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Wednesday, August 18th 2010
Is Dog Poop Dangerous
Author: Wiki Pet
Published In: Health Article | Comment on this article - Flag
Love, food, and shelter were all things you actively agreed to providing for your new pet when you purchased or adopted them. Sanitation and cleanup are also important facets of pet ownership that are critical to the health and well-being of your entire family.
Dog feces is as high as 3rd on the list of contributors to contaminated water. Cleaning up after your dog is one guarantee in the life of every pet owner. Left un-checked, your yard can quickly turn into a mine field of feces in a week or less. On average, dogs do a number two twice per day which adds up to about 14 piles of poo in just one week, per dog. Contrary to popular belief, dog feces is not fertilizer and does not provide any benefit to the soil.
Dog feces may contain parvovirus, whipworms, hookworms, roundworms, threadworms, campylobacteriosis, giardia, and coccidia. If left unattended, these parasites will contaminate the water, soil, and can even cause infection in both pets and humans (especially children). The microscopic Hookworm larvae can be passed to another pet or person directly through the skin or by accidental ingestion as can other bacteria.
Yes, humans are capable of contracting hookworms, tapeworms, threadworms and campylobacteriosis. This is the most significant reason to avoid allowing dogs (especially puppies) to lick your face and mouth - affectionately known as "puppy kisses". If a dog has recently eaten feces or attempted to groom their hind quarters and come into contact with this infectious material, there is a chance the parasites will be passed directly into your mouth. Children are especially venerable to infection because they tend to enjoy playing in the dirt, where parasites such as hookworm larvae lay dormant waiting for a new host. Young children may also put dirty hands or toys in their mouth, further increasing the chance for infectious material consumption.
Pet feces can be catastrophic to the local water table, contaminating nearby ponds, lakes, rivers and drinking water. When feces is allowed to remain on the soil for long periods, rainstorms will begin to dilute and break apart the feces and slowly spread the bacteria on other contaminants into local water sources. If your yard happens to hold water for extended periods of time, the problem may be amplified.
To avoid potential infection, dog feces should be removed from the yard every 1 - 7 days, depending on the size of the dog and number of dogs in the household. Larger dogs will need more frequent cleanup, as will households with more than 1 dog. A family with one Pomeranian will have a much lower environmental impact than the family with 2 Great Danes.
If you are too busy to clean up after your dog, or the thought of it just makes you gag, there are many services available today, such as Pet Butler, that will gladly do the dirty work for you. A sanitation expert will locate and remove any feces found on premises 1 or more times per week usually from around $10.00. Some areas do have legal statutes that regulate the cleanup and disposal of pet waste, so be sure to contact your local health board for more information.
Dog feces is as high as 3rd on the list of contributors to contaminated water. Cleaning up after your dog is one guarantee in the life of every pet owner. Left un-checked, your yard can quickly turn into a mine field of feces in a week or less. On average, dogs do a number two twice per day which adds up to about 14 piles of poo in just one week, per dog. Contrary to popular belief, dog feces is not fertilizer and does not provide any benefit to the soil.
So whats in it?
Dog feces may contain parvovirus, whipworms, hookworms, roundworms, threadworms, campylobacteriosis, giardia, and coccidia. If left unattended, these parasites will contaminate the water, soil, and can even cause infection in both pets and humans (especially children). The microscopic Hookworm larvae can be passed to another pet or person directly through the skin or by accidental ingestion as can other bacteria.
Which parasites can humans acquire?
Yes, humans are capable of contracting hookworms, tapeworms, threadworms and campylobacteriosis. This is the most significant reason to avoid allowing dogs (especially puppies) to lick your face and mouth - affectionately known as "puppy kisses". If a dog has recently eaten feces or attempted to groom their hind quarters and come into contact with this infectious material, there is a chance the parasites will be passed directly into your mouth. Children are especially venerable to infection because they tend to enjoy playing in the dirt, where parasites such as hookworm larvae lay dormant waiting for a new host. Young children may also put dirty hands or toys in their mouth, further increasing the chance for infectious material consumption.
Disease prevention
Pet feces can be catastrophic to the local water table, contaminating nearby ponds, lakes, rivers and drinking water. When feces is allowed to remain on the soil for long periods, rainstorms will begin to dilute and break apart the feces and slowly spread the bacteria on other contaminants into local water sources. If your yard happens to hold water for extended periods of time, the problem may be amplified.
To avoid potential infection, dog feces should be removed from the yard every 1 - 7 days, depending on the size of the dog and number of dogs in the household. Larger dogs will need more frequent cleanup, as will households with more than 1 dog. A family with one Pomeranian will have a much lower environmental impact than the family with 2 Great Danes.
If you are too busy to clean up after your dog, or the thought of it just makes you gag, there are many services available today, such as Pet Butler, that will gladly do the dirty work for you. A sanitation expert will locate and remove any feces found on premises 1 or more times per week usually from around $10.00. Some areas do have legal statutes that regulate the cleanup and disposal of pet waste, so be sure to contact your local health board for more information.
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About the author - Wiki Pet
Wiki Pet is a venue for pet lovers from every niche of the industry to come together and build friendships, make contacts, research information, promote businesses and help build this vast website. It is the culmination of years of studying pets, breeds, training, and the needs of modern pet owners. - more...
8 Comments For "Is Dog Poop Dangerous"
Guest
I rent a room and owners dog poops in back yard for years, and she never picks up his waste and she has lived here 10 years. Her dog died 2 weeks ago liver cancer, and I lost my chihuahua 4 days ago, upper respirtory in lungs as per vetinary Dr. said. I have lived here 6 months and I found this very strange that my baby died right after. I won't rest till it all makes sense, my dog was to years old and never been ill.
September 15, 2010 at 1:26PM Sign In or Join to Comment
Bill Krom
That is really unfortunate. The first thing you should do is request some testing to be done by the vet to see if any of the above listed parasites were found in your pup's system. I'm no vet, but upper respiratory conditions can also be caused by mold in the household. You can request a mold test from your landlord if you have ever seen any mold growing on the walls. The test is done by an independent company, so the landlord isn't able to mess with the results. I doubt the two pets dying within a 2 week period are connected, especially since the causes of death are drastically different.
Hopefully this helps you out.
September 15, 2010 at 2:53PM Sign In or Join to Comment
Guest
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November 28, 2010 at 5:02PM Sign In or Join to Comment
Cecilia Mah
You should always ask someone to pick up their dog's poop because of the high risk or harvesting these viruses. It's so rude and inconsiderate when people don't pick up after their dogs.
February 4, 2011 at 2:04PM Sign In or Join to Comment
Guest
I need this report for my project (Future Problem Solving Program International).
Can I copy it?
August 2, 2011 at 4:43AM Sign In or Join to Comment
Wiki Pet
A direct copy of the article is acceptable if you provide due citation (reference source) to Wiki-pet.com (with a link directly to this page). Using material from the article will also need citation. What is your project topic?
August 2, 2011 at 6:55AM Sign In or Join to Comment
Guest
Our dog's potty patch happens to be near our grape vines. We just adopted her in November and this year the plants are more luscious than ever!. We always pick up the poo and wash the area down, but I'm wondering if the grapes will be safe to eat when they become ripe?
August 17, 2011 at 5:25PM Sign In or Join to Comment
Bill Krom
I would be highly cautious in this instance.. the infectious materials in dog feces are not removed by water - which may push the problem further into the soil. Also, the plant roots will be absorbing small amounts of this material into the plant itself, and washing the outside of the grapes will not remove it. Remember that dog poo isn't fertilizer, and doesn't work in the same way.
August 18, 2011 at 7:07AM Sign In or Join to Comment
Guest
The idea of owning a dog and not picking up the dogs' feces is a disgrace. It is time to confront these arrogant people who believe they are above picking up their own dog's feces.
Please share ideas, stories, and thoughts with us.
http://poovenge.blogspot.com/
?Poovenge? The act of peacefully seeking revenge against lazy, careless, arrogant, self loving, selfish, dog owners, who are not responsible enough to pick up their dogs feces.
October 9, 2011 at 3:02PM Sign In or Join to Comment
Guest
What if you have a well and the neighbor (who's property is uphill from our well) has four dogs, including two huge ones? The well is about 200 feet underground. Any danger of that becoming contaminated?
February 15, 2012 at 2:52PM Sign In or Join to Comment
Wiki Pet
Unfortunately, you will need to have your water tested to find out. I would definitely use caution when drinking un-filtered well water in this situation.
February 15, 2012 at 2:55PM Sign In or Join to Comment