj Cov Quav Kuaj Rau, Xijpeem?

2024 Tus sau: Daisy Haig | [email protected]. Kawg hloov kho: 2023-12-17 03:09

Yog li dab tsi yog qhov kev txaj muag sim caca rau, txawm li cas los?

Nws muaj kev ntxhov siab txaus kom koj tus tsiaj lub nraub qaum tau ua txhaum los ntawm cov yas pas nrig, txoj cai? Neeg ruam ces kav liam os.

Koj tau hais tias: Yog lub hom phiaj yog ua kom kuv tus tsiaj muaj kev noj qab haus huv thiab cab tsis muaj kab xev ces kuv yuav ntseeg koj qhov kev txiav txim, tab sis kuv yuav tsum hais tias, qhov tso quav yog qhov kev ua txhaum. Kuv tsis tau txais cov kev ua kom poob ntsej muag kom txog thaum kuv muaj txiv neej thiab plaub caug, puas yog? Thiab fecals tsis yog qhov pab tau, txoj cai?

Kuv hais: Rau cov pib, koj tsis tas yuav tsum muaj koj tus tsiaj succumb rau dastardly pas nrig. Ib qho piv txwv tshiab yog feem ntau tau yooj yim thaum sawv ntxov (lossis yav tav su) ua ntej koj mus ntsib txhua xyoo lossis txhua lub sijhawm uas koj tus tsiaj muaj mob lub plab. Nws tsis nyuaj heev, tiag tiag. Thiab yog tias lub sijhawm tsis raws cai (cov quav yuav tsum tsis pub ntev dua ib teev rau qhov ua tau zoo tshaj plaws), koj lub tsev kho mob vet yuav tsis lees koj txoj cai los nqa ib qho piv txwv super-tshiab ntawm koj qhov yooj yim. Cog lus.

Thiab yog, kev soj ntsuam quav, txawm tias pheej yig thiab niaj hnub, yog qhov tseem ceeb. Tab sis raws li daim ntawv tshaj tawm no yuav ua rau pom, nws kuj muaj tseeb tias tsis yog txhua qhov kev kuaj quav yuav tuaj tos tus kab mob cab rau hauv koj cov tsiaj. Yog vim li cas thiaj yuav tau muaj kev ntsuam xyuas teeb meem txhua xyoo thiab / los yog ntsuas cov quav txog cov quav.

Tam sim no rau lub hom phiaj tseem ceeb ntawm kev xeem:

Cov kws kho tsiaj ib txwm saib rau kab mob cab uas tej zaum yuav nrhiav tau txoj hauv kev rau koj cov tsiaj lub plab txoj hnyuv. Muaj tseeb, peb tib neeg tuaj yeem kis cab, ib yam nkaus, tab sis peb txoj kev ua neej nyob niaj hnub zoo li tsis muaj kev cuam tshuam los ntawm kis tus kab mob. (Lub sijhawm twg yog lub sijhawm kawg koj tau mus ua pa hauv mev, daim di ncauj mus rau hauv av, tsuas yog li ntawd koj tuaj yeem nqus tau lub feline turd lossis ob?)

Yog lawm, tsiaj muaj cab ntau ntau. Nov yog qhov piv txwv ntawm cov cab feem ntau muaj kab mob cab kuv pom ntawm no [nyob rau saum ntuj ceeb tsheej uas yog semi-tauj South Florida]:

Cov cab sib nkag hauv dev thiab miv.

Hookworms hauv cov tsiaj

Whipworms hauv cov tsiaj

Giardia hauv tsiaj

Cov nplooj siab mob hauv tus tsiaj

Cov nplooj siab mob hauv tus tsiaj

coccidia in pets

i’ll not go into the gory details on each but you can click on the links and check out the info for a better understanding of how these parasites can potentially affect your pets and even your human family.

sure, pet-popular parasites don’t often infect humans in the so-called, “developed” nations all of you reading this likely live in, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. roundworms and hookworms are still a factor in humans in the us, as is giardia, which will give you the nastiest case of diarrhea you can imagine short of amoebic dysentery.

since veterinarians are also on the front lines when it comes to public health, consider that fecal exams are not just necessary for healthy pets, they’re essential for healthy humans, too, more so if your family members are very young children, very old adults or otherwise immunocompromised (transplant patients, hiv-positive humans, chemo recipients, etc.).

how do we identify these critters in the fecal exam?

the short answer: with a microscope.

the long answer: we take a tiny sample of your pet’s stool (very fresh is always best). a few grams is enough (think an eighth of a teaspoon if that’s easier). then we put it through one of three processes.

1. the smear: we take about a half gram of stool and smear it onto a microscope slide to search for parasites (and bacteria) directly. many times we’ll see them swimming about. finding evidence of parasites in a simple smear is often indicative of severe infection.

2. the float: this method relies on mixing the stool with a special solution. it filters out the big pieces of stool in a tube or other cylindrical vessel and allows the eggs and other small critters to float up to the top, buoyed by the solution’s specific gravity. a microscope slide’s cover slip is typically used to recover the floaters. some parasites, however, aren’t amenable to flotation. eggs seem to do best through this method.

3. centrifugation: spinning the heck out of stool in a centrifuge when it’s mixed in a sugar solution picks up about 50% more parasite eggs and oocysts than through flotation. therefore, i like this method best for worm eggs, giardia, and coccidia––though i’d never go without a smear. problem is, most hospitals don’t yet use this method. it’s more expensive than others and research demonstrating it’s much greater efficacy is fairly recent.

so now you know the truth: not all fecal exams are created equal. not only does this test rely on careful selection of materials and methods, it also requires a trained eye. in our practice, for example, one of our techs detects parasites about 50% more often than the veterinarians and other techs/assistants. (that’s why we also do floats so that she can check them all at her convenience when she comes back from her day off.)

it’s also true that even a parasite-infected animal will often not come up positive on a fecal test. human error and equipment choice are factors, but so is the parasite itself. sometimes they do not make themselves known in the stool. worms sometimes aren’t shedding their eggs and subclinical (low-grade or smoldering) infections may not reveal much, either.

again, that’s why it’s important to perform this test as often as is reasonable. for all dogs and cats at least three times during the first few months of life. i want to see at least two negative tests in a row, a month apart, before i’ll feel comfortable that my patient is parasite-free.

for adults, once a year is great––that is, unless they show gastrointestinal illnesses. in this case, serial fecal tests make sense––or at least one every time the symptoms recur until a definitive diagnosis is made (whether it’s parasites or something else).

ultimately, fecal tests are a critical component of our veterinary hat of tricks. doing without may seem like the economically wisest thing in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms, but consider: parasites can wear pets down in ways you might not expect. and it’s never wrong to be too safe in the presence of diseases that may also affect your family. ‘nuff said.