Public Health Aspect

Is there any human health danger? Yes, both dog and cat feces may contain organisms that cause human health problems.

What is the hazard in dog feces? The common large roundworm, called Toxocara canis, can also infect humans.

How common is this worm in dogs? It is estimated that 90% of young puppies are infected with ascarids or large roundworms.

How do humans become infected? They get the infective eggs in their mouth. The eggs are transferred to mouth by the person’s fingers, food, or other objects contaminated by dog feces.

What kind of symptoms would a person have who is infected by dog worms? A condition called Visceral Larval Migrans. The ascarid eggs hatch in a person’s small intestine. The little worms or larvae get into the blood stream and float to the liver. They migrate in the liver and get to the blood stream that goes to the lungs. Some may enter the general circulation and end up in different parts of the body. They have been found in the human heart, brain, spinal cord, and other tissues. The symptoms would vary depending on where the larvae become attached.

Another condition is called Ocular Larval Migrans. The immature ascarid worms or larvae can affect the human eye. The larvae attack the retina and can cause blindness. Many eyes of children have had to be removed which until recently was the only treatment for this problem.

How long can ascarid eggs live in the soil? They can live for many months, or many years depending on soil conditions.

How common are these infections in humans? An estimated 10,000 children per year in the United States are infected with roundworms, and approximately 750 will suffer permanent visual impairment or blindness when migrating larvae lodge in their eyes.

Poo can be some scary stuff!!!!

Let us help remove some of that fear

How can I reduce the risk to my family?

Ø    Practice good hygiene by washing hands regularly

Ø     Remove pet stools from your yard at least weekly (worm eggs are not infective when fresh, only after they have embryonated for a week or so in the pets feces.

Ø Do not let children go barefoot in areas where animals have defecated (worm eggs can survive months or years in infected soil)

Ø    Keep children away from areas with pet stools

Ø Keep sandboxes covered while not in use

Pet Owners Beware....

Pet waste is toxic to lawns and should not be thought of as fertilizer. It needs to be removed before it causes unsightly discoloring.

This is from a lawn we clean every other week. The longest the land mine was on the ground was 14 days and it totally destroyed the grass under it.

It has been estimated that a single gram of dog poo can contain 23 million fecal coli form bacteria, which are known to cause intestinal illness and in some cases, kidney disorders in humans.