Pet Fecal Exams & Parasite Screening
Many pets with intestinal parasites look and act completely normal, so a fecal exam is the only way to know. Petfolk Johns Creek, at Medley in Johns Creek Town Center near Johns Creek Parkway and McGinnis Ferry Road, checks a small stool sample for the eggs and organisms you can't see.
For most pets it's a quick add-on to the yearly wellness visit at our Johns Creek clinic.
Call (470) 964-6691 or book online. Open 8am–6pm, seven days a week.
When to go to a 24-hour emergency hospital
Go to a 24-hour emergency hospital if your pet has bloody diarrhea with weakness, repeated vomiting, pale gums, or a swollen, painful belly, or if a young puppy or kitten has diarrhea and stops eating or drinking.
Petfolk Johns Creek is open 8am to 6pm, seven days a week. We don't provide overnight care, so anything that can't wait until morning belongs at a 24-hour emergency hospital.
Why Healthy-Looking Pets Get Screened
Adult dogs and cats often carry roundworms, hookworms, giardia, or coccidia with no visible signs while shedding eggs into the yard. A yearly fecal exam catches those quiet infections before they turn into weight loss or diarrhea.
Screening protects people too. Some intestinal parasites of pets can infect humans, and Merck's guide to parasites that also infect people notes that children are most at risk where soil may be contaminated.
Signs that call for a test sooner:
Soft stool or diarrhea that keeps coming back
Blood or mucus in the stool
Scooting or licking under the tail
Weight loss with a normal appetite
A round belly on a puppy or kitten
Shared Dog Parks and Shared Turf
Newtown Dog Park, inside Newtown Park on Old Alabama Road, gives Johns Creek dogs a fenced acre with separate areas for small and large dogs. The city requires every dog there to wear a collar with a valid license and current vaccinations. Vaccines don't cover intestinal parasites, though.
When many dogs share the same ground, parasite eggs left in stool can be picked up by the next dog. If your dog visits a dog park, daycare, or boarding regularly, ask the vet whether a fecal test more than once a year makes sense. Picking up after your dog right away helps every dog that follows.
Fecal Exams vs. Heartworm Tests
Owners sometimes assume spring blood work covered parasites. It didn't. A heartworm test uses blood and looks for heartworms in the heart and lungs. A fecal exam uses stool and looks for parasites in the gut.
Monthly heartworm preventives often control some roundworms and hookworms, but many don't cover whipworms or tapeworms, and none treat giardia or coccidia. That's why both screens matter.
How to Collect a Sample
Pick up a fresh sample, ideally within a few hours of the visit. About the size of a grape is enough.
Seal it in a bag or clean container and keep it cool. The fridge is fine.
Bring it to your appointment. For cats, a little litter on the sample is usually fine.
No sample? Come anyway. The vet can often collect a small one during the exam.
You'll go straight to an exam room instead of waiting in a lobby with other pets. That's part of Petfolk's Gentle Handling approach, and it keeps a stressed dog calmer during a visit that may already involve an upset stomach.
“Had no issues, setting up the appointment was easy, and the staff was nice and made my cat feel comfortable”
— Colby D., Petfolk client
When You Don't Need to Retest
A recent negative test, with no new symptoms and no change at home
A strictly indoor cat with no new pets, no hunting, and normal stool
A recheck too soon after deworming. Eggs can still appear for a while even when the medicine is working, so the vet will set the right timing.
A new pet, a boarding stay, a bout of diarrhea, or weight loss changes that. Then a fresh test is worth it.
What a Fecal Exam Costs Depends On
Whether it's part of the wellness visit or a separate sick visit
Which tests the vet recommends for your pet's signs
Whether a follow-up test is needed after treatment
You'll get an estimate before the test is run. PetfolkCare members get exams covered up to $99 per visit and 10% off lab work.
Know What's in the Sample
Bring a fresh sample to your pet's next wellness visit at Petfolk Johns Creek, and leave knowing whether anything needs treatment. Call (470) 964-6691 or book online.