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 fecal testing that will help protect your rabbit.

A variety of gastrointestinal parasites affect exotic pets such as rabbits, rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters, and guinea pigs. The most common parasites in these pets are pinworms, tapeworms, Giardia and coccidia:

• Pinworms: adult pinworms are sometimes visible in the feces of infected pets. These parasites may not cause any clinical signs but can cause poor body condition. Pinworm infestation is extremely common in both wild and captive rabbit populations. Deaths have been reported in some rabbits.
• Tapeworms: heavy tapeworm infections can cause diarrhea and weight loss, but some infected animals show no clinical signs. Tapeworm infection is rare in rabbits.
• Giardia: a single-celled parasite. In rats and mice, it can cause abdominal distention (swelling) and diarrhoea. Rarely reported in the rabbit.
• Coccidia: coccidia are microscopic parasites. One type of coccidia parasite can cause liver damage and death in rabbits. Coccidia can remain in the environment for months, so cleaning a contaminated area will help prevent disease spread and re-infection.

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

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

Pinworm eggs are light and can be carried in the air.

Tapeworms are slightly different; they can be transmitted indirectly when a rabbit consumes a flea or other insect that is infected with the parasite. If your pet eats an infected insect, the tapeworm will continue its lifecycle inside your rabbit. Keeping fleas and other insects away from your rabbits living area will help reduce the risk of exposure. Tapeworm infection is rare in rabbits.

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

If you are worried that your rabbit 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 rabbits faeces. If the feces are softer than normal or discoloured, this can indicate a problem. Your veterinarian may recommend performing more than one type of test. The most common types of faecal tests:

• Direct fecal smear: a small amount of faeces 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.
• Faecal flotation: a sample of faeces 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 vet 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 rabbits often don’t exhibit any obvious clinical signs; this means the only way to tell if your rabbit is infected, is to perform fecal testing periodically to check for parasites.

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