This question is asked frequently. Finding worms afterwards causes a lot of concern and sometimes even makes people decide to stop doing dung tests. However, a dung test is not carried out to determine whether or not the alpaca has worms. Every alpaca has worms, even one that has just been dewormed. The available worming products only kill part of the worm population present in an alpaca. Most larvae easily survive the deworming treatment.
Please note that eggs are only shed by adult worms. If no eggs are found in the dung test, but there are still developing juvenile larvae, these larvae may become adults within two weeks and then start laying eggs.
In a fecal test of alpacas and llamas, the main focus is on eggs of gastrointestinal worms (such as Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus, and Nematodirus), but also on roundworms (Parascaris) and whipworms (Trichuris). In addition, the test may also include screening for **coccidiosis (Eimeria)*, a single-celled parasite that often causes problems in young animals. This provides a complete picture of the most important parasites that can affect camelids.
You can submit pooled samples yourself, but you must mix the manure beforehand. Take an equal amount of manure from each alpaca or llama, place it all in a bucket, and mix it thoroughly. Then take a small handful of this mixture and send it to the laboratory.
The laboratory does not recommend pooled manure samples. In most cases, when testing pooled samples from groups, the result is positive, and as a consequence, all alpacas or llamas are treated. This is not the intention.
For example, imagine a group of 6 alpacas, where 5 animals shed no eggs and 1 alpaca sheds a very high amount. If the sample is well mixed, the test result will come back positive, and often all alpacas are treated. This is not the intention.
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