Pet Waste and your health.

Dog feces is more than just a nuisance - it can pose a serious health hazard. Why? A number of common parasites, including round worm, are transmitted via dog feces. When infected dog droppings are left on the ground, the eggs of the roundworms and other parasites can linger in the soil for years. As a result, anyone who comes in contact with the soil also comes in contact with the infected eggs. Children run the greatest risk of infection because they're prone to play in the dirt at the park or playground 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 in an open area could be in danger. Parasitic infections can make humans extremely sick, and for pregnant women, can pose a serious harm to their unborn child.
Some of the more common waste-borne diseases and their symptoms are the following. •Camplyobacteriosis - A bacterial infection carried by dogs and cats that frequently causes diarrhea in humans.

•Cryptosporidium – A protozoan parasite carried by dogs, cats, mice, and many other mammals. Symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and dehydration. May be fatal to people with weak immune systems.
•Salmonellosis - Symptoms including fever, headache, vomiting and diarrhea.
•Toxocariasis – Roundworms usually transmitted from dogs to humans, often without noticeable symptoms, that may cause a rash, fever, and cough or vision loss.
•Toxoplasmosis - A protozoan parasite carried by cats that can cause serious birth defects such as mental retardation and blindness if a woman becomes infected during pregnancy, is the reason pregnant women are told to avoid handling used kitty litter. This parasite can also cause problems for people with weak immune systems. Symptoms include headache, muscle aches and lymph node enlargement.

Pet waste and your yard.

Contrary to popular belief pet waste does NOT make useful fertilizer, parasites carried in pet waste can cause diseases in humans and should not be used in compost or thought of as fertilizer.

If you are too busy or dislike picking up pet waste, then consider calling a pooper scooper to help out with the digusting job of pet waste removal.