Livestock Faecal Egg Counts: A Guide to in-house testing for the Veterinary Professional
A new CVE offering to assist veterinarians, veterinary nurses and other diagnostic staff in conducting faecal egg counts is now available. Developed by Dr Theo De Waal, Dr Annetta Zintl and Ms Amanda Lawlor in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, this CVE offering is in response to the changes in the protocols for use of antiparasitic drugs in farm animals, and the envisaged demand for parasitology diagnostic services.
This offering can be completed online, in your own time and should take approximately six hours to complete. Through a series of online lectures and supporting resources you will be guided through the process of conducting faecal egg counts. By the end of the offering you will be able to:
- Provide advice on the appropriate collection of faecal samples from a herd or flock
- Discuss the differences, principles, application and limitations of different faecal examination techniques
- Identify common helminth eggs of domestic animals in faecal samples
- Perform laboratory procedures to accurately quantify helminth eggs in a faecal sample
- Evaluate the helminth burden of animals and apply this knowledge in advising clients
- Evaluate the efficacy of anthelmintic treatment on a farm
There has been great interest in this CVE offering since it was launched earlier this year, with over 80 people enrolling and commencing the course. Anyone interested in this online course can register at the link below:
https://hub.ucd.ie/usis/W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=VETCVE
Please note there is a registration fee of €50 for this course.
This CVE offering has been approved for 6 CVE credits from the Veterinary Council of Ireland.