Cleaning up after your dog can be a stinky job, but somebody's got to do it!
Constant clean up is necessary for a healthy environment for you and your family.
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.
So, what's 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.
What bacterias can cause infections in both pets and humans?
Yes, humans are capable of contracting hookworms, tapeworms,
threadworms and campylobacteriosis. This is the most significant
reason to avoid allowing dogs (especially puppies) to like 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.
What can you do to prevent the spread of infections/bacteria?
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,
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 for a fee. 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.
