[JMB]

Hi.
I just got my vet bill.
One faecal egg count was £23 plus vat plus 7.87 for reporting fees plus vat.
My second one was £ 49.50 plus vat and same again for reporting. Total cost for the two was £105!
For this I got a phone call each time saying negative, then positive for fluke.
Surely they can't be this expensive, or should I be getting more detail from the reports?
I was hoping to keep doing FEC's every few weeks rather than randomly fluking but we can't afford it.
Are the kits you send off any different?? Because they are alot cheaper
Thanks
J xxx

[Backinwellies]

Not very encouraging to prevent random worming.....!!

[in the hills]

When at our vets last week with our pup, I asked how much egg counts were and was told they cost £7.53.


I was going to get one done soon (just wormed and fluked) but will get them to double check the cost    ...... £7 is one thing but £105 is a lot of money if you only have a small flock.


Combined wormer and fluker for my little flock only cost £6 and I know there's more to it than that but over £100 

[SheepCrazy!]

Ouch! Try Wormers Direct online I got four tests for the sheep and one for the horse last year ( on special offer) for £46 free postage both ways,

They email me the results and I check with the vet which wormer to use ( usually free) on the sheep.

But they do tailor made horse wormer plans too!

I am going to check with my local SRCA office to see what they charge this year too,

I think Fluke tests are about £25 each though!

Good luck

[Rosemary]

FEC for fluke isn't very reliable anyway (unlike for worms). A positive means you've got fluke; a negative means you don't have fluke laying eggs and they only do that for part of their 3 month lifecycle, so false negatives are common.

That does seem expensive though.

[Buffy the eggs layer]

That is very expensive and much more than I pay. I would phone a couple of other vets for a price and then go back to your vet and query the price.

[Hillview Farm]

My vet charged the same! Nearly died!

[bizzielizzie66]

Don't get me started on Faecal egg counts!!!  Just remember they are only as good as the technician in the lab is - if they are rubbish at their job, you could end up spending a fortune on the Tests and then endless unnecessary wormers as well. It was when the fifth worm count (over a 3 month period) came back for the same individual with apparently a high enough Trichostrongyle count (after two doses of Zolvix)  for my ram to have been on the point of death and the first case of monepantel resistance in the UK, that my vet and myself questioned the accuracy of the test. He was sampled again, Faecal sample sent off to a different lab and the result came back clear.

Because of dodgy readings of the samples, I had gone through Cydectin, Panacur & Zolvix - when the Cydectin had probably done the job fine in the first place. Bear in mind I then had only 7 sheep and the shelf-life of the wormers once opened is limited and the pack size huge. An expensive experience for which I did get some very small compensation for. (they waived two of the test fees and my next was free)

I am trying not to let this experience put me off doing the right thing by FECs. My vet charges me £30 per test - but I usually send off three samples from different animals (0ne from a ewe, one from a shearling and one from the ram )at the same time and that charge is all-inclusive.  I haven't done one since December - I routinely wormed my ewes at lambing - and I am contemplating my next move with the lambs, ram & wethers!!

[SteveHants]

If it is costing that - it is possible that they are sending them off to the VLA.


FECs at my vets which is a good ag vets and not known for being cheap are £6.

[HappyHippy]

https://www.suppliesforsmallholders.co.uk/worm-count-kit-p-2242.html
You'll get them here for £10 

[funkyfish]

Spent most of my training as a student Vet nurse doing worm egg counts- hate them! They take ages to set up and are not easy to look at. It does seem a bit £ tho.. Could you ask another vets their price?


I think I remember that a random pooled sample is best.


Am lucky in that I can do my own ( will have to dig out the books to id the eggs/larva).

[JMB]

Hi.
The test results are from Biopest Lab and the other listed as SAC Lab.
Karen, I've had the £10 tests before, which I used for the pigs. ( from supplies for smallholders)
I wasn't sure if they would be ok for the sheep too. I was assuming the vets test would be different? More thorough???
Having said that, if all I'm getting is a phone call with no other detail, what am I paying for?


No time today but I'm going to call in my vets tomorrow and ask a few questions...
J xxxx

[HelenVF]

I do my own ponies and going to have a go with my goat this time.  A friend asked if I would do her horses and I just asked her how much her vet charged, for interest, and she said £9.

I do caecal egg counts on grouse as part of my job so looked into branching out but will just stick with doing my own and friends for now as it is such a big responsibility to get it right.  I have had a few people come to me because the vet just quotes them a number, but I will send a report for each one. Plus, I am cheaper

My OH mentioned about looking into doing fluke as he went to a fluke meeting and said it is on the increase, but I'm not sure I want to go down that route as I don't feel confident enough.

Helen

[Bionic]

Had a fec done today, I don't know the cost as OH said to put it on the account, but I think it will only be about £12.
Vet rang me with the results and spent about 15 mins on the phone explaining the results to me.
There are a couple of tape worms showing but very few so not to worry at this stage.
No nemotodes (have I spelt that correctly?)
A couple of cocci eggs but can't tell what sort. Apparently most cocci isn't a problem and there were so few, not to worry. I have recently dosed for cocci anyway on 3 of the 4 lambs. Last one is too young until next week.
She tested for fluke too and didn't find anything. I fluke drenched them in Jan with Tribex which she said is a good flukicide..
Her suggestion is not to give them anything and to do another fec at the begining of July.

[Backinwellies]

Hope you right about the £12 Sally!   (we use same vet)

I also had a good feedback phone call with mine and had to worm and fluke .... supposed to FEC again next week to check not resistant to white wormer  so think  I need to know how much it will cost first!!