Okay, Lets Talk About Poop....

[Guest sweetpea]

So the dogs have their annual exam next Thursday.

Both are fine, it's just time.

 

So my question is, how "essential" is it that their poop be screened?

 

What exactly are they looking for?

Is it just to check for worms?

 

The reason I ask is, even at Sweetpea's worst tummy troubles, nothing ever came up on her poop screens.

 

Now that we have her GI issues managed, and since they're both leash walked at all times (no yard) so

I'm inspecting their poop every day myself, would there be any harm in skipping the poop screen?

 

Thanks for any input, I know it's not the most scintillating topic, but, well, there you go.

 

Buzzy

[BatterseaBrindl]

Unless they're having digestive issues or runny poop, I would not do it.

Ditto for urine testing.

 

Our vet does not do either at their annual 'wellness checkup'.

 

Nixon has been here for 2 years, Ruby for 8 months and neither of them have had theirs checked.

Their poop has always been pretty good...even better now we've switched to raw.

 

Nigel was bounced to us in December, and as his previous home said he had 'poop issues', we had his tested for parasites. The poop tested fine ....and he does not have any issues at all.

[OwnedBySummer]

In all my years with dogs... I've never done a routine poop or urine analysis. It's never even occurred to me and the vet has never asked. I don't think it's necessary unless you have suspicions or some other reason.

[Batmom]

Fecal: Looking for worms. 6 of one, half dozen of the other. I don't usually do an annual unless we've been having problems; more likely to do one a month or so after we've been out and about in certain places, if I need one for a class, etc.

 

I usually do an annual urinalysis and bloodwork (CBC + chemistry) if we haven't had one lately.

[greysmom]

Urinalysis is more important than fecal exam, unless you suspect worms or bloody stools for some reason. I probably wouldn't.

[tbhounds]

Fecal analysis-- actually its recommended to be run multiple times a year however, I believe most vets are happy if clients submit stool once a year. The test is looking for intestinal parasites-- something your dog can harbor without clinical signs. A dog producing "normal" stool can have a worm burden.

I'm a firm believer in also running a yearly chem/CBC/urine panel -- in a younger dog a simple panel can be run and as a dog ages a more comprehensive panel should be run.

Ok- a huge pet peeve of mine is that bloodwork is often run on a dog that is unwell but, a baseline panel was never run earlier so, you don't have a comparison. It's always a greyt idea to know the "norm" for your dog before he or she becomes sick.

[Burpdog]

Unless there is a problem, I never get a fecal done and even if there is, I do panacur before I do a fecal.

 

I would do a urine test if there has not been one done recently. I would also do blood work once a year.