lv4dogs, if you bring a fecal sample back in you should request that they do a fecal flotation. Fecal flotations will float up almost any egg but with a direct smear you may be missing something if it is there. The old lab I worked in ran the fecal diagnostic tests for both the large and small animal clinics and they never did direct smears. It was always fecal floats. Hope this helps!