Droppings Tested

[lanarkshire lad]

I am thinking about getting the droppings tested any suggestions as to who to send them to? I tried Tom Pennicott at Auchincruive last year i think it was around £17.50 was thinking of trying someone else this time as i am not a believer in treating blind these days.

[greenlands]

http://forum.pigeonbasics.org/topic/24516-droppings-tested/

 

http://www.garyspavinherbs.harrisonhullracingpigeons.co.uk/

 

 

Lindsay

[Guest Owen]

I found that the people who carry out these tests do not always get it right so I learned to do it myself. I bought a microscope from Brunell and went on some courses organised by David Parsons to Vet. The problem is that if you have your droppings tested and then treat the birds for whatever they tell you they have found, you have no idea if the treatment has worked or not. Ideally you need to check the droppings after the treatment. I can think of one case of hair worm that took three courses of treatment to clear up. If the guy who had the problem had gone to a Droppings Tester Specialist he would never have known that the recommended treatment had not worked.

I have had a lot of benefits from doing it myself the most important being that I do not treat the birds blindly any more. On the other hand I can pick up when the birds really do have a genuine problem and treat it straight away before the problem builds up.

Bearing in mind that the Droppings Test Experts are doing it for the money, you would be far better off learning to do it yourself.

[greenlands]

I think you are correct in what you say Owen,however I must also say that this lad is good at his job and a good pigeon man aswell,how he does it for the prices he charges is beyond me.

If someone would only help fanciers out and print a book with slide of pigeon problems in I think more fanciers would take the road you have just mentioned.I bet there are hundreds of microscopes laying about because the fancier has given up the ghost.

Lindsay

[Guest IB]

I am thinking about getting the droppings tested any suggestions as to who to send them to? I tried Tom Pennicott at Auchincruive last year i think it was around £17.50 was thinking of trying someone else this time as i am not a believer in treating blind these days.

 

Andrew Lawrie has a practice in Cumbernauld. I use his main surgery in Falkirk, he does the tests himself, I just put in my sample there this morning.

 

http://www.any-uk-vet.co.uk/the-north/index.htm

[lanarkshire lad]

Andrew Lawrie has a practice in Cumbernauld. I use his main surgery in Falkirk, he does the tests himself, I just put in my sample there this morning.

 

http://www.any-uk-vet.co.uk/the-north/index.htm

Do you know how much he charges,and what he would test for? The normal is cocci worms and salmonella can they test for anything else through the droppings these days?

[Guest IB]

Do you know how much he charges,and what he would test for? The normal is cocci worms and salmonella can they test for anything else through the droppings these days?

 

He charges £12.50 and that is cocci and worms only. I have asked about throat swabs but he reckoned it wasn't needed but he did throat & crop on one of my birds while in for another problem, and that was OK., so it will be just a one-off for me. I have never requested salmonella. You'd need to ask about that.

[Guest Owen]

I agree that there should be more information to help people learn how to use the microscope properly. It is like a lot of things in life in that it is easy to do once someone has shown you. There are videos kicking sround with this sort of information on them. I will try to make up a list. There are some good photos in the book written by Colin Walker on Pigeon Health.

Regarding Paratyphoid, a microscope will not be of much help to detect it. If you suspect that you may have it in the birds the best course of action is to send the droppings to a Lab and ask them to carry out a sensitivity test. A lot of top lofts do not bother with either vaccination or Lab tests but treat the birds with antibiotics for 10 days each Autumn. The idea there is to eliminate the disease by blind treatment well in advance of the breeding season. I am sure that some of them use Baytril and because of the way it acts the treatment should be done well before the birds are asked to breed quality youngsters.

Where round worms are concerned, you can see them with a good quality magnifying glass. In the case of Canker and Yeast you will have to carry out crop swabs which are not difficult but the samples will need to be fresh because, in the case of Canker, you normally find it because it wriggles about. When you realise that, you will begin to wonder how people can find it when the samples go stale and the Canker organisms die. Crop swabs should not involve tap water because the clorine kills the Canker.

[greenlands]

Good information Owen,as you say Colin Walkers book gives some info (I have the Book).

Before Gary Spavin started up I used to go to Raymond Ingrhams who Gary aquired the business off,always a coffee on while you watched him test,he talked you through the procedure while he done front and rear swabs and showed you the results on a TV. screen,later you phoned him for the droppings results.Gary does exactly the same.

There are herbs,tinctures and tonics which he sells be he never pushes them.

 

http://www.auspigeonco.com.au/

 

 

Lindsay