During routine visits, your veterinarian will often ask for fecal and/or urine samples. By evaluating your dog’s fecal and urine, it helps to give your veterinarian the whole picture surrounding your dog’s health.
Why are fecal examinations required yearly?
Yearly fecal examinations are required to ensure that your dog hasn’t picked up an internal parasite. Fecal tests are recommended to detect internal parasites in our dogs that are passed from infected dogs, cats, rodents and birds, through their fecal matter. Most commonly in mature dogs, they can get it from walking through infected feces and then in the grooming process, lick and ingest the feces and get infected. They can even become infected by simply sniffing another animal’s feces. Young puppies will often be passed parasites from their mothers either in the womb or through their mother’s milk.
If my dog’s urine test reveals a urinary tract infection, what can I do?
If your dog’s urine test reveals a urinary tract infection it is advised to get the advice of your veterinarian. After evaluating the urine results, your veterinarian can inform you of an appropriate treatment plan to treat your dog’s specific needs.