Take a small amount of the specimen and place it on a microscope slide.
If the stool specimen is still somewhat solid, add a drop or two of saline to the specimen and mix.
Ideally, two smears can be prepared on one slide, of which one can be stained with iodine..
Smear a small quantity of faeces on a clean microscope slide.
Mix with a few drops of water or physiological saline.
Place a coverslip over the smear.
The faecal material should not be left in a lump in the centre of the coverslip but evenly spread so that the microscope illumination can shine through..
Fecal cytology (wet mount)
Fecal wet mounts are particularly helpful for identification of motile organisms.
Because of the small sample used, the sensitivity of this method is low for most other parasites..
Direct fecal smears are most useful for the diagnosis of protozoal parasites which have motile trophozoite stages that are passed in the feces..
Material obtained by rectal scraping is often submitted as a sample for dry-mount fecal cytology, though feces and rectal scrape material are not synonymous.
Rectal scraping with a swab or blunt spatula is a somewhat more invasive method of sampling the rectal mucosa by direct scraping of its surface.
If your pet is bright and alert and the physical examination is normal, screening tests may not be immediately recommended.This is especially true if there is an obvious reason for the diarrhea, such as a sudden change in diet or a history of eating table scraps.
However, screening tests are strongly recommended if diarrhea continues or reoccurs or.
Determining a diagnosis starts with a complete history and physical examination.
A pet’s history is the information you give your veterinarian about your pet’s illness, including details about the frequency, urgency, and appearance of the diarrhea.
Other helpful information includes whether your pet has eaten anything unusual, such as house plants .
Many different diseases and disorders can cause diarrhea in pets.
It can be as simple as a pet having intestinal parasites (worms) or eating spoiled food.
However, in many cases, the cause is more difficult to determine.
The following are just a few of the many causes of diarrhea:.
1) Disorders of the stomach and bowel (gastrointestinal tract) inclu.
Dry-mount fecal cytology can be useful to examine the microorganism flora and any host cells that may be present (e.g., epithelial, inflammatory) and to detect other pathogens that may be present (e.g., bacterial, fungal, algal, oomycetal, or protozoal).
Occasionally, evaluation of dry-mount fecal cytology is diagnostic.
Fecal cytology (direct fecal smear evaluation) to look for specific bacteria called Clostridia, other organisms that cause bacteria, and inflammatory and neoplastic cells Fecal DNA testing to detect viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections that can cause diarrhea .
The most commonly recommended screening tests for a pet with diarrhea include a complete blood count (CBC), serum biochemistry profile, urinalysis, and fecal parasite tests.
Thyroxine (total T4) concentration is also recommended for middle-aged to older cats.
Screening tests may provide clues to the cause of the diarrhea.
In addition, they may unco.
Many of these techniques will be practiced in our laboratory sessions over the next few weeks.
There are two separate techniques used for direct fecal smear analysis.
These are the dry mount fecal cytology (DM) or wet mount fecal test (WM).
Both are performed by collecting a small amount of fecal material directly from the lumen of the rectum.
