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What you don't know...can
hurt you
Unlike cow manure, dog waste does not make good fertilizer.
Dog poop is
toxic. It causes burns and discoloring. What's worse is that dog feces contain many fecal
matter up to 3 billion forms of coliform bacteria, which are known to cause
many different serious illnesses in humans.
Pet waste is a common carrier of the following diseases:
-
Heartworms - The parasitic worm is called a "heartworm" because the
parasite, in the final reproductive stage of its
life cycle, resides in the
heart of its host where it can stay for many years and may kill its host
through
congestive failure of the heart.
- Roundworms -
- Hookworms - is a parasitic nematode worm that
lives in the small intestine of its host, which may be a mammal such as a dog,
cat, or human. Passes through feces and can cause intestinal blood loss
causing anemia, Bloody diarrhea, Weight loss and Poor hair coat.
- Tapeworms - harm their host by stealing vital
nutrients, causing malnutrition and, if left untreated, can cause intestinal
blockages.
-
Parvo - a virus that infects the canine species only. Can't be
spread to humans but can spread to other dogs.
- Giardiasis
- an organism that lives in the digestive tract of a wide variety of
animals. It is a common cause of gastroenteritis in humans, infecting
approximately 200 million people worldwide. Giardiasis is passed via
"fecal to oral" (poop to mouth) and is easily passed between animals and humans.
- Salmonellas -
bacteria. Most persons
infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and abdominal
cramps 6 to 72 hours after infection. In most cases, the illness lasts 3 to 7
days.
- Cryptosporidiosis - a parasite that can cause
common symptoms including diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and dehydration.
It could be fatal to people with lower immune systems.
- Campylobacteriosis - a bacterial infection carried by
dogs and cats that causes diarrhea in humans.
- Toxocariasis - Roundworms usually transmitted from
dogs to humans, often without noticeable symptoms, but may cause vision loss,
a rash, fever or cough.
- Toxoplasmosis - a parasite carried by cats
that can cause birth defects in unborn children such as mental retardation and blindness.
Can also impact people with lower
immune systems. Symptoms include headache, Muscle aches, lymph node
enlargement.
 Who
really likes to pick up poop?
You may think that one little pile left on the
ground as you walk little "Fifi" won't
matter too much. Besides the rain will come and eventually wash it away.
But believe it or not pet waste has become a serious problem. The number of
families that own pets are staggering and the number of pets that each family
owns is on the rise as well. A 7 year old study showed that in 2000
Americans owned 68 million dogs. 45% were 40lbs or larger. 40% of
those owners do not pickup after their pets, which is why scientists have
labeled this as an environment pollutant. Science has developed new techniques that helped narrow down the sources of
bacterial contamination in water, pet waste has emerged as a major
contributor to the water pollution problem.
Doggy Doo when not taken care of is a significant contributor to water pollution
in our lakes and streams,
and even in our drinking water. The bacteria and other toxins in pet waste
if not properly disposed of can contribute to an unsafe rise in levels which
have closed some lakes and streams to fishing and swimming.
When it rains, water breaks down the feces where it penetrates into our ground
water contaminating our lakes and rivers and drinking water. In urban areas rain can wash pet waste into our storm drains that
can pollute our waterways. Plus the "¹release of nutrients from the decay
of pet waste promotes weed and algae growth, limiting light penetration and the
growth of aquatic vegetation. This in turn can reduce oxygen levels in the
water, affecting fish and other aquatic organisms."
Don't
risk your health...
Children run the greatest risk of infection because they play in the
grass, dirt and sandbox and then put their hands in their mouths or rub their
face. But it's not limited to just children. It can impact everyone,
adults, teens playing in the lawn, walking barefoot. Bacteria and eggs of
parasites can live a long time in your lawn. The threat isn't limited to
the ground, flies can also spread diseases from animal waste. Parasitic
infections can make people very sick. For pregnant women they can pose a
serious harm to their unborn child. Causing mental retardation and blindness in
their baby. When pet waste isn't disposed of properly it impacts us in
many different ways. Our water sources suffer as well as our health.
Do you feel comfortable walking barefoot in your lawn?
Request Service now
¹Doody
Duty
August
14, 2005 Written by: Erin Harty, Associate Editor
²Excerpts taken from a publication of the University of Wisconsin-Extension in
cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Author:
Carolyn Johnson, UW-Extension.
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