Fecal Floatation Mix

[Southern by choice]

I use a sugar solution for standard fecal floats.

Recipe:

12oz water
1lb sugar

Heat water to almost a boil in a dble boiler
remove from heat
add sugar and stir til dissolved
let cool completely before using

Will make close to 24oz, keep in an air tight container.

I'll post pics of all the equipment used in running your own fecals.... have to upload them. :/

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Nice, thank you. I can't wait until we can get our own microscope!!!

 

[Cricket]

Thank you for starting this thread! I got a microscope for x-mas (actually I got a truck battery and then could buy myself one), but am not having much luck finding eggs. I've been using an Epsom Salt solution--I'm going to try your sugar one tomorrow. I assume that my solution is wrong and the eggs aren't floating? I've even tried the cat , who has a mouse-a-day habit, so should have SOMEthing!

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

How exactly are you doing the float and how long are you letting it sit?

You need to mash the feces up real good, stir them in with the fecal solution, pour that into the container, place the cover on it, let sit for 15-20 mins, take cover off and put it on slide, then get down to business. If you are doing it all right and not seeing much eggs that good! lol

btw you may be seeing eggs just don't recognize them yet. It takes some practice but once you have it you an fly thru and catch every egg of all sorts. Most common are Barberpole, Liverfluke, Cocci, Tape. For here at least that's what you see most. BP is really the most of any. We don't see alot of any of the others though every once and a while the Tape sneaks up on you.

Oh and most Cocci is VERY hard to see if it is zoomed to see BP real good. If you can see the BP, LF, Tape, etc. very clearly and it's sharp picture you will not see Cocci. You have to back off a little to make those eggs a bit fuzzy to see Cocci.

 

[Cricket]

Thanks. I think part of it is the solution, as I end up getting a whole lot of crystal stuff, esp. around the edges. I'm trying that sugar! The girl at the feed store is trying to get Fecolsol (?), which sounds pricey, but maybe just until I get so I know what I'm looking at.

 

[alsea1]

Does anyone have pics of worm eggs they can post

 

[Gagroundhog]

Thank you for starting this thread! Just got my microscope and I love it! I'm using Molly's herbals on the goats and of the samples I've run there have been only a few eggs per sample.

I found one thing on a goat sample that wasn't in the book or on line but looked like an egg of some sort and I only saw three (all together) on two differnt samples so maybe nothing but it was thin, about the length of a barberpole egg and only had one line of segments in it and pointed or tabbed ends on it. Anyone seen this before?
Eveybody is fine, I just want to make sure they stay that way!!

 

[Southern by choice]

Thanks. I think part of it is the solution, as I end up getting a whole lot of crystal stuff, esp. around the edges. I'm trying that sugar! The girl at the feed store is trying to get Fecolsol (?), which sounds pricey, but maybe just until I get so I know what I'm looking at.

It is a saturation issue. I like the simple sugar for standard fecals. The weight is right and works well. For McMasters Method buying a commercially produced solution is best. Also most people have sugar right at home in their cabinets, so it is an easy solution to whip up.

What settings does your scope have? It is easiest at 100x, to look for cocci I still use the 100x and to look at anything I find suspect (meaning cocci) I view at 400x for confirmation.

Remember ...just because you may see a few eggs DOES NOT mean you need to worm.
Using a good strainer, after mashing the poop real well, is important or you will have alot of "junk" and it can make it very hard to see.
Definitely keep your slide cover on the vial for 15-20min. for goats.

When I get the pics and upload them I will show you my set up...it's simple.

I will try to get pics of the eggs. BTW- BP and Flukes can look very similar...a lot of times it is the difference in the poles.

 

[NaturesPace]

I did my first fecal float last week using the method that fiasco farm outlines. there are also images there. I found mostly cocci, but I think I saw a fluke too. I treated for cocci only.
I'm so happy to have my set up. It seems like it pays for itself in test $, gas $ and time.

Does anyone reuse your slides or do you just through them out? Seems like a good bleaching they could be reused.

 

[Southern by choice]

Slides can be re-used, wash bleach, dry.

If you have a digital scope it won't work, but a regular scope I would recommend you order the McMAsters slides (kit actually)
Straight simple fecals are great and they tell you what stuff you have, but the McMasters is done by Eggs per gram count. Overall it is faster and it allows you to see the load level. Without the EPG you really don't know that level and makes the decision whether to de-worm or worm still somewhat of a guessing game.

The McMasters method is very fast too! Saves so much time.

http://vetslides.com/paracount-epg-fecal-analysis-kit-with-mcmaster-type-counting-slides/


The barberpole and the flukes are almost identical, both are bloodsuckers, both cause anemia, both cause bottlejaw. They are treated differently however. Unless you are VERY familiar with the size of the eggs than you probably won't be able to tell the difference. Flukes are a big issue yet all the talk is always about the barberpole.

Barberpole can be treated with ivermec but it won't touch flukes.... that needs ivermec PLUS and it only kills adults. Soooo, it requires 3 treatments each treatment being 10 days apart to wipe out the parasite.

Also using the Mcmasters method will help you see how many of the parasites do get killed off by your de-wormer of choice, by monitoring the goat AFTER the de-worming. The de-wormer shouldn't get rid of all the eggs, just the majority.

We only use our regular slides now for dogs and poultry.