WORMCHECK SERVICES

FECs are the gold standard for parasite diagnosis in livestock. The results from a FEC are interpreted as Eggs Per Gram (EPG) of manure. Using the EPG value, it can be determined if animals need to be dewormed or not. 

For horses, FECs will accurately detect strongyles and ascarids infections. Strongyles make up 99% of all horse infections, and a standard FEC is an excellent routine health check to monitor overall worm burdens in horses.

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For ruminant livestock, (cattle, sheep, goats, alpacas), FECs will detect strongyle species, tapeworms and other roundworm types (e.g. whip worm, Nematodirus spp). Using the EPG value from a FEC, worm burdens and any deworming requirements can be quickly identified using FECs. However, as all strongyle eggs have similar morphological characterisitics, it is difficult to distinguish between strongyle species on a FEC. Further testing, such as the Barbers Pole PCR (detailed below), may be required if you wish to determine if you have Barbers Pole worm in your livestock.

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