The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deemed pet waste a “nonpoint source of pollution” in 1991, which put poop in the same category as oil and toxic chemicals!
Far from Fertilizer
Woof-woof waste does not a good fertilizer make. It is actually toxic to your lawn, causing burns and unsightly discoloring.
Beyond your grass, it has been estimated that a single gram of dog waste can contain 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, which are known to cause cramps, diarrhea, intestinal illness, and serious kidney disorders in humans. EPA even estimates that two or three days’ worth of droppings from a population of about 100 dogs would contribute enough bacteria to temporarily close a bay, and all watershed areas within 20 miles of it, to swimming and shell fishing.
Dog feces are one of the most common carriers of the following diseases:
- Heartworms
Whipworms
- Hookworms
- Roundworms
- Tapeworms
- Parvo
- Corona
- Giardiasis
- Salmonellosis
- Cryptosporidiosis
- Campylobacteriosis
For example, in the Four Mile Run watershed in Northern Virginia, a dog population of 11,400 is estimated to contribute about 5,000 pounds of solid waste every day and has been identified as a major contributor of bacteria to the stream. Nearly 500 fecal coliform samples have been taken from Four Mile Run and its tributaries since 1990, and about 50 percent of these samples have exceeded the Virginia State water quality standard for fecal coliform bacteria, according to EPA.
Why all this fanfare for feces, you may ask?
Well, EPA explains that the decay of your pet’s waste actually creates nutrients for weeds and algae that grow in the waterways. As these organisms thrive on your dog’s droppings, they overtake the water in a “Little Shop of Horrors-esque” manner, and limit the amount of light that can penetrate the water’s surface. As a result, oxygen levels in the water decrease, and the fish and seafood we eat can be asphyxiated, EPA says.
A Toxic Cycle
If you aren’t worried about the state of your local waterways, you may be a bit more concerned about the impact of dog waste a little closer to home. The thing about persistently disposing of stools improperly (or not at all) is that it kicks off a harmful cycle that can affect your whole family—including your pet.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pet droppings can contribute to diseases animals pass to humans, called zoonoses. When infected dog poop is deposited on your lawn, the eggs of certain roundworms and other parasites can linger in your soil for years.Anyone who comes into contact with that soil—be it through gardening, playing sports, walking barefoot or any other means—runs the risk of coming into contact with those eggs; especially your dog.
Some of the hard-to-pronounce parasites your lawn could harbor include Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Salmonella, as well as hookworms, ringworms and tapeworms. Infections from these bugs often cause fever, muscle aches, headache, vomiting, and diarrhea in humans. Children are most susceptible, since they often play in the dirt and put things in their mouths or eyes
DOG WASTE INFORMATION
Pet waste affects aquatic environments. The release 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. (Storm water Managers Resource Center (SMRC)).
A study done in Melbourne, Australia (population 3
million), showed that dogs produce about 90 metric
tons of feces daily, which is equivalent to the amount
of feces produced daily by 90,000 people. Unlike
human feces though, dog feces are usually deposited
outside, where they can be washed into creeks and
rivers in storm water.
Research has shown that dog feces play a major role
in contributing to water pollution. In 1993 the US
EPA wrote, “It has been estimated that for
watersheds of up to twenty-square miles draining to
small coastal bays, two to three days of droppings
from a population of about 100 dogs would
contribute enough bacteria and nutrients to
temporarily close a bay to swimming and
shellfishing.” When dog feces come into contact
with water they can become dangerous. One gram of dog feces contains an average of 23
million fecal coliform bacteria, some of which are pathogenic. High concentrations of
these bacteria can make water unsafe for drinking and recreational use.
Despite the apparent threat that dog feces pose to water quality, many people are unaware
of their significance. Control of animal waste as a pollution source in the United States
has been moderately successful in some areas, such as establishing designated areas in
which dogs are allowed to defecate and requiring dog owners to pick up their pets' refuse
or face fines. These laws are hard to enforce, and annoy pet owners, who claim that they
are being targeted unfairly. The biggest limitation to controlling pet waste is reluctance to
handle dog waste. According to a Chesapeake Bay survey, 44% of dog walkers who do
not pick up indicated they would still refuse to pick up, even if confronted by complaints
from neighbors, threatened with fines, or provided with more sanitary and convenient
options for retrieving and disposing of dog waste.
Dog eating feces
Dog Shit
No lengthy, philosophical examination of dog shit would be complete without first pondering more existential questions like why dogs shit, and how. The answers may surprise and delight you. There are many interlocking components to the dog shit process. Food eaten by a dog (cupcakes, floppy disks, corn dogs, Vicodin) must first be processed into simpler, smaller elements suitable for delivery via the bloodstream to muscle and fatty tissue in the canine's body.
The digestive system of your dog begins at the lips and finishes under the tail, at a puckering donut-shaped curiosity scientists have nicknamed the anus. When you see a dog (or cat) who appears to be licking his or her own balls, it's more likely the animal is suffering from anal gland disease. Both the external anal sphincter and anal sac can become impacted or infected as the result of contaminants left behind by the anus, leading to feelings of pain and pressure best relieved by several hours of enthusiastic licking. The domesticated dog's alternative to licking is the act of scooting or scootching -- sliding one's anus across a coarse or thickly carpeted floor to soothe "itchy" feelings near the tail and hindquarters. Another reason for licking and scooting might be worms, a subject beyond the range of this modest tutorial. For those interested in further study, putting dog shit under a microscope can yield a full afternoon of excitement and wonder. Monocystis sporocysts are wiggly, protozoan parasites visible in the feces of dogs who have eaten infected earthworms.
Cells in a dog's body naturally generate waste by-products which must be eliminated through the kidneys, the lungs, the skin and digestive system. These organs are part of a larger excretory system. Of course, not everything a dog eats can be digested properly, or even used to store energy. The unwanted digestive material left behind on city sidewalks and community dog parks is called feces in America, and faeces to those residing in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Wales, or Scotland.
In Sydney, Australia, one can find over 100 tons of fresh dog shit dumped on the ground each day. Rich in phosphorous, Australian dog shit washes down hills after torrential rains, killing plant life.
There used to be an old joke: How do you tell an American in Paris? He's the one picking the shit up after his dog. Americans stopped picking up dog shit a long time ago, preferring instead to pantomime picking up dog shit when witnesses at the dog park are present but still too far away to see if there's really anything in your hand. It's been universally acknowledged that France has the worst metropolitan dog shit problem. Each day, Parisian sidewalks, alleys and gutters are choked to excess with ten tons of golden brown, oven-baked baguettes left behind by the city's 200,000 dogs. It's been estimated that in a single year, six hundred people break a limb after slipping on French dog shit -- and in recent years, failure-to-pick-up fines have grown to five hundred dollars per loaf.
And yes, in France there really is a Dog Shit Patrol: a subclass of the Parisian police force which manifests itself in a brigade of sixty-or-so green lawnmower motorcycles. These patrol vehicles search and scan for errant piles, circumnavigating city streets deemed most popular by tourists and politicians. Meanwhile, obese dogs are rapidly catching up to overweight French kids, with their sagging stomachs and bulging sides capable of depositing increasingly larger and more voluminous pockets of dog shit.
Every few months, dog shit gets tracked in by the news. Investigators discover "rooms filled with dog feces" in homes where neglected, emaciated children await rescue. Hundreds of animals are liberated from "cages lined with filthy dog droppings," in the homes of animal hoarders. Inevitably, whenever police storm into a person's home and encounter piles of garbage, the chances of discovering "piles of dog shit" are exponentially increased.
If you're an animal hoarder who resides in a rural apartment complex with a strict no-dogs-allowed policy, you can still get several hundred fake dogs. In its first week on the U.S. market, the Nintendo corporation sold a quarter-million units of Nintendogs: small, handheld devices which simulate the high-polygon dog ownership experience while tastefully eliminating the need for mylar poo bags.
Canine intestinal parasites
Canine parasites exist internally and externally. Many are species
specific and exist only on the dog. Intestinal parasitism exists in all
ages
of dogs with the greatest frequency in puppies. Types and incidence of
parasitism varies with geographic regions. Additionaly, age and immune
status are significant factors influencing gastrointestinal (GI)
parasitism. This article concerns itself with canine GI parasites of
North America.
Most parasites are diagnosed by a microscopic fecal examination using
various chemicals to help concentrate the population of parasite eggs.
Some parasites are visible to the naked eye although, they are not
consistently shed into the feces. Some tapeworms shed packages (segments)
of eggs consistently into the feces and are easily spotted by the owner.
Certain GI parasites consist only of one cell such as, the protozoans;
ie., coccidia, giardia, and cryptosporidium.
Common intestinal parasites:
Coccidia are one celled protozoans that are intracellular parasites of
the lining of the small intestine that occur with some frequency. Eimeria
and Isospora are the two most common coccidia of the dog. Infection
occurs upon ingestion of contaminated feces or food. Upon ingestion, the
parasite colonizes the lining of the small intestine and reproduction
begins. As reproduction progresses the new coccidia are shed through the
feces to the environment. Shedding of the protozoan can be asymptomatic
or associated with signs of diarrhea and bloody stools. Puppies are most
commonly affected. Most infections are not apparent and resolve on their
own by self immunization. Occasionally, signs will occur and can be quite
severe in heavily compromised pups. Adult dogs usually display
significant immunity. Treatment for coccidia consist of antimicrobials
that are bacteriostatic. These drugs stop the growth of coccidia and then
the host¹s immune system responds to rid the intestine of the parasite.
Sulfas are frequently employed as a coccidiastat. In kennel environments,
prevention is essential. Usually good steam cleaning of kennels will
eliminate the infestation of the environment. When the environment is
difficult to control coccidiastats can be added in the feed or water for
late stage pregnant bitches or young pups 3-6 weeks of age. Coccidia of
the dog are not a zoonotic threat.
Cryptosporidium is a tiny coccidia that is can be difficult to confirm on
routine microscopic fecal exams. special stains are required. The
organism infects man, cats and dogs. Puppies are primarily at risk. The
disease produces voluminous watery diarrhea that varies with the severity
of the organism and the health of the host. Immunocompromised dogs are at
severe risk. In most dogs, the disease is usually asymptomatic or self
limiting. Puppies are most likely to show signs. No treatment is
available for eliminating the organism although coccidiastats have been
used with questionable success. Antibiotics may have some effect.
Treatment is primarily symptomatic to combat fluid loss.
Giardia is another protozoan intestinal parasite that infects many
mammals including man. It problably is a zoonotic. The parasite is one of
several flagellates (mobile tails attached to the single cell) that
infect mammals. The disease produced is variable depending on the
individual and age. Young puppies are most often affected. Signs usually
occur 1-2 weeks after infection and often the disease goes unnoticed or
is self limiting after a bout of diarrhea. It can produce severe diarrhea
and fluid loss. Most cases that show signs are mild with minimal
depression. The parasite is passed in the feces and is consumed directly
by the next host. Giardia is very hardy and can remain in the environment
for a number of months waiting for a suitable host. In addition,
contaminated water is a frequent source of the flagellate. Diagnosing
giardia can be demanding and may require frequent microscopic fecal
examinations. Recently immunodiagnostics have been researched with some
success. Giardia responds very well to treatment. Metronidazole, an oral
antibiotic, is the drug of choice given daily for 5 days. However,
because of resistance other drugs are being tried and may possibly
replace metronidazole.
Tapeworms in dogs are less common than in the cat, probably because of
their feeding habits and environmental restrictions. They represent a
minority of the parasites seen in the dog but do occur regularly They
apparently do not stimulate any immunity by the host. The common
tapeworms of dogs pose no threat to humans. However, Echinococcus, an
uncommon tapeworm, but increasing in frequency, is potentially fatal to
humans.
Dipylidium caninum and Taenia pisiformis are the common tapeworms of
dogs. They are passed to the dog by ingestion of the intermediate host of
the tapeworm. The flea is the intermediate host of Dipylidium and rabbits
and rodents are the intermediate host for Taenia. Dogs ingest the
intermediate host and release the intermediate stage of the tapeworm into
the GI of the final canine host where the parasite matures to an adult in
the small bowel. Eggs are shed to the environment from the GI of the dog
in small segments that look like small pieces of rice. These segments can
often be seen in fresh feces or attached to the adjacent tissues of the
dog¹s anus. As the segments dessicate they release microscopic eggs into
the environment for the cycle to begin again. Mature adult Dipylidium and
Taenia reach 50cm. or more in length. Signs of Dipylidium and Taenia
infestation are unapparent. These parasites seem to be innocuous in the
dog. Their only threat is their repugnancy and the potential to further
debilitate a compromised pet. Treatment for these two tapeworms is either
oral or by injection under the skin. Several drugs are available. They
include praziquantel, epsiprantel, fenbendazole and mebendazole.
Prevention of Dipylidium consists of good flea control. Prevention of
Taenia is difficult if your dog is a good rodent and rabbit hunter and
may require prophylactic tape worming several times a year.
Echinococcus multilocularis is a small tapeworm that lives in the arctic
fox, wolf, domestic cat and dog as the final host. Diagnosis in the dog
is primarily by microscopic fecal exam.The intermediate host is the
rodent; such as moles, shrews and field mice. The range of this parasite
is moving south and is found in some of the northern tier states of the
US. The zoonotic threat come from the ingestion of fruit, food or water,
contaminated by the feces of the fox, cat or sled dog. the increase in
camping has exposed more humans and their pets to the potential of
Echinococcus. Once the eggs of Echinococcus are ingested by man they form
a large cyst in the liver. The only treatment is surgical removal.
Unfortunately, the prognosis is guarded because the cyst itself is very
fragile and can rupture with manipulation resulting in death. Treatment
for Echinococcus in the dog is the same drugs used for other tapeworms.
Diphyllobothrium latum (DL) is the largest tapeworm of the dog. It is
uncommon accept in remote areas of the northern US and Canada where dogs,
humans and wildlife may come in contact. The final host in addition to
the dog is primarily man, but it also exists in the cat, fox, and bear.
The worm enters the final host by ingesting raw or under cooked trout,
pike, fresh water salmon and perch. DL can grow to an amazing 20 meters
in the intestine. Eggs are shed directly into the feces. I f shed into
water small crustaceans swallow the egg which are then consumed by fresh