2.4. Faecal egg count reduction test
(FECRT)
The reduction of faecal egg count (FECR) after the treatment
was evaluated according to the method reported by
ESCCAP (http://www.esccap.org). In particular, two faecal
samples (6–8 g) from 36 dogs and 20 cats of different
sex and age (Table 2) infected by intestinal nematodes
(hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, hairworms) were
collected the day of the treatment (day 0) and 14 days after
the treatment (day 14) and faecal egg count was performed
on both samples by using a low density solution (s.g. 1.2)
McMaster technique with a sensitivity of 50 EPG (Taylor
et al., 2007). Mean values of three repetitions were calculated.
According to their age, animals were never treated
with anthelmintics before or they were not treated in the
5–12 months preceding the study.