Fecal testing

Fecal testing is the recommended method for diagnosing parasitic infections of the gastrointestinal tract. Your veterinarian will recommend treatments, a schedule for check-ups and faecal testing that will help protect your guinea pig.

A variety of gastrointestinal parasites affect guinea pigs. The most common parasites in these pets are cryptosporidium and coccidia:

• Coccidia: coccidia are microscopic parasites. One type of coccidia parasite can cause liver damage and death in guinea pigs. Coccidia can remain in the environment for months, so cleaning a contaminated area will help prevent disease spread and re-infection.
• Cryptosporidium: these are protozoan parasites that can cause bloating, diarrhea, weight loss and stunted growth

In most cases, eggs or infective stages of parasites are shed in feces. Once parasites are in the environment, other guinea pigs can be exposed through direct contact with feces or exposure to faecal-contaminated food, water or bedding.

Some parasites can live in the environment for a long time, so keeping your guinea pig’s habitat clean using a disinfectant can help reduce the risk of infection, and the spread of disease.

Signs include, mucous in the feces, anorexia, impaction, stasis, severe pain and gas formation; diarrhea, poor coat quality, lethargy and weight loss are also common.

If you are worried that your guinea pig has a parasitic infection, take it to see your veterinarian who will be able to test for different types of parasites.

First of all your veterinarian will examine the appearance of your guinea pigs feces. If the feces are softer than normal or discolored, this can indicate a problem. Your veterinarian may recommend performing more than one type of test. The most common types of fecal tests:

• Direct fecal smear: a small amount of feces is placed on a microscope slide, mixed with a very small amount of water or saline, and then examined under a microscope. Parasite eggs and single-celled parasites can sometimes be identified using this method.
• Fecal flotation: a sample of feces is placed in a small tubular container and mixed with a small amount of special solution. Mixing causes the parasite eggs to float to the top of the solution. The eggs are then placed on a microscope slide which your veterinarian will examine under the microscope.

In many cases, fecal testing alone can detect parasites, but your veterinarian may need to perform additional tests to help confirm a diagnosis. Even if testing doesn’t confirm parasites, your veterinarian may recommend treatment as a precaution.

Infected guinea pigs often don’t exhibit any obvious clinical signs; this means the only way to tell if your guinea pig is infected, is to perform fecal testing periodically to check for parasites.

Your veterinarian can recommend a program of check-ups and fecal testing that can help protect your guinea pig from these dangerous parasites. Fecal testing is also important because some parasites can be transmitted to humans (zoonotic). Eliminating these parasites helps protect your guinea pig and your family.