Common intestinal parasites found in pets include:

• Toxocara roundworms: Toxocara roundworms are common intestinal roundworms with zoonotic potential. Eggs passed in the faeces build up and mature in the environment, forming a significant zoonotic risk.
• Hookworms: There are several types of hookworms. Ancylostoma caninum is a potential cause of severe anaemia in dogs and has zoontoic potential if the larvae come into contact with human skin. Other Ancylostoma species and Uncinaria stenocephala can also cause disease in both cats and dogs.
• Whipworms: Large worm burdens of Trichuris vulpis (often referred to as whipworm) in dogs can lead to large bowel disease. This can be a particular problem in kennelled dogs where large numbers of infective eggs can build up in the environment.
• Flea tapeworm: Dipilidium caninum is the flea tapeworm of cats and dogs and has zoonotic potenital. Human infection can occasionally occur if fleas are accidentally ingested. Infection rarely causes significant disease in cats and dogs, but the presence of infection is an excellent sentinel for loss of flea control.
• Echinococcus tapeworm: E. granulosus and E. multilocularis (tapeworms found in dogs) are both serious zoonoses if eggs passed in the faeces of infected dogs are ingested by people. Regular deworming of at-risk dogs is essential in endemic areas, but surveillance for these parasites through testing is also important.

Worm treatment based on lifestyle and geographic risk is important. But, there is often much less focus on routine faecal screening for intestinal worms alongside treatment due to a lack of perceived value. However, faecal testing provides a range of benefits including earlier diagnosis and monitoring, and many clients prefer to do faecal testing alongside treatment.

Why Is It Important to Test Alongside Treatment?

In addition to providing your practice with parasite prevalence data, there are a number of reasons why faecal testing — in addition to treatment — is beneficial.

Pet Owners Aren't Always Great at Following Deworming Advice

When veterinarians make a routine deworming recommendation, we hope pet owners will then be willing and able to carry out those instructions. However, there are barriers that can prevent this. Owners may forget to give the medication, they may try and increase the amount of time between treatments, or struggle with administration.

Studies have demonstrated that as a result of one or more of these factors, compliance can be poor. If routine faecal testing shows worms are still present, then a conversation can be had about possible causes and ways to make life easier for the client.

Risk Assessments Can Miss Some Parasites

Sometimes lack of data or knowledge regarding regional parasite distributions and owner lifestyle can lead to exposure risks for parasites not being identified. Routine faecal testing allows infections not covered by current routine deworming regimes to be identified, and the issue corrected. Positive tests can also then be used to inform parasite distributions for future risk assessment.

Sometimes Treatment Frequencies Need To Be Increased

Most licensed anthelmintic products for cats and dogs do not have persistent activity so if the frequency at which they are administered is less than the prepatent period, patent infection may still occur between treatments. Routine testing ensures that pets get the treatment they need when they need it.

Anthelmintic Resistance Can Go Undetected

The emergence of multiple drug-resistant hookworms in the United States is a reminder of how quickly resistant worms can spread in populations if not detected early. Without faecal testing, we can't know whether resistance is present.

Pet Owners Love a Confidence Boost

It's easy to dread a negative test a client paid for, in case they view it as a waste of money. But negative tests can be a happy bonus of testing. Negative tests demonstrate the value of the current preventive program, the efficacy of the products being used, and good administration compliance on the part of the owner. Most pet owners love being told they're doing a great job!

Why Pet Owners Want Faecal Testing

As veterinary professionals, we may be reluctant to recommend testing alongside treatment because we feel owners will not see the value, will not be able to afford it, or will be reluctant to collect faecal samples. However, some clients I see in my practice are engaging with routine testing and even proactively seeking it out as an option. Motivators for these pro-testers include:

• A desire to see if treatment programmes are working. Having embraced a risk-based approach to parasite control, they want to know their pets and family are not at risk, and that treatment is effective.
• They like to see diagnostics in their practice health plans. Faecal tests complete the package and encourage clients to take advantage of the full range of testing available to them. (Faecal testing might even be included in the price of their regular wellness testing!)
• Concern about which parasites are out there. Clients may have heard of some worms in the press or on social media, but are they present in their area or in their pet? Faecal testing helps put their mind at ease, particularly in regard to zoonotic risk. If their pets don't have faecal parasites, there is a decreased likelihood of parasites being passed to themselves or their family.
• Confirmation of good compliance. Pet owners may not be certain they are applying medicines correctly or at the correct frequency. Nothing builds confidence like a series of negative results!

By highlighting the importance of worm control and testing to demonstrate efficacy, clients' desire for faecal testing increases. You can share information with clients and educate them through social media, blogs on websites, and face-to-face in practice. The easier testing is made to be, the more pet owners will be likely to do it. This could mean providing faecal testing kits with gloves and containers. Over time, the benefits of faecal testing won't go unnoticed.

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