Dog Waste Facts - The Dangers & Hazards of Dog Waste
Dog waste poses many hazards and dangers to you and your family. If it is not removed
regularly, the risks are increased. Additionally it is not good for the condition
of your lawn, and is a general nuisance.
Some Basic Facts About Dog Waste
- Dog waste spreads various parasites and bacteria such as roundworms, tapeworms as
well as many more diseases.
- Dog waste attracts pests which cause a nuisance. This therefore increases the spreading
of diseases.
- Dog waste is capable of causing dramatic negative changes to the condition of your
lawns.
- A pile of dog waste takes 12 months or more to fully break down.
Dangers To You & Your Family
There are various types of worms your that dog can easily catch, which can have
devastating effects. Below are the most common types of worms explained, and how
they can be of danger to yourself and your family.
Tapeworms
There are various tapeworms such as Echinococcus, Taenia spp and Dipylidium. They
are all intestinal parasites found in both dogs and cats, which attach to the small
intestine of the animal. The most common tapeworm is Dipylidium, which is caused
when the animal swallows a flea that has the tapeworm. Tapeworms are capable of
growing several inches in length. They then attach to the animals faeces. The symptoms
are not as severe as other worms as usually weight loss is the most common occurrence.
Children in particular can easily become infected with tapeworms by simply swallowing
a flea, which is quite likely to happen when playing in a garden or yard.
Whipworms
These are egg form parasites found in dog faeces. Whipworms have a hard shell which
means they can survive in soil for years after. Less than a forthnight after whipworms
have existed in the soil, they can easily affect other animals as well as people.
They can cause symptons such as diarrhoea and loss of appetite/weight loss. Whipworms
however are less common in the UK than in other countries.
Roundworms
Roundworms hatch and enter the wall of the small intestine in dogs. They are different
to roundworms found in other animals such as cats and horses as well as people.
The Symptons included are a lot more visible and noticeable. They inlcude, vomiting
and very poor coat quality. Roundworms are extremely dangerous to humans as they
pose a danger to our lungs, liver and even our brain. Roundworms are also capable
of causing blindness.
Hookworms
These are similar to other parasites as they are located in the small intestine
of dogs by Hookworms are capable of causing severe diarrhoea and bleeding, which
results in blood loss. Hookworms can enter people through the skin and in most cases
the results are internal problems such as lung disease and muscle pains.
Hookworms are becoming more common in the UK due to a lot more foxes being infected
since the fox hunting ban was enforced in England and Wales in 2005.
Heartworms (Dirofilaria Immitis)
Dirofilaria Immitis is caused by mosquito bites. When a dog becomes infected, they
enter the bloodstream and then locate to the heart. They take approximately 2 to
3 months to grow to maturity, before they start reproducing. The symptons include
reduced blood supply to certain organs. If the condition is quite serious and the
heartworms have developed to a high level, dogs can suddenly die. Heartworms are
not currently found in the UK though.
How Dogs Effect The Condition of Your Lawn
Dog waste does not effect the condition of your lawns as no damage can be seen when
it is left unattended. However, it obviously looks unpleasant and is very disturbing.
Dog urine however burns grass, which makes highly noticeable patches. Dog urine
contains large amounts of nitrogen, which causes the burnt grass to grow at a quicker
rate. It is usually most noticeable as darker green or brown patches start to appear.
There is no quick fix for this as we obviously cannot remove urine from your lawns.
Training your dog to urinate somewhere else however, such as your yard instead of
your lawn may be a solution you can use, providing you have alternative locations
If you care about the condition of your lawns, Scoopthedoo suggest that when you
see your dog urinating on your lawns, that you flood the urine spot with a large
amount of water. By doing this, it reduces the lawn burn by removing the nitrogen.