Quick Question About Bring Stool Sample To The Vet

[Guest sja5032]

I want to drop off a stool sample for my GSD x at the vet tomorrow because he has really bad diarrhea (following all the normal protocol, rice & plain chicken for a few days and then started adding food back, got him back to normal, then a few days later it was back). I am going to try switching foods, but considering how long that may take to truly test if that's the reason I was going to bring a sample to the vets to be sure it isn't something else.

 

The vets office is closed for the night and I want to drop off first thing since I will be driving by, so my questions are: how much do they need as a sample and how "fresh" does it need to be? His poop is well, mostly liquid so its hard to get a sample of decent size and I picked some up tonight and I am holding his food off tonight (he ate this morning and it was really bad today) so I don't know if he will poop again between now & then.

 

If anyone knows the answer that would be awesome, if not I will just try to get a hold of them before I leave in the AM.

 

One more question, we have 4 dogs and Coco is the only one who has been sick (knock on wood!), are there many diarrhea causing things that don't spread? He is on a different food than the others which is why that is my guess as to the problem. He is acting normal and will eat normal.

 

 

ETA: ok i can't edit the title, but I am aware it should be bringing, sorry!

Edited May 3, 2012 by sja5032

[Feisty49]

I just took a stool sample for Annie Bella to her vet this afternoon. They said it can't be more than 24 hours old. Her "stool" was soft ice cream this morning when I got it, and I got it by having a couple of paper plates with me and when she squatted, I put one under her and caught it and double bagged it, carrying it around like a.. well.. a doggy bag from a restaurant. :lol As far as quantity, I have no idea. I had a big enough amount I didn't worry about it.

 

Tests revealed no worms for Annie Bella so I authorized a test for giardiasis, which is not a standard test, at least at my vet's. They send it out at a cost of another $68 on top of the $27 for the simple testing.

 

I hope both our pups get over this ASAP and we can stop watching their poop (if we ever really do).

[greyhead]

When Spencer's poop was so bad, before we got the Clostridium perfringens diagnosis, I sterilized a margarine tub and held it under him as he squatted. Popped on the lid and took it in. That way, or the paper plate way, nothing touches the ground. And with the sterile container too, there's not much question that any germs that show up came from the dog.

 

 

[dmswartzfager]

As far as how much, you need about a gumball size.