Doo Care believes very strongly in helping families, businesses and pet owners keep the environment clean and healthy. Through proper pet waste management techniques most problems can be avoided. Doo Care has set up this education center so that you can learn the hazards that improper pet waste management can bring. Did you know…
- A recent study in San Francisco determined that pet waste makes up 3.8% of residential landfills.
- Storm water carries pet waste and other pollutants directly into waterways.
- Animal waste adds nitrogen to the water. Excess nitrogen depletes the water's oxygen, which is necessary for healthy underwater grasses, wildlife and fish.
- Animal waste may contain harmful organisms such as Giardia, Salmonella and E. coli that can be transmitted to humans and other animals by ingesting contaminated water.
- Roundworms and hookworms deposited by infected animals can live in the soil for a long time and be transmitted to other animals and humans.
Read more about specific concerns related to:
Dogs
From mutt to blue-blooded champion, all dogs harbor so-called coliform bacteria, which live in the gut. The group includes E. Coli, a bacterium that can cause disease, and fecal coliform bacteria, which spread through feces. Dogs also carry salmonella and giardia. Environmental officials use measurements of some of these bacteria as barometers of how much fecal matter has contaminated a body of water.
Dogs get roundworms either from ingesting worm eggs off the ground or because their mother was infected and passed the worms to her puppies during pregnancy. Adult roundworms then feed on partially digested food in the dog's intestine. Dogs infected with roundworms and hookworms can suffer from abdominal discomfort, vomiting, loss of appetite, severe weight loss or even sudden death. However, in most instances, dogs may be infected without showing any immediate signs of illness. Ancylostoma canium, an illness caused by a particular species of dog hookworm may almost complete its development in the lower small intestine, but produces a severe inflammatory reaction in the bowel, causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, and a type of blood disease called peripheral blood eosinophilia.
People
Children run the greatest risk of infection because they're prone to play in the dirt and then put their hands in their mouths or rub their eyes with their hands. But even a group of teens or adults playing Frisbee or touch football could be in danger. Parasitic infections can make humans extremely sick, and for pregnant women, can pose a serious harm to their unborn child. Roundworm, hookworm and other parasitic worms may be transmitted to your children who play in their yard, or adults, that come into contact with dog feces. Hookworms may be transmitted from contaminated soil and/or infected feces, to people walking barefoot.
Environment
Our environment is very affected by pet waste through soil absorption or runoff into waterways. Here are a few articles of interest that better explain the environmental impact that stagnant pet waste can have.
Additional Links
Water pollution:
Pollution Prevention Information: Pet Waste Management
Ecological effects:
To better the environment:
National Geographic News: Here's the Scoop: San Francisco to Turn Dog Poop Into Biofuel
Methane Digesters and Cogeneration - Producing Renewable Energy and Protecting the Environment
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