Diseases Associated With Uncared For Dog Poop

Many people think to themselves that if dog poop is natural, why should they worry about cleaning it up?  Would you ask that question pertaining to a newborn baby or small child?  No, you would know that you must clean it up.  Fecal matter is not sanitary, and that holds true for canine excrement. 

 

What’s in dog poop that makes it dangerous? What comes out of your dog’s end is a combination of organic matter, laden with nutrients, including phosphorus and nitrogen, bacteria and parasites.  The disease causing capability of these bacteria and parasites is vast. 

Campylobacteriosis is one such bacterial infection.  It leads to diarrhea in humans, with the potential for subsequent pain, dehydration, and rash. Giardiasis, an infection of the small intestine, is another.  The most commonly spread disease that comes to humans through dog feces is salmonellosis (salmonella) characterized by fever, headache, muscle ache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and a host of other symptoms. Dogs also intrinsically carry fecal coliform bacteria, the headliner of these being E. coli, a notorious agent of illness.

Among the uninvited parasitic problems transferred to humans is toxocarisis, roundworms that cause rashes, coughs, fevers, or even loss of vision. 

Another avenue to disease is flies.  Wherever dog poop lies exposed, you can expect to see lots of flies…that will then land on your food, your furniture, your body, you name it!

When dog poop gets washed into streams, lakes, and rivers, it decomposes as it naturally would.  The problem is that the process uses oxygen, vital to fish and certain aquatic plant life, and converts the inherent nitrogen into ammonia.  Loss of oxygen plus excess toxin is a formula for dead fish.  Algae, essentially aquatic weeds, thrive in this environment, leaving an unbalanced and unhealthy ecosystem.     Water may take on a murky look, a green hue, and exude an unpleasant, phosphorescent odor.   In certain places, the effect of dog  The increased bacteria count kept people out of the water. droppings on the water has forced beaches to close.

While it may not be the worst toxin found in your watershed, nor is it likely the most widespread pollutant, it’s a smaller problem that can cause big issues in your local water quality.  One of the worst places to leave dog poop is next to a storm drain thinking it’ll be washed away and taken care of.  The next rain comes and you will have polluted your own water supply.

The problem can be controlled with responsible dog owners.  Past studies, as reported in USA Today, have estimated that 40% of Americans don’t pick up their dog poop. American Pet Products Manufacturers Association 2009-2010 National Pet Owners Survey, as reported by the Human Society of the United States, says there are 77.5 million owned dogs in the US.  Forty percent of the waste produced by 77.5 million dogs amounts to a lot of pollution and many taxed ecosystems.  Use doggie bags, dog poop bags, biodegradable dog poop bags. Bury the poop bags, or dispose of them in a legal container or sewage system.