Sample Collection Method
Accurate results begin with correct sample collection.
The day of collection will be arranged based on your requirements and management plan. This is important so that you don’t get a false result caused by worm treatment still working in your horse – unless you are carrying out a resistance test specifically to measure drug efficiency. The dung should be as fresh as possible but can still be posted or picked up the day after collection.
Use the glove to pick up about five small pinches from different places across a fresh dung pile.
Place the dung into the sample bag, press the air out before sealing the bag.
Label the sample with the horse’s name and number if testing is being performed on more than one animal. Please write in ball point pen as water based inks may wash off.
Put sample and paperwork and into the larger bag or box and either place in a location ready for pick up or post to the Laboratory in a Prepaid envelope supplied.
The tests will be performed once the sample arrives at the laboratory and the results will be emailed back to you.
The industry standard ‘Modified McMaster technique’ for worm egg counts indicates that samples are viable for around six days (depending on weather and storage conditions). If they are delayed in the post or there is insufficient sample to do the test we’ll contact you and ask you to collect the sample again. All samples are tested twice and the result averaged between the two. We test samples on the day they are received in the lab with results returned to you the next day.
Liver fluke tests are conducted the same way as a standard worm egg count, using a different solution to float off the relatively heavier eggs of this parasite. Because of the challenge the liver fluke has in reproducing in the horse we will ask you to take three dung samples on consecutive days, refrigerating the first two and sending all of them for testing on the third day as per protocol advised by University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine. Lungworm tests are conducted using a sedimentation test to separate out the lungworm larvae. Please send two full sample pots of dung when requesting this test.
Prevent colic and and other disease with correct horse treatment
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