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What parasites can a routine pet fecal exam miss, like Giardia?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 8 years and 1 month old | 108 lbs

What kind of virus,worm etc could escape a routine fecal exam? Round,hook and tape are looked for,right? Heartworm is a completely different test plane. Can vets send to outside lab for more in depth examination?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on August 3rd, 2018

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The intestinal worms that can be missed are some that are either difficult to find normally or the ones that are intermittently eliminated by the affected animal like Giardia and Coccidia, among others. Fecal samples can in fact be submitted to a reference laboratory for investigation. Good luck and have a great day!

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