Providing a Faecal Sample for Worm Egg Counts

Procedure

1. Collect dung from each animal to be tested – do not combine dung from several animals. Fresh dung is of paramount importance as worm eggs can begin hatching shortly after collecting and this can make your WEC (worm egg count) result inaccurate.
2. Collect 3 - 4 boli from various places in the dung pile. Mix them together in a bag and then take a smaller sample from this for the WEC – a small handful is plenty.
3. Place this small sample into a small bag, and then the small bag into a larger bag. Ensure the larger bag is labelled with the horse’s name, your surname and the date the sample was collected (you might want to do this before you place the sample in the bag!).
4. Keep the sample out of direct sunlight and in a cool place. If you cannot deliver or post the sample immediately, keep it in the fridge, but aim to send or deliver the sample on the day of collection.
5. Your WEC result will usually be ready within 2 days