ACTIVITY: 3189D-E
FECAL EXAMINATION WITH JAR
Adapted by: Tracey Hoffman
FECAL EGG EXAMINATION:
Fecal examinations can easily be performed and horses treated when the average egg
count indicates the need. Checking for strongyle larvae concentration is easy and can be
done on the farm. The procedure is to put a fresh fecal ball in a quart jar. Place the jar,
with a loose lid on top, in a dark room at room temperature for a week. Drops of
condensed moisture will form on the walls of the jar. If, on daily inspection, no moisture
is forming on the walls of the jar, add 10 to 20 drops of water to the jar. At the end of a
week, strongyle larvae will be visible in the moisture drops on the walls of the jar with a
hand lens, if the horse has the parasite. A heavy strongyle infestation will be evident if
the walls of the jar have a frosted appearance.