The Health Risks Hiding in Dog Waste
Dog waste is more than an eyesore — it’s a carrier for parasites and bacteria that can linger in your yard’s soil long after the pile is gone. Here’s what to know and how to stay ahead of it.
What’s actually in it
A single gram of dog waste can hold millions of bacteria, plus parasites like roundworm, hookworm, and giardia, and viruses such as parvo. Many of these survive in soil for months, which is why an area can stay contaminated well after cleanup.
How it spreads
Rain and sprinklers wash pathogens across the yard and into the soil where kids and pets play. Dogs re-infect themselves by sniffing contaminated ground, and eggs can cling to shoes and paws that carry them indoors.
Protecting kids and pets
Keep waste picked up promptly, wash hands after yard time, keep pets current on deworming, and don’t let dogs use the same small patch repeatedly. Prompt removal is the single most effective safeguard.
When to call in a reset
If waste has built up, a thorough one-time cleanup clears the contamination in one visit, and ongoing recurring removal keeps it from returning — with equipment sanitized between properties to avoid spreading parvo and giardia.
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